Dorothy and David’s Wedding 11th June 2011
My great auntie Dot told me she was getting married in June 2011 and she wanted me to make her wedding dress. As a dressmaker this was a dream come true. All girls love wedding dresses and this was for family which made it special. Before we started talking about she wanted I received another phone call from her saying that she was not happy with the place where she was going to buy the bridesmaids dresses from, so would I mind making them as well. Not wanting to disappoint her I said yes. I was now making five dresses in total!
Dorothy came to see me for a weekend so we could talk about the dresses and find some fabric to make them from. To my surprise we sorted everything out that weekend; style, patterns, fabric, lining, zips, thread. You name it, we had it.
Dorothy decided that she wanted her dress to be the same as the bridesmaids but her dress in ivory satin and the bridesmaids in a deep purple. We decided to keep the dresses simple with a basic pattern but she liked the idea of a draped piece across the front of the dresses which I modelled on my dress stand.
I have to admit I was worried about making all five dresses in time. I started cutting the fabric in March 2011 after receiving the measurements. The main dresses went together very well and then I worked on the draped panel for the front of them, after some experimenting I was happy and finished the main shell of all of the bridesmaid’s dresses. Then came the fittings, all of the dresses needed taking in at the bodice. The fittings also meant that I could measure the length of the hems. They looked great on the girls and I was relieved for the time being.
Now I could put the finishing touches to the dresses. The next stage was to make the brides dress. The main event as one of my friends called it. After making four dresses the same I knew exactly what I was doing and I was confident. The bride also wanted a little jacket to wear over her dress. We decided on a simple style with long sleeves, shaped open front and stand collar. Dorothy found some lovely fabric in ivory with gold embroidery, it was clear it would make the outfit.
Time for the brides fitting, now I was nervous. She looked great! It needed altering but the dress with the jacket over the top looked lovely. It just finished the outfit beautifully and really suited her.
A few weeks later the dresses were finished and I delivered them on the hen night. A few days later I received a phone call saying that all the dresses fitted really well but that the brides dress was too long. I panicked; I only had the morning of the wedding to take it up! But on the day I asked her to try the dress on and the straps needed shortening. Not the hem. What a relief, a simple job that was done in no time. The bride had also realised that she had a train on her dress, something I had been keeping from her. At first she wasn’t sure but it worked, it made her dress different to the bridesmaid’s dresses and made it more like a bridal gown. In the end she was happy.
At 3pm on 11th June I was stood in church watching my auntie walk down the aisle in the outfit that I had created for her followed by the bridesmaid’s dresses, also my creation. A proud moment that did not feel real. After the ceremony, while the photographs were taken, I could hear people whispering about how beautiful the bride looked in her dress. Not many of them knew that I had made it. It made me very happy, that’s why I love what I do.
