My Wedding Dress

March 23, 2025

It’s hard to believe that it was seven years ago on this day that Brad and I were married. We were together for 25 years when we finally decided to make things official. There was no time in the history of our relationship that would have been better than this one for a wedding. The girls were all able to be there which isn’t very traditional but it made our day extra special. It was also a pretty rough time in our house so having this wonderful distraction of a party all about joy and celebration that included our closest family and friends was the perfect tonic to our aching hearts.

We had two months to plan everything. I knew that I wanted to make my dress but I also knew that it would have to be pretty simple if I was going to get it done on time. I hopped onto etsy and found the most beautiful piece of antique lace. It was a flat piece but had all the shaping of a bodice. If I joined what looked like shoulders, I thought it might work. But if it didn’t, I would find some way to use it in the dress.

The lace arrived rather quickly (thank goodness) and the first thing I did was give it a good soak.

It came out clean and bright but somewhat shrivelled looking.

Taking some cues from lace knitting about blocking things when they’re wet, I set out flattening, straightening and setting with pins. Then I waited for it to dry.

I was so happy with how it looked once the pins came out.

I put the lace on the mini-me to see where I should make the shoulder seams. It was uncanny how perfectly the two pieces fit together without excessive overlap but also still joining up without a gap I would have had trouble resolving. One might go so far as to say that’s how and where it was originally joined.

I did have to move the snaps on the back but it didn’t look like a mistake. The new overlap seemed very natural.

Not only did I think a slip dress would be perfect to fit under and highlight the lace, I also had a pattern for a bias cut slip dress that I already knew fit me well. In the two month time crunch things were starting to come together. In order to make the dress a little more special, I splurged on some silk chiffon for the outer layer. I had never worked with silk chiffon before but now I know why it’s so expensive. I think they use real fairy wings to make it. It feels incredible and it moves around like it is perpetually blown by a gentle breeze. I made the lining out of two layers of Bemberg rayon. Those first three layers turned out to be too sheer for my liking and I had to run to the local store for something… anything… that might work. So, at the eleventh hour I added the fourth layer: a light-blocking polyester that saved the day.

Cutting and sewing things on the bias is always a bit tricky. Things can shift and stretch in the most unexpected ways. But silk chiffon is a different beast entirely. I think the fairies are mad about those wings and they’re making their displeasure known. When I fist sewed the dress and hung it on the hanger, the side seams were beautiful, there was no bunching or wrinkles. I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Then I put it on. The wrinkles and the bunching were everywhere. Everywhere! I was running out of time so I couldn’t start over. I had to find a way to make it work. In the end, the answer was pretty simple. I ran a gathering stitch up each side and cinched a little, tried it on, assessed and repeated until it looked flawless when it was on my body. That means that on the hanger, that dress is a hot mess. It’s a good lesson about not judging clothes on the hanger. They rarely look the same when they’re on your body.

I love making spaghetti straps. I didn’t always feel that way. I’ve learned a few extra tricks and with a little extra preparation and the right tool (thank you loop turner), it’s actually pretty fun.

When I started planning my dress, I didn’t have a final vision. It was all very organic. The lace led to the slip dress, etc. What I forgot to factor in was that my fairy wing dress with it’s sleeveless lace overlay would be no match for Maritime weather in March. I headed out to the consignment stores in Halifax to see what I could find. I was incredibly lucky to come across this beautiful rabbit stole. It was too small for me but if I put the two ends together instead of overlapping them, it was perfect. I removed the pompom since it didn’t work when it was fastened the new way. Thank goodness it occurred to me to do something about the oversight. As you can see in the photos, not only was it a chilly day, it came with a dumping of snow.

Dresses are fun and I enjoyed every minute of making this one. The real joy of that day had nothing to do with the dress. The real joy was coming together with our closest family and friends to celebrate.

We were married at Ironworks Distillery.
We had our dinner at No. 9.
Tulipwood did the flowers.
Béatrice Schuler took the photos.