A custom wedding dress can be a chance to feel like yourself on your wedding day. Designing a custom piece involves a lot of decisions about fabric, silhouette, and more. I’ve rounded up some helpful ideas to consider in creating your wedding attire.

6 Ideas for Your Custom Wedding Dress

1. Find the silhouette that feels like you.

If you’ve been scrolling Pinterest for inspiration, wedding attire can start to blend together. You may love so many different silhouettes. Your custom wedding dress shouldn’t just be incredible. It should feel like you. Are you a loving person with a big personality? A sweetheart neckline and big train might be perfect for you. If you want to dance through a field with your partner, think about what’s going to allow you to move the way you want to on your wedding day.

2. Think about your photos.

Your custom wedding dress doesn’t have to be white. (Just check out Hannah’s red skirt featured in this post for some seasonal inspiration.) If you do want to wear white on your wedding day, I recommend steering clear of optic white. Optic white is more or less the whitest white possible. Eggshell or another shade will serve you better.

Why aim for a creamier color? Optic white photographs blue. If you’re investing in custom wedding attire, my guess is you’re hiring a photographer to document you looking amazing. Such a stark white makes creating romantic wedding photos tricky because the photographer has to figure out what to do with all that blue in editing. Definitely wear white if that’s what you love, but stay open to different shades.

3. Consider how the fabric will feel all day.

For some folks, finding the right fabric goes beyond how it will look or hold up for a certain silhouette. Some neurodivergent folks have difficulty with fabrics that are stiff or scratchy. When you’re picking your fabric for your custom wedding dress, consider how it will feel six hours into wearing it. If it will be uncomfortable let alone overwhelming, your designer can help you explore other options. This is your wedding outfit. It should be designed with all of your needs in mind. 

4. Layer fabrics for depth and color.

There are so many ways to bring depth to your custom wedding dress. Layering different fabrics creates dimension. Adding layers of color under white can create subtle hues. Of course, if you want to go bold, you can. This is your wedding day! We paired Hannah’s white top with a red skirt. The florals along the hem mirrored the texture of the lace on her top. Even though the look had two colors, the design elements made it feel cohesive.

5. Tell your designer about your venue.

You might not think your custom wedding dress and your venue have much to do with each other, but it can be an important factor in designing your attire. I find it helpful to know where clients will hold their ceremony and reception. It helps me understand the aesthetic they want to achieve for their wedding as well as what might make the most sense in that space. 

My client Alyssa got married at a sun-filled, futuristic chapel. I designed a dress that reflected the vastness of the space while standing out. You can see that dress here. Hannah’s dress, on the other hand, was created with her outdoor autumn ceremony in mind. She looks elegant and completely at home among the yellow and orange leaves.

6. Be open to the creative process.

Knowing what you like is important. One of the best parts of designing a custom piece, though, is that you can be very intentional about exploring choices you might not have considered before. You never know when a color or bolt of lace will catch your eye. In my experience, if you stay open to the creative possibilities in the design process, you’ll come away with a dress that’s better than anything you imagined at the start. 

Would you like me to create your custom wedding dress? I would love to design wedding attire as unique as you are. Reach out to me! 

Thank you to the photographers who documented these beautiful weddings.

Hannah’s Red Dress: Vallosio Photo and Film

Valerie’s Mermaid Dress: George Street Photo and Video

Caitlyn’s Winter Dress: Anna Clark Photography