Marlee's Wedding Planner

Brooklyn and Marlee

Brooklyn has been with Marlee to every one of her bridal fittings.  Her input and opinion has been relevant and supportive.  She knows that this is about Marlee and Brooklyn is wise beyond her short ten years old.

This week I had the body of Marlee's gown ready to mark where I will place the organza ruffle outer layer of her skirt.  I have spent most of my working time on the lace, ribbon embroidery and beadwork.  It is amazing how much time it takes to make a wedding gown but it is worth every minute. 

Marlee's Gown #1

Sketch of Marlee's gown.  I'm not an artist except in fabric.

I am working on a custom gown for a beautiful young woman named Marlee.  She shopped in stores but was unable to find "the" perfect one.  During my 35 years of working with brides and their families I have discovered that what you wear on your wedding day will impact your memories more than just about any other aspect so make sure you get what you love.

Marlee knew she wanted an organza ruffle skirt.  Her mother wanted her to feel truly beautiful which she didn't in anything else that she found.  She found one dress that was much too small but had the bodice she liked except that she needed sleeves.  I met her at the Bridal Faire in January and she kept me in mind as she shopped.  Finally, the decision to have a gown made came to the surface. She pulled out the card I had previously given her at the bridal fair and called me.

She has the most darling little niece who is about 10 years old.  She is a wise soul and mature beyond her years.  She attends each fitting with her file and notes as she is Marlee's wedding planner.  The other day Marlee asked about having a lace up string made in blue and her little wedding planner immediately produced the wedding napkin from her file for my

Back view

reference on the color.  What a delight to see one so young so interested in the marriage process.  I truly believe that we have grand celebrations in heaven and there have to be planners for such events.

At the first fitting I took lots of measurements.  At the second fitting I fit the muslin mock up (a trial dress made of inexpensive fabric) on Marlee and made the necessary markings.  At the last fitting I had the lace up in place and made nip and tuck adjustments in the satin layer of her gown.

Re-embroidered Alencon Lace. 

The difference between a home made dress and a hand made wedding gown has many facets.  Bridal fabrics and laces cannot usually be purchased from a traditional downtown fabric store.  I special order my components and my lace is no exception.  This is a beautiful re-embroidered alencon all over lace which is my source for the lace applique's.  I special order it specifically for this purpose.  I cut around the floral designs.  The bodice of Marlee's dress is a layer of underlining, a layer of satin, several layers of soft net, a layer of organza followed by the applique's which are then hand beaded after they are all sewn on.  I do have a method to sew most of the applique's on by machine but often I must hand sew around all of the hundreds of floral motifs. 

Applique' ready to be sewn on

When I see a home made wedding dress if there is lace it is usually cut into the shape of the pattern piece and sewn in the same manner as the fabric as an over lay but when a designer gown is made the appliques are intentionally placed to create the most flattering and eye pleasing effect.  I like to do the bead work and hand sewing on a gown before I sew the outer layer of the dress to the lining.  Marlee's gown will be the 7 layers I have mentioned before as well a lining of satin with up to 10 lines of flexible boning in the bodice to keep the dress smooth and professional looking.  The skirt of her gown will be an organza layer with layers upon layers of organza ruffles, the satin layer, two layers of crinoline and finally a layer of lining fabric between her and the dress. That is a lot to have on my lap for hand work so I work on the individual pieces.

Bead work with ribbon embroidery

I love bling and am so happy that Marlee does too. For the past three days I have been doing bead and ribbon work.   As nice as it would be to be able to browse ready made flowers and lace, it is all made by hand.  The ribbon detail and crystal bead work is all hand made and applied.  The last two full days of work on this gown has been spent in this area and I am only about 1/3 finished with it. 

More pics to come as the gown progresses.

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Camouflage Custom Wedding Gown

 35 Years ago when I first started making wedding gowns it was considered scandalous to wear ivory instead of a white wedding dress.

You've come a long way baby and this is not your mother's wedding dress.

A new trend in gowns is to incorporate your interests and personality in your gown.  Jessika and I met at the bridal faire in Logan last January where she said she wanted a camouflage wedding dress.

A couple of months ago we met, I looked at the pictures and fabric swatches she had gathered and gave her some of my ideas.  Together we came up with a design and I created a sketch for her to approve.

I ordered her fabric from a company that specializes in camouflage satin fabric and started her pattern mock up. 

Things were going smoothly but I couldn't help but think that she wasn't as excited at her fittings as she should be.  For a custom gown we usually need four or five fittings and on the fourth fitting I told her she could take her gown home on the next visit.  The day after that fitting she texted me that something was missing and she wasn't sure what it was.  I had her send me some pictures of examples and she sent me a gown picture completely different from her dress.  I mulled it over for a couple of days because it would require a total remake to give her what she was asking for.

I did end up removing and recutting the three layers of the skirt, adding more camo rouching at the waist and making the skirt more fitted down the hip line.  I also moved the crinoline placement on the under skirt.  In the end it wasn't as involved as I first thought and we were able to come up with a gown that fit Jessika's small frame, made her look tall and elegant and included the camouflage and hunter orange fabric she wanted.  I also made her a matching veil with the same lace and bead work as was on her dress. 

I have more than 35 years experience in alterations, design, custom wedding and prom dress, casual mens' and womens' wear and suit alterations.  I serve Northern Utah and Southern Idaho regularly and have had clients fly or drive in for a one of a kind dress. 435-757-5966

The Perfect Dress

It has been nearly a year since David and I closed our retail bridal store of more than 35 years.  I relished the idea of something new and exciting but as I looked at my options one thing kept coming back to me.  I love formal wear, I love wedding dresses and I love perfecting and bringing to life the perfect fit with the perfect style.

Dianne on her Wedding Day

My studio is warm and cozy.  It allows me to create on my schedule which makes my life so much more relaxed.  "How does this help me?" You might say.

Well, that is an excellent question.  How it helps you is that I can focus on you and your needs without distraction.


Bring me your ideas, the not quite perfect gown that you have already bought, or your mother's heirloom gown that you love but think it might not be wearable.  I love the difficult tasks.

One woman who was celebrating her 50th year of marriage said her daughter-in-law wanted to display her wedding dress but it was most likely ruined.  "Let me look at it."  I told her.  24 hours later, after I cleaned I called her to say that it had turned out perfectly and all the stains had come out.  A month later she displayed her beautiful, vintage gown at her 50th wedding anniversary party for all to see.       



Northern Utah and Southern Idaho
435-757-5966

Here is Dianne's gown 50 Years Later