You may know that I sell some of my handmade bridal designs on
etsy--mostly little shrugs and accessories, because they're easy to transport and fit--but also a selection of dress designs. Late this spring I was contacted by a bride named Mary--she lives in Ireland but was getting married at a friend's house in Italy in August. Could I make a full-length version of my
ghost dress and ship it to her in Italy? I could.
I packaged the dress carefully and took it to my friendly neighborhood postman, who advised me that the Italian post is "the worst" (i.e. slow, unreliable, prone to losing precious parcels). He saw the panicked look on my face and said, "Just tell the bride to run down to the local
ufficio postale with a nice bottle of wine...I'm sure everything will be fine." I laughed nervously--I've been to Italy, and I knew he wasn't joking.
The box went off. Weeks passed--no word. Then a nervous email from Mary, asking if I might know when the dress would arrive? I replied with some advice about charming the officials, per my postman's suggestion. Then silence. The wedding day came and went. I felt a deep, quiet anxiety as I went about my day, finishing projects for other brides. More days passed. Still nothing.
Then, like a ray of sunlight, came this email from Mary! I'll let her take it from here:
Sorry I have not been in contact any earlier, it was a mad rush around the wedding. We had such problems with the Italian customs...I got the dress ONE HOUR before the ceremony last Wednesday! I had already given up on it when some of our friends who came over for the wedding managed to pester enough people in various embassies to get the Italians to release it. They finally released it from customs the night before the wedding and my brother drove the three hours to Milano to pick it up from the airport.....But it was all worth it... the dress is absolutely beautiful!!! Could not have had a nicer wedding dress..I loved it. When it finally arrived I put it one and it fitted perfect...there was nothing I would have changed even if I would have had the time. Thank you so much for all the extra work in making it longer and making it fit. Have not got any official photos back but have attached one a friend of ours made.
Thanks again,
Best wishes
Mary xx
How big was my sigh of relief? I could have floated away on it.
Thanks, Mary! I'm so glad this story has a happy ending.
Kelsey and I worked together last summer to create a new wedding dress from her mother's (read what we did here). She just forwarded these photos from her wedding, and I love everything about them--the colors, the composition, her hair (like she stepped out of a Botticelli painting). Congratulations, Kelsey.
Photography by Emily G.
Lisa Warninger is my clothing's favorite photographer. When we worked together on a shoot back in the spring, Lisa admired my Oysters & Pearls dress (it admired her right back). I told her, "I'll make you one!" Many months later that cavalier (but sincere!) promise has come to fruition. Lisa let me choose the color, but I had the hardest time fastening on the moody, muted, old-rose-shot-with-chocolate color I was thinking. I told her I wanted it to have a spooky, last-night-at-the-carnival 1909 feel. I dyed and redyed the dress once, twice, three times. Then finally, I finished it. Finally. I'm just wearing it temporarily--I hope to get that girl in front of the camera for some real glamour shots.
My favorite wedding photos are the ones where the couple looks wholly, totally in the moment--not too smiley or pose-y, just present...all a-thrill and jittery to be doing such a momentous thing together, holding tight to each other's hands. Jenny forwarded me these pictures of her wedding, and they're that kind of photos.
So very sweet. I love what she did with her hair, by the way (and her dress, of course--flower-embellished cream silk shantung sweetheart sheath from The English Dept. with lace-trimmed tulle halter straps).
Kirsten sent me these sweet photos of her wedding up in Alaska--I like to think of her little prairie shrug gamboling across the tundra...
Photos by Nathaniel Wilder.
With all the pressures that surround planning a wedding, I am so heartened and inspired when a bride stays true to her own vision. After trying on dozens of filmy white gowns, Serah did a little soul searching. She wanted an orange dress, and I was honored to make it for her. Flame orange silk taffeta strapless gown with ruched bodice and sash detail. I hope this photo (lovely!) emboldens other brides to consider color. It is, after all, the one day in your life when no one will contradict you. Well, no one should. Congratulations, Serah. Beautiful. And so very you.
So sweet, so intimate, so darn American--getting hitched on the ol' homestead. Melissa is wearing the Jenny Yoo Lucy dress in silk taffeta, one of my ivory taffeta ruffle boleros, and a flower and feather-trimmed birdcage veil from The English Dept.
She looks mighty fresh given the high-90s weather we had that week! Congratulations, pretty girl.
Lisa designs a smart line of porcelain ceramics by the name of Pigeon Toe, and her keen creative mind was at work on her wedding dress. The girl knew just what she wanted, and I must say, it suits her right down to the ground. Oyster grey silk chiffon falls in soft pleats down a blouson bodice to the natural waist. Bias cut skirt swings in two tiered layers of chiffon and silk charmeuse. Bodice and straps trimmed in silk charmeuse. It all sounds so effortless, but truly, I was wracked with worry on this one! Silk chiffon, bias cut, symmetrical pleats, layered tiers--truly, could there be a more terrifying test for this seamstress? Really love this little number, maybe because of the anxiety involved. Pretty sure Lisa likes it, too. Is she standing just the slightest bit pigeon-toed..? A good sign.
