How to Make Your Own Wedding Dress (I did!)

Ok, I know it may sound crazy but yes, I did sew my wedding dress! Was it hard……yes! But, was it worth it…. also yes!

If you’re interested in learning how to make your own wedding dress stick around! I’m going to take you through what I did to make my wedding dress and give you my best tips now that I’ve done it. Awin

The Process of How to Make Your Own Wedding Dress and All My Best Tips

Just to be clear…. it is not easy to make your own wedding dress so if you’re going into it expecting smooth sailing you’ll likely be disappointed. It takes a lot of hard work, patience and time, but if you’re willing to put in the effort it is possible!

If you’re new to sewing check out my Top Tips for Sewing here!

When me and my husband got engaged I knew I wanted to make my own wedding dress. It may seem crazy but I wanted it to be perfect without spending thousands of dollars and I also wanted my wedding dress to be unique and something that no one else would have because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.

Now that I’ve done it, I would not want to do it again however, it was worth it and I’m so glad that I did end up making my wedding dress. The experience made treasured memories with my mom and family that helped me and I also made something very special to me that I can keep forever.

Tip #1 Be Inspired

Once I decided that I wanted to make my wedding dress, the first thing I did was search for many ideas on Pinterest for how I wanted my dress to look. I spent hours looking through and saving images to my wedding board. This is honestly the easiest part.

Once I nailed down the style of dress I wanted to make, I narrowed down my inspiration to just two or three images. I wanted a combination of a couple of different styles that I saw and I used the pictures to help me with choosing the pattern and fabrics that I would need to purchase.

Tip #2 Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Trust me, if you are going to make your own wedding dress you do not want to be rushed! It is very important to give yourself plenty of time so that you will be less stressed and you’ll also make fewer mistakes if you aren’t rushed. Even if you do make mistakes it won’t feel as overwhelming if you know that you have time to fix them.

It took around six months to make my wedding dress and I honestly could have given myself a little longer as I ended up making my bridal party’s dresses as well. The longer you have the better! Don’t leave this until the last minute.

Tip #3 Find A Pattern

The next thing I did was to find a pattern that was close to the style I had in mind. I would not recommend drafting a pattern from scratch if you don’t have to. It will save you time if you can just use an existing pattern and tweak it to be exactly what you want.

I just used a pattern for the bodice of my dress and for the lining, I believe. The tulle overlay was draped. Combining multiple patterns is another option if you know how to do it correctly.

Tip #4 Order Fabric Swatches

After deciding on the pattern, I then had to choose the fabric that I needed to make my wedding dress. I ordered several swatches from Mood Fabrics and I highly recommend them!

I knew that I wanted real silk for my wedding dress and tulle for the skirt but since I’m not handy to many fabric stores I went with online ordering. I didn’t want to waste a bunch of money buying fabric that wasn’t what I wanted or wouldn’t work so I ordered a lot of different swatches so I could feel them before ordering.

I definitely recommend feeling the fabric before you invest your money into it. Fine fabrics are pricy and if you order online it may not end up being what you want. Either go into a store and feel the fabric in person or order swatches if you go with the online option.

Tip #5 Make a Toile

A toile is a practice or test garment that you make to determine if everything fits correctly before making the actual garment. This allows you to work out fitting issues or anything that you may want to change before making your dress.

I made a toile and surprisingly I didn’t have to change too much just a few small adjustments and I was ready to start cutting out my dress.

TIp #6 Ask for Help

This tip is one of the most important parts. I do not pretend to know everything there is to know about sewing. There are so many talented people you can learn from online on blogs, on YouTube or even locally.

Some of my family members know how to sew and have been doing it much longer than I so I asked them for help. I would have never been able to finish my wedding dress on my own. I needed their expertise to assist me with fitting and some of the detailed handwork on my dress like my appliques.

Tip #7 This is an Opportunity to Make Memories

Think about why you want to make your own wedding dress, is it because you want something unique like I did? Do you want your dress to be extra special because you made it and it has lots of blood, sweat, and tears put into it?

When it comes right down to it, we want our wedding day to be special and to make many loving memories around it. It may seem like a struggle to make your own wedding dress especially if something goes wrong or if you make a mistake remember to relax, take a break from it for a bit, and ask for help. Remember why you wanted to make your own wedding dress, to begin with.

Tip #8 Don’t let Perfection Get in the Way

We all (me included) want our wedding day to be absolutely perfect! However, expect the unexpected when it comes to sewing your wedding dress.

Things may go wrong and you may have to just work with it. Try to let go of expectations and make the most of it, it may just turn out better than you imagined if you don’t stress out and make it an opportunity to be creative.

Tip #9 Consider Comfortability

Just like you want your shoes to be comfortable, you want your dress to be comfortable! This is super important. You may not consider this when gathering your inspiration but you want to make sure your dress fits well and is structured in such a way that it’s not going to fall apart as you are walking up the aisle.

Ensure to take the extra steps to reinforce your seams, add in boning, or wear comfortable undergarments. For example, I made my dress so that the skirt would detach from the dress itself allowing for easy movement between photo shoots and when going to the bathroom. I’m so glad we did this.

Tip#10 Take Time to Press

This may seem like an obvious one, but you don’t want to just leave your pressing until the end. Make sure you’re taking time to press each detail correctly throughout your sewing process and take time to do things correctly.

If you’re interested in the best pressing tools for sewing, check the post out here! You can also check out the best measuring tools for sewing here!

This is why you should give yourself plenty of time, you want to be relaxed and take the time to press and be detailed in your sewing.

I hope this article was inspiring for you and gives you some tips so that you too can make your own wedding dress. Let me know in the comments what you think and if you would ever take on this task for your wedding! I’d love to hear your thoughts!