Sewing her wedding dress is the holy grail for a seamstress. This project is much more accessible than it looks. With the right tools and a dash of patience and determination, you can successfully create the dress of your dreams.

Five years of creating wedding dresses and bridesmaids allowed me to develop the concept of personalized dresses . Today, these are sewing patterns that allow you to imagine the dress you want by mixing tops, bottoms and sleeves from the collection.

These patterns are supplemented by an e-book entirely dedicated to the wedding dress . It will allow you to learn to master the materials and techniques specific to exceptional dresses. Thus, any sewing pattern can become a wedding dress by adapting only the fabrics and finishes.

It’s a long-term project, which is extremely rewarding! I will detail the 10 steps to make your wedding dress sewing project a success.

1st step: looking for inspiration

Browse the wedding dress collections and determine the style of dress that suits you. Would you like a high waisted or low waisted dress? Long or short dress? A minimalist dress without lace? A dress with classic or modern lace? A fluid dress or full volume?

Write down your desires in a notebook or Pinterest board.

Step 2: familiarize yourself with the materials

Wedding dresses are generally made in materials that we are not used to sewing. What is a Moroccan crepe, a taffeta, a supreme silk crepe or a silk dupioni? To familiarize yourself with these fabrics, discover the materials in store or order samples.

A sample may not be enough to assess the drape of the fabric. Once your pre-selection has been made on the basis of the samples, buy 50 cm coupons which will allow you to better understand the material. It may seem like an unnecessary expense but it’s an investment for the future  These coupons can be used to make study pieces to practice before sewing the final dress.

Sew short civil wedding dress with bare back straps and stragier Calais lace top Patterns to personalize and Ebook by Atelier Charlotte Auzou

Sew short civil wedding dress with bare back straps and stragier Calais lace top Patterns to personalize and Ebook by Atelier Charlotte Auzou

3rd step: the fittings

There can be a big gap between inspirations and love for a dress. Make an appointment with a designer of wedding dresses or in a multi-brand store to test your inspirations and check that they correspond perfectly to your desires and your morphology. The fact of having ordered fabric samples beforehand will also allow you to recognize the materials and better understand the fall of each one.

4th step: the choice of the final model and the pattern

Make choices and therefore give up! Stop on the model you want to make and find or create the pattern that will allow you to make it.

You can search for existing patterns that will allow you to realize your desires. Don’t limit your search to wedding dress patterns. The e-book allows you to learn how to adapt any dress pattern so that it becomes a wedding dress.

Consider the practicality of the model you choose. Can you put it on easily? A closure in the middle of the back allows you to put on your hair and make up before putting on your dress without risking staining it. Do not forget also the comfort to be able to fully enjoy your wedding day.

Be realistic about your level of sewing and the time you have to sew for your wedding dress, but while remaining ambitious because it is a great challenge that is within your reach.

Are you subject to weight variations? Orient your choice towards a model whose construction will allow easy alterations until the end of your project. For example, a model with a closure in the middle of the back will allow you to easily adjust the side seams without having to unstitch the zip. Large enough seam allowances can also help you with this.

5th step: the canvas(es)

Your dress is taking shape! The canvas step will allow you to make pattern adjustments for a custom fit. You will also be able to think about the assembly steps and the finishes of your final dress.

6th step: buy the fabrics

Through the canvas stage, determine the yardages of fabrics and supplies needed to make the final dress. We advise you to order slightly larger quantities to anticipate potential errors and to produce study parts.

A study piece is an assembly that allows you to practice and test techniques and settings on the final fabric. For example: choose your interfacing, choose the hem technique, choose the settings of your machine for sewing lace, practice laying the lichette…

Sew backless wedding dress with reims stragier lace braid and viscose dobby off white atelier brunette sewing patterns to customize atelier charlotte auzou

7th step: the cut

This is an essential step because a bad cut can alter the final fall of the dress. Dedicate a specific time to cutting your materials.

8th step: assembly

Be patient and take your time. If you have prepared your project well thanks to the previous steps, it will roll by itself!

9th step: final touch-ups

They must be made in the month preceding the wedding to ensure a perfect fall on D-Day. This is also the time to make the hem of your dress while wearing your shoes.