This is one of my favorite case studies!  A wedding gown is commonly one of the key ingredients to set the tone for the wedding. This particular wedding was to be held outside on bluffs overlooking the ocean. For many brides, what they will feel and look like walking down the aisle in the perfect gown has been an image in their mind since they were playing dress up.

This particular bride did not have a gown in her mind nor the budget to buy one. She did however have wonderful friends who were willing to give her their old gowns to wear. Enter, me, her stylist! Even though we had three gowns to choose from, in my opinion, none of them suited this bride.

Take a look at our first two options below. One was a cocktail dress, which I eliminated immediately and although the other had a nice cut on top with the halter neckline, I felt the skirt was way too full for this particular bride. Added on top of this was the fact that this bride did not like tulle.

So, off came the top layers and the A-line bottom. We used only the lining and a little Italian lace to create the gown of her dreams. Creating the universally appealing sweetheart neckline and adjusting the width of the gown to show off her fabulous shape were the first two steps.

Adding lace to the bodice and cutting out the back to create a sexy v was the next order of business. See how we accentuated the V design by mimicking the shape with the lace down past her tush? This added drame, elongated her torso and also slimmed her silhouette.

We also added lace that tapered to a v on the front of the gown to create the same elongating and slimming effect.

After this, we simply added the finishing touches and oila! had a gown made just for her!

We were so lucky that one of the veils matched the ivory lace perfectly and look at the finished ensemble. Yay!

The bride was ecstatic and the wedding went off with only one hitch ~ she became a Mrs!

Here are a few photos from the wedding: