Justine's Custom Wedding Dress
If I were to choose a word to describe Justine, it would be bold. And I LOVE bold brides. This ER doctor had dress dreams that were bigger than anything she could find in a traditional bridal store. After shopping around for a wedding dress, she knew that the only way to make her vision come to life was to have her dress custom made. Justine and I met in the Modehaus Bridal Atelier and began her custom wedding dress journey.
Justine was drawn to lace and knew she wanted it to be prominently featured on her dress. Many of the dresses she liked online had a high collar and all of them had a very low back. Most important to Justine was a long dreamy train that would trail behind her down the aisle. After looking at all her dress inspiration, I drew sketches, and we talked over the design.
Justine’s sister, close girlfriends, and mother came to most of her appointments. They were a constant source of warmth and support throughout her fittings. The first fittings were in muslin. Using the muslin pattern on our bride, I fit the collar, sleeves, bodice, and train. With such a long train, I had to make sure the bodice was fitted just right. We also used a lighter weight silk so that the dress would not feel difficult to walk in. Justine had to imagine what the dress would look like not in the cotton muslin, but in illusion netting, lace, and lace appliqué.
Once the muslin was fitted just right, I began sewing the custom wedding dress in silk. I used a netting that matched Justine’s skin on the bodice so it would disappear behind the lace that I would eventually appliqué on the bodice.
Justine chose a romantic French alençon lace for the skirt, train, and parts of the bodice. To add a little sparkle, she chose a complimentary lace for the rest of the bodice. Justine and I share a strong attention to detail so lace placement was important. I began strategically hand stitching the lace all over the bodice. Layer by layer, the dress came together.
Once every button, bead, and piece of lace was in its place, we added one more moment of drama to Justine’s custom wedding dress. She asked for a veil long enough to stand up to her bold dress. Her extended cathedral veil came in measuring just over 16 feet. It was the longest custom veil I have ever designed.
Justine married her fiance, Matthew at a beautiful Door County forest ceremony in October. The two of them have a growing family of rescue animals, including 8 dogs, 2 chinchillas, 1 cat, and 2 horses. They share a love of helping those in need, Justine through her work in medicine and Matthew through his work in the US Army.
