5 Tips for Getting a Custom Fairytale Wedding Dress

Imagine a feeling of ease and beauty, knowing that from the moment you have the final fitting of your dress, you're going to be able to move through your wedding with such grace. Walking down the aisle, where your partner-to-be will be in awe of you… to the dance floor where you'll have the time of your life…

I am sure you have a vision, an idea that is pre-existing about how you wish to look on your wedding day. It’s the reason a custom-made, tailored design is the perfect solution for most brides, especially after searching and trying on what feels like a thousand ready-made dresses. This will share some guidance from custom Brides I have worked with on the tips for getting the  Custom Fairytale Wedding Dress of your dreams.

1. Try on Dresses in a boutique to know what style you want. This is a crucial part of the Custom process. When you know what dress style fits you, you will have a better idea of the end result. 

2. What colour do you want? With Custom your dress can be any tint of white or any colour of the rainbow and beyond! I have had pink, blue with yellow tulle, White with red tulle and many more. Fabrics are also something to be sure on, this makes it a lot easier to find samples for your dress.

3. Get all the information you need from the Designer. Know what is included in the quote, Fabrics, Alterations, Fittings, taxes. What is the process? How many fittings will there be? What is included for the alterations? How much is the initial cost? Do they have a payment plan? Whatever you need the Designer should be able to easily provide you with answers to these questions.

4. You chose your Designer, incredible! Now you just need patience, ordering fabrics can take a little time so being patient is important. A great designer will include you in the entire process from start to finish. My Brides love when sneak peeks are shared in stories on social media.

5. Trust the process! Having your vision created by someone can be somewhat nerve racking however you invested in this and your Designer so go with the flow, she or he will make all your dress visions come true.

Take these 5 tips into consideration when you are looking into your wedding dress, they will help you know that custom is the perfect place to have your fairytale visions come true.

A Real-Life Fairy God-Mother

Once upon a time, in a cozy house, on a quiet street, in a village on the edge of a booming metropolis, a young seamstress discovered she could perform magic. It was a transformative sort of magic that could make every bride look and feel amazing…

We all love fairy tales and, when I complete a dress for a client, it makes me feel like a real-life Fairy God-Mother! The magic occurs when a bride’s vision comes to life, and fits all of their curves (or lack of them) perfectly. True to the genre, all good fairy tales begin at home. This one is no exception. You see, I struggled with body-image issues for a long time. For years, I suffered from never feeling happy in the clothes I was wearing — literally feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. Everything changed on the day I picked up my scissors, cut into some fabric, and sewed my first dress. I took the pattern and adjusted it to my measurements. There was a moment, just before I tried it on, when I felt hesitant, worried my work would let me down. But the moment I pulled that dress on, well, it was magic. It fit me perfectly and, as a result, for the first time in my life, I felt fabulous! That dress made me aware that having something tailored to my own personal shape made me not only feel more comfortable, but heightened my self-image. Inspired, I embarked on a journey which, with a lot of self-love care, has helped me see an even clearer image of myself. It also gave me a clear vision for my business, to share my joy with the world! I have experienced the thrill of that moment over and over again. My goal has been to elevate and accentuate the best parts of my clients, leaving the rest behind them. Every day, I use my weapons of dress construction to make visions come to life. The ultimate challenge is to listen to an idea that someone has in their mind and translate it, craft it, form it into what I hope resembles their dream dress. Over the years, I have created and altered hundreds, if not thousands, of gowns and there is one thing that makes everything I do worth it: witnessing the ecstatic joy on their faces as they slip into the dress for the final fitting. The transformation into a fairy tale princess is immediate as they turn and spin around in front of the mirror, feeling the perfect fit, beaming with happiness. Dare I say it again? It’s magic!

Each of my clients arrive with a vision, an idea that is pre-existing about how they wish to look. It’s the reason custom-made, tailored design is the perfect solution for most brides, especially after searching and trying on what feels like a thousand ready-made dresses. That’s where I come in! As a crafter, there is nothing more satisfying than starting a project, finishing it runs a close second. The process is stimulating. At the initial consultation we discuss fabric and style. I measure every inch of my client to ensure the gown will fit all those ‘perfect imperfections’ (with thanks to Ed Sheeran for such a great expression). Sketches and cups of tea, and more sketches and tea, until the gown starts to come to life in my mind. There is such delight in sourcing fabric – the satins, the silks, the lace – it’s like a smorgasbord of texture. Then crafting out the pattern, piecing the dress together like a jigsaw puzzle, to ensure a perfect fit. The moment of truth comes as I prepare to cut. Like a carpenter, I measure twice, double-checking pins are secure before I pick up one of the most critical tools in my toolkit – no, not a magic wand – a shining pair of scissors. For me, there is nothing more exciting than pinning freshly cut pieces of fabric together and sitting down at the sewing machine. And this is where I wish I did have a magic wand to wave, or perhaps some sparkles or a puff of smoke because, with a ‘Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’, the perfect fitted dress has come to life! Exactly what was envisioned, or more frequently, the words are, “Amanda! This is better than I could have ever dreamed!” Yup, I feel like a Fairy God-Mother every time.

Over the last ten years I have been privileged to create some lovely dresses, but I believe the dress you see here reflects my best work yet. For some reason, I just feel creatively connected to this one. It highlights my skills. The style is based on a pattern that I have altered many times and followed once before, however I have never created one quite like this. My husband says it’s his favourite and he has seen more wedding dresses than any other man I know. Each piece of fabric that I cut, each layer upon layer that was sewn together felt effortless. It was almost magical, as if I was achieving the vision towards our first fitting on some sort of a creative energy high like no other. My client arrived for her fitting. She loved it! She was delighted to see her vision becoming a reality. Each lace appliqué was hand-sewn and took several days. With the kids and other obligations in my life, there were moments when I felt I would never finish the bodice! But as each day passed, I grew more excited to continue. The final result was such an achievement. It is an honour to provide a service that fulfills dreams. To say that I enjoy ‘crafting’ is a gross understatement. Each piece that I alter or create to fit the bride’s size, personality and style allows me to share my magic with the world. My goal is for everyone to feel beautiful and confident on the day of their wedding and beyond.

And so we draw to the end of the fairy tale. The little seamstress who discovered she could perform magic feels most days like a real life fairy godmother, making each clients dress visions come true. And, as she creates their dreams, she is living her own. Dreams that are so big and beautiful, there are times she has to pinch herself to believe they’re true. And somewhere, behind a pile of fabric, surrounded by needles and pins and scissors, she is grinning from ear to ear, because she is living ‘happily ever after’.

A dream come true

“I showed Amanda what I wanted in my wedding dress and she worked so hard to get every detail to perfection! She was lovely to work with and is so talented. She also made my garters and veil, my mom's Mother of the Bride dress, the dresses for my bridal party, and face masks for the bridal party and groomsmen. I highly recommend her if you want a custom bridal experience. She will make your dreams come true!”

Wedding and Bridesmaid Dresses created by Amanda Garrett from A.M.E.G. Designs

Photography by Maranda Elysse Photofraphy

The Secret Garden - Rhododendron Garden in Port Credit

 

I love my collaboration shoots! It's great to be able to get a team of incredible creatives together and bring to life moments like these. THIS dress was so much fun to create. From finding this perfect lace, which challenged me because I had never worked with it before. It had quite a stretch to it and with the beautiful lines it has, patience and a good eye really needed to be used for this one. I wanted to do a 1970's piece because I think it is so wonderful to create from different eras, so be prepared to see some other staple pieces from specific times. The sleeves, neckline and hemline make this dress exactly what it is meant to be, timeless. Take a gander at what our amazing team did together and with only 15 minutes of light on the day of the shoot. 

The 1970's look for weddings is very on trend, from the dresses to the floral headpieces. It could be the simplistic look you've been searching for. There are several styles that would work for this look, the high neck and wide sleeves are just one of the many options. Mostly making one a kind and your very own, you could have an almost peasant style that is off shoulder and high lights your more playful side. Lace, lace and more lace, a long train of lace, with unlined lace sleeves, low v-back and high neckline would be on the more elegant side if that is the look you're going for.

Having a custom dress created from your vision and brought to reality can be the best possible decision you have ever made. The best part is it can be anything you want, from any era past or present and even a mixture to make it fun and modern.   

If you're considering having a custom dress and/or accessory for your special day, send an email my way. It would be my pleasure to make all your dress & accessory dreams come true!

Your Designer,

Amanda Garrett

Beautiful work by;

Photo Credit Brendan McFater 

Floral Design Raindrops on Roses 

Make & Hair Beauty by Sacha

Model Catherine Flanigan