My perfect wedding dress....Swimwear designer goes Bridal, A Custom Wedding Dress by Nicolita

When I got engaged in May 2007, I had a list of priorities I needed to accomplish first before beginning able to plan the rest of my wedding.

1st - finding the perfect venue
2nd - finding a church near by that we could be married at after 4pm.
3rd - finding the perfect dress.

Since I am in the swim wear/apparel manufacturing industry, the thought had crossed my mind to design my own dress. However, I understand how much work is involved in developing a new swim wear pattern, let alone a wedding gown. I decided to check out what the prof
essionals had to offer and I searched online wedding gowns. After my searches, I had an idea of which styles I wanted to try on. I traveled to many bridal boutique and tried on numerous wedding dresses. There were many beautiful gowns but either the price was too expensive or the price was right but there were too many alterations I wanted to make.

So after I realized I might not be able to buy my dress 'off the showroom' floor, I started to cost out how much designing and making my dress would be. I found a professional seamstress and contacted silk and lace distributors in Los Angeles and New York. (Searching the internet for fabric is another great source.)

About my design.
I knew I wanted a mermaid style, low v- back, Chantilly Laced edges, Barathea Silk, cover buttons and sleeves/straps. I also knew I wanted a fun party short dress as well. Originally I was going to make two dresses, but after working with the pattern, I was able to add a ZIPPER and have my wedding gown coverted into a mini cocktail dress. 2 FOR 1....It was one of the HITS at my wedding.
My photographer, Jasmine Star did an amazing job capturing the details on my dress.

The photos below give you an idea of how and where I added the zipper and how to put on the dress



















I first put on the mini dress, then I stepped into the skirt and zipped the two pieces onto each other. I had to use two zippers because it was difficult to find an accurate sized zipper that would work for my measurements.


The zipper was hidden by the scalped lace edge.

I only told a my mother and bridesmaids about the zipper on the dress because I wanted the reveal to be a surprise for guests. After dinner and the bouquet toss, it was time for my Groom to take off my garter and toss it. I decided at this time I wanted my groom to take off the zipper first and then take off my garter. The reactions from my guests were great. Everyone started to shout out and some people event thought he ripped my dress. It was one of my favorite moments of my wedding.



The unveiling......







































This photo was taken at the end of the night. After dinner, all of the tables and chairs were cleared out and a candle lite walkway lead the guest back to the valet. It was a magical night and my dream wedding come true.