Before I get too deep into girly stuff, I have to post this of my handsome sons. Their ties were chosen to go with the overall palette by Natasha, who was at a tie store in Manhattan (a store devoted to ties is not something I have access to!) and graciously did the honors.
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| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
The whole issue of what everyone (of the female variety) wears at a wedding is so very fraught with peril, don't you think?
The problems are 1. expense, 2. modesty, 3. actual prettiness and flatteringness, 4. not getting sucked into the bridal world of costuming, and 5. sheer amount of time it takes to figure it all out.
The problems are 1. expense, 2. modesty, 3. actual prettiness and flatteringness, 4. not getting sucked into the bridal world of costuming, and 5. sheer amount of time it takes to figure it all out.
Of course, as soon as the girls got engaged, the palettes started flying, the dreams started being dreamed, and the possibilities were emailed. And if there is one thing I can NOT stand, it's trying to find a dress online, let alone three dresses.
I am going to try to round up what we did here in this post and another on Deirdre's dresses, and maybe little by little show you some other aspects of the wedding planning/execution -- now that we have photos!
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| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
When we last parted from Wedding Central, we were telling you about Sukie's dress. And we were embracing the vintage.
So what kind of bridesmaids' dresses should we get? My main issue with all the choices was very simple: Dress length.
With the formality and vintage-y-ness of Sukie's dress, I felt strongly that the length of everything we saw online was just not going to be just right. Either everything is just a bit too short, even with my shortish people, or full length, which was too formal for our country wedding. Plus, she didn't necessarily want everyone dressed alike. (Otherwise, I do like the J. Crew dresses -- Bridget wore a truly sweet and lovely silk one in Nick and Natasha's wedding.)
I can't tell you when it happened that I started perusing the pattern sites, but suddenly, now that I really know what kind of shapes are not flattering and look fine on emaciated models posed just so, but not on real flesh-and-blood women who stand up straight and walk around, I am able to choose something that does flatter and that I know I can wangle.
So when I found the Vogue pattern for this wrap dress, I knew we had a winner -- if -- a big, whopping IF -- we could find the right fabric.
Friends, if you have tried dressmaking and sort of failed, here is my insight:
The two overwhelming obstacles are 1. the pattern -- it's hard to determine from the information given if the pattern will flatter unless you have scrutinized the construction and know what to scrutinize -- and 2. the fabric -- what's available at you-know-where is just not going to be the right thing, for the most part.
(So, just... everything. It's all an obstacle.)
If you are tempted by the lovely prints of the quilting cottons, you end up with something frumpy, because the drape is not right for a dress. If you go the "dress fabric" route, you are dragged down by the synthetics -- they don't wear well and are often not found with attractive prints. Why end up with something that looks like you bought it at Sears? Just go to Sears and save yourself the trouble.
My mother lucked out with some pretty linen for her dresses (made by a generous friend), but those lovely sheer voiles and lawns and drapey silks that you find in really nice dress shops (and honestly, even in cheap blouses at Old Navy, for goodness' sake) are simply not available.
Call up India and tell them to send us some of the good stuff.
I knew this dress pattern, which actually calls for jersey knit, because it's meant to be casual, would look perfectly dressy in a sheer polished cotton (which is what voile is) -- it would drape well. It would emphatically not look good in the cottons they sell at JoAnn's.
But where to find such fabric? I searched online like crazy, and I am here to tell you that in her palette (which, admittedly, was "all" --but with an emphasis on turquoise and orange and dark pink -- I think), there were very few options.
Back and forth, we emailed. In the end, I found that Anna Maria Horner's fabrics were perfect for Liz (the girls' housemate and all-round wedding supporter extraordinaire) and Bridget; while the paisley from Joel Dewberry for Deirdre incorporated the orange Sukie wanted. All the fabrics are just amazingly beautiful. You have to search and search all the fabric stores online to find some of the older lines, and that is a little crazy-making. The ones I used were SewMamaSew and Fabric.com. QuiltHome was helpful with swatches, but didn't end up having enough yardage. I see that now they have some Amy Butler voiles that look lovely.
You get good at using the right words in your search, both on Google and within the sites (voile, lawn, the designer's names, and the names of any patterns you might be interested in -- make sure you take a peek at the different colorways, as sometimes just changing the colors makes the fabric fit your needs); and making sure that what you are ordering really is voile and not a heavier fabric with the same style name. Some of the lines come in flannel, so beware. I don't think a flannel bridesmaid dress would be all that great, honestly.
Also note that the voile is in a wider width than other cottons.
One more note on the fabric: Of course the bodice is lined (the skirt calls for an interlining, but I'll tell you below what I did). You must have an equally light and airy fabric for the lining! At JoAnn's, all they have is a 60% poly lining, the quality of which is abysmal. So go ahead and order some white batiste in 100% cotton as well. Fabric.com has some that is a good price. You can also use voile curtains if you happen to have any handy that you aren't using on windows. (Thanks, Christina!)
So -- the pattern. This wrap dress has the advantage of being... adjustable! Yay for wraps! So I was confident that, with Liz's measurements from afar, I'd be good to go. It's super flattering. The bodice has darts that open up from the waist, giving a softness in the bust. Be aware that if the figure is very heavy in the bust and chest area, this might make things too bulky, although you could sew the darts down rather than leaving them to open up in loose pleats, I suppose.
And leave off the topstitching, which is for the more casual version.
The sleeves are not right -- too tight! I ended up cutting them wider at the straight edge, as you can see in the picture (the white piece). Here is where having made a muslin mock-up of the bodice really helped me figure things out.
I also added snaps at the sides of the waist, as you don't want your lovelies to be fussing with their ties.
And I made sure that each dress was just the right length.
Since the skirt is cut in a circle, it's wonderfully forgiving and attractive and vintage-y! Circle skirts are way more work and fabric (you realize this as you are hemming for.ev.er), but worth it in their fabulousness.
Now, two things bring this dress to the level of awesomeness desired:
1. An underskirt that will give it a slight boost away from the body! Do not think that simply interlining (as the pattern calls for -- essentially another layer added to the skirt pieces and treated as one) or, horribly, using nothing, will do. The skirt will just hang straight down, and all the circle-y full goodness will be lost. It will be dumb.
Just make a little slip using your lining fabric (it doesn't have to be a circle as well, it can just be a simple A-line) and sew a little gathered tulle to it from the high hip down to the hem. The tulle goes on the outside of the slip, between it and the dress. (I needed the underskirts for Deirdre's dresses too, or I would have attached them to the bodice lining, which is what I recommend you do.) (Thanks, Nancy, for making the underskirts!)
I think in the photos you can't tell that there is such a thing on them -- it doesn't make the dress poufy -- but it makes all the difference!
2. A trim of Venice lace around the neckline and down the flap of the wrap. To me, this unifies the dresses and just makes them more festive!
These two additions of mine show you that you can just think outside the box when it comes to patterns. Pay attention to the shape of the dress (look at the line drawings on the back more than the photo), not the distracting fabrics the cover shows. And don't be afraid to embellish!
I can answer any questions in the comments, so be sure to check back!
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
So what kind of bridesmaids' dresses should we get? My main issue with all the choices was very simple: Dress length.
With the formality and vintage-y-ness of Sukie's dress, I felt strongly that the length of everything we saw online was just not going to be just right. Either everything is just a bit too short, even with my shortish people, or full length, which was too formal for our country wedding. Plus, she didn't necessarily want everyone dressed alike. (Otherwise, I do like the J. Crew dresses -- Bridget wore a truly sweet and lovely silk one in Nick and Natasha's wedding.)
I can't tell you when it happened that I started perusing the pattern sites, but suddenly, now that I really know what kind of shapes are not flattering and look fine on emaciated models posed just so, but not on real flesh-and-blood women who stand up straight and walk around, I am able to choose something that does flatter and that I know I can wangle.
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
 |
| Vogue 8784 |
So when I found the Vogue pattern for this wrap dress, I knew we had a winner -- if -- a big, whopping IF -- we could find the right fabric.
Friends, if you have tried dressmaking and sort of failed, here is my insight:
The two overwhelming obstacles are 1. the pattern -- it's hard to determine from the information given if the pattern will flatter unless you have scrutinized the construction and know what to scrutinize -- and 2. the fabric -- what's available at you-know-where is just not going to be the right thing, for the most part.
(So, just... everything. It's all an obstacle.)
If you are tempted by the lovely prints of the quilting cottons, you end up with something frumpy, because the drape is not right for a dress. If you go the "dress fabric" route, you are dragged down by the synthetics -- they don't wear well and are often not found with attractive prints. Why end up with something that looks like you bought it at Sears? Just go to Sears and save yourself the trouble.
My mother lucked out with some pretty linen for her dresses (made by a generous friend), but those lovely sheer voiles and lawns and drapey silks that you find in really nice dress shops (and honestly, even in cheap blouses at Old Navy, for goodness' sake) are simply not available.
Call up India and tell them to send us some of the good stuff.
I knew this dress pattern, which actually calls for jersey knit, because it's meant to be casual, would look perfectly dressy in a sheer polished cotton (which is what voile is) -- it would drape well. It would emphatically not look good in the cottons they sell at JoAnn's.
But where to find such fabric? I searched online like crazy, and I am here to tell you that in her palette (which, admittedly, was "all" --but with an emphasis on turquoise and orange and dark pink -- I think), there were very few options.
Back and forth, we emailed. In the end, I found that Anna Maria Horner's fabrics were perfect for Liz (the girls' housemate and all-round wedding supporter extraordinaire) and Bridget; while the paisley from Joel Dewberry for Deirdre incorporated the orange Sukie wanted. All the fabrics are just amazingly beautiful. You have to search and search all the fabric stores online to find some of the older lines, and that is a little crazy-making. The ones I used were SewMamaSew and Fabric.com. QuiltHome was helpful with swatches, but didn't end up having enough yardage. I see that now they have some Amy Butler voiles that look lovely.
You get good at using the right words in your search, both on Google and within the sites (voile, lawn, the designer's names, and the names of any patterns you might be interested in -- make sure you take a peek at the different colorways, as sometimes just changing the colors makes the fabric fit your needs); and making sure that what you are ordering really is voile and not a heavier fabric with the same style name. Some of the lines come in flannel, so beware. I don't think a flannel bridesmaid dress would be all that great, honestly.
Also note that the voile is in a wider width than other cottons.
 |
| Super unflattering somewhat overwhelmed Mother of the Bride, adorable Liz. Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
One more note on the fabric: Of course the bodice is lined (the skirt calls for an interlining, but I'll tell you below what I did). You must have an equally light and airy fabric for the lining! At JoAnn's, all they have is a 60% poly lining, the quality of which is abysmal. So go ahead and order some white batiste in 100% cotton as well. Fabric.com has some that is a good price. You can also use voile curtains if you happen to have any handy that you aren't using on windows. (Thanks, Christina!)
So -- the pattern. This wrap dress has the advantage of being... adjustable! Yay for wraps! So I was confident that, with Liz's measurements from afar, I'd be good to go. It's super flattering. The bodice has darts that open up from the waist, giving a softness in the bust. Be aware that if the figure is very heavy in the bust and chest area, this might make things too bulky, although you could sew the darts down rather than leaving them to open up in loose pleats, I suppose.
And leave off the topstitching, which is for the more casual version.
The sleeves are not right -- too tight! I ended up cutting them wider at the straight edge, as you can see in the picture (the white piece). Here is where having made a muslin mock-up of the bodice really helped me figure things out.
I also added snaps at the sides of the waist, as you don't want your lovelies to be fussing with their ties.
And I made sure that each dress was just the right length.
Since the skirt is cut in a circle, it's wonderfully forgiving and attractive and vintage-y! Circle skirts are way more work and fabric (you realize this as you are hemming for.ev.er), but worth it in their fabulousness.
Now, two things bring this dress to the level of awesomeness desired:
1. An underskirt that will give it a slight boost away from the body! Do not think that simply interlining (as the pattern calls for -- essentially another layer added to the skirt pieces and treated as one) or, horribly, using nothing, will do. The skirt will just hang straight down, and all the circle-y full goodness will be lost. It will be dumb.
Just make a little slip using your lining fabric (it doesn't have to be a circle as well, it can just be a simple A-line) and sew a little gathered tulle to it from the high hip down to the hem. The tulle goes on the outside of the slip, between it and the dress. (I needed the underskirts for Deirdre's dresses too, or I would have attached them to the bodice lining, which is what I recommend you do.) (Thanks, Nancy, for making the underskirts!)
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
I think in the photos you can't tell that there is such a thing on them -- it doesn't make the dress poufy -- but it makes all the difference!
2. A trim of Venice lace around the neckline and down the flap of the wrap. To me, this unifies the dresses and just makes them more festive!
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
These two additions of mine show you that you can just think outside the box when it comes to patterns. Pay attention to the shape of the dress (look at the line drawings on the back more than the photo), not the distracting fabrics the cover shows. And don't be afraid to embellish!
I can answer any questions in the comments, so be sure to check back!
 |
| Photo from Nicole Montmarquet Photography. |
