A Tale of Three Dresses

Wedding dresses are my favorite vintage materials to work with. Not only are they the perfect blank canvas, but there's something so romantic about working with a garment that was worn at such a special moment in someone's life.

I met Heather Novak, author extraordinaire, when I provided wardrobe for one of her book cover photo shoots.  We got along immediately, bonding over our love of all things magical and romantic, so when she asked me to create a custom dress for her upcoming wedding, I was all in.

Heather had already found her dream wedding dress, but she still wanted to incorporate her family's heirloom garments in the event.  She was lucky to have both of her grandmothers' and her mother's wedding dresses available to use.

Heather came prepared to her first fitting and consultation, showing me the photo of my Garden Dress saved on her phone.  This dress was also made from vintage wedding dress material, and was a perfect starting point for inspiration.

Garden Dress

Heather was also immediately drawn to another piece I was working on in the studio, a wedding dress embellished with hand-painted lace.  

We decided on a design that would combine the styles of both dresses.

initial sketch

With some cutting, painting, and re-fashioning I transformed bits and pieces of the three precious dresses into a new dress that was completely Heather's style.

silk rosettes made from both grandmother's dresses

base dress ready for painting

lace details

work in progress

the final product!

Thank you Heather, for letting me be a part of your special day!