In 1991 when I was about to get married to Rob, my mom and I went to bridal shop after bridal shop searching for just the right dress. We didn't really find anything that stood out to me, and the price tags would make your hair fall out!
Eventually we decided to have the dress custom made rather than buying one off the rack. Surprisingly, this was a much less expensive option! I sketched out the front and back of the dress and picked out my fabrics.
Above: Front of the dress, with fabric swatches. Both my notes and the tailor's are included. Below: Back of the dress.
The tailor shop made the dress mostly to my specifications in just a few weeks. They didn't get the sleeves full enough, and the neckline wasn't quite right (they originally made it square instead of round, and had to fix it), but I was still very happy with the dress! Here are some photos of the finished dress:
The sleeves were a light blue lace, full at the cuff.
...standing under the arch (enlarge)
The back of the dress laces up.
The chiffon train drapes from the shoulder, and is edged with embroidered lace.
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