Designing and making a wedding dress for my sister
The brief for my sister Sherryn’s wedding dress was simple: “you know what I like – and I hate my arms” she said over a glass of wine one night. “Oh, and I don’t want a veil”.
Sherryn had given me open slather to design whatever I wanted. But funnily enough being handed complete freedom presented a real problem – it left me with nowhere to start. So we went looking for fabric.
Decisions, decisions…
Everyone has different ways of deciding and communicating their ideas about how they want to look on their wedding day, and for Sherryn, browsing fabrics was a great way to refine her perception of herself.
Choosing the fabric – a beautiful beaded tulle – helped me understand her idea of elegance, softness, and the amount of detail she wanted in her gown.
Once that was decided the design came together quite naturally. A train with hand applique around the neckline and strategic beading over the shoulders completed the picture.
Fittings were lots of fun, it was a wonderful way of being closely involved in my sister’s big day.
Here comes the bride!
Sherryn was delighted with her dress, and so was I. As you can see from the photos her husband Jon was right to be impressed – my sister is a vision.
With Sherryn taken care of I tackled the second most important job: Mother of the bride!
