This post feels like a bit of a dream to write, because, well, as the title would suggest… I had my wedding dress custom designed. Something I always thought was reserved for celebs, it honestly just never crossed my mind that actually, this service is accessible to me too.
I’ve written about my initial consultation and design experience with Anita here, but now it’s time to fast forward to the actual experience of having a dress made and wearing it on my special day.
It can be kind of overwhelming trying to come up with your own special, unique dress design – you can throw all the Pinterest ideas together you like – but really, where do you begin when your options are literally endless. This is where Anita comes in, she’s been working in the industry pretty much forever, and has been designing and making bridal couture for over 30 years. Her incredible shop and atelier is like a chocolate box of all things girly and wedding related, and stepping inside is literally like walking into a warm cloud of love and care, every time. Anyway, I’m digressing here – more on the overwhelm of designing your own dress…
I literally had a whole Pinterest board of exactly what I wanted, but actually – I had no idea. What colour, who knew there were so many shades of white and ivory?! (and it doesn’t have to stop there if you’re wanting to opt away from the traditional shades), what materials did I like, what style neckline was I after, how would my shoe choice complement the dress – honestly, I’d never given any of this a second thought. But Anita had, she lives and breathes this stuff, and has the most incredible eye for it too. She just knew what would work on me, where to pull in the dress to really make it contour and flatter my shape, the shade of ivory that would flatter my skin tone the most, the materials that I’d be best placed wearing based upon the location, time of year, and style of our wedding day – so much thought and detail went into it – managing those decisions and choices on my own would have just overwhelmed me, but instead, the whole design journey was one of the most magical and special things I’ve ever done in my life.
Stresses and worries that obviously we all get, such as my figure, my weight, how I will carry myself, how I’m meant to sit down and go to the toilet – it was all taken away by Anita and her team. They’ve worked with thousands of brides – they understand, they really understand, and all they want is for you to look incredible on your special day – there’s a reason Anita has been in the game for over 30 years…
Once I’d chosen an initial design – something I had complete free reign over – but I also received guidance and support throughout, to choose the best options that would work for me, and my figure – the process began. This consisted of a complete fit to my body, so the dress was literally like a second skin. As the dress progressed, I made changes (I initially wasn’t going to have sleeves), and I found that such a huge benefit of having the dress custom made, because once you’ve bought a dress in the usual way (i.e. a pre made design), you can’t change anything like that.
I won’t lie, I did initially dread the fittings – just because I don’t enjoy having to stand up constantly and step in and out of dresses… but again, the magic of having a custom made dress was nothing like that – and those special Anita appointments are one of – if not the – biggest thing I miss about the wedding planning and run up. In fact, it was probably the only element of the wedding run up that was never, ever stressful. Just a happy experience, that I was also able to share with my mum and sister.
In addition to that, Anita was there whenever we needed. Nothing was too much trouble, she really is like an old friend that has known you for years – every time we went inside the boutique, it was just us, closed off to the outside world, and we were always offered hot drinks, chocolates, biscuits, mince pies, prosecco, elderflower fizz; every visit was like a pamper / ego boost / therapy session! I also had the benefit of having expert advice on tap, I was guided in relation to what shoes would work best, how to carry myself, walk and sit in the dress (including a lesson!), and even after care tips like places to take the dress for cleaning, how best to store it on the day, and what to do if there were any mishaps – gravy on dress, anyone?!
Anyway… the dress! Oh the dress… an individually designed couture bias cut dress, fully lined in pure silk, with a pure silk double crepe sweetheart neckline, and a train of sparkly tulle. It fit. like. a. glove. It was honestly one of the most comfortable, light, flowy items I’ve ever worn in my life. I was encouraged by Anita to try on dresses at different boutiques before making my final decision, and I found the whole thing extremely stressful – they were so heavy, so structured, so itchy… one I could barely walk in, it was that structured, I can’t even imagine sitting and eating a meal in it. But not *my* dress, nope, aside from obviously having to be careful with a very long train (opted for of course, by me) I pretty much felt like I wasn’t wearing anything – it was such a joy to wear, and I never thought I’d say that about my wedding dress. Clearly, because it was made to my body shape, it worked with me, everything had been designed, cut and prepared to work with my own curves, contours, and movements, and that’s not something I’ve ever experienced with any other item of clothing before. The pure silk lining probably played a huge part in my comfort too – I can’t say (unfortunately) that I’ve ever worn anything else with pure silk lining, but wow now I understand the hype, and again, this is something that I’d never have ever given a second thought to, had I not opted for the custom route.
Having a custom made wedding dress was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only does no one in the whole world have a dress the same as mine, but the whole process was an experience – an incredibly special experience, that I’ll now be able to remember and treasure forever. If you’re on the fence about taking the plunge with your own journey, just go in for a chat. There’s never an obligation – and you have absolutely nothing to lose. I was extremely intimidated the first time I went, and nearly didn’t bother, but I promise, the experience is nothing like you’d expect – it really is just like chatting with an old friend, a friend who makes you feel really good about yourself at that. As I mentioned above, Anita even encouraged me to try different boutiques before settling with her, and I think that really goes to show that – yes, as much as she runs a business, actually, her true passion is making women look and feel incredible – and when you’re that passionate about something… boy does it work.
Anita Massarella Design is based in Leeds (490 Harrogate Road, LS17 6DL). You can find all her details here, and can call 0113 268 7783 for an initial chat.
I’ll be very jealous if you do..!
