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40 Times Brides Decided To Make Their Own Wedding Dresses And Looked Beyond Stunning
Americans spend on average $33,391 on their wedding day. And while most lovebirds are willing to pay $540 on average for the cake, the wedding gown can set them back $1,509. If the pair are high spenders, the budget for the dress can soar up to $3,158, according to a study by The Knot.
No wonder so many brides these days are looking for smart alternatives when it comes to looking their best on the big day. Whether it’s due to saving some money or wanting to come up with their own dream design, some very talented women are taking the matter into their own hands.
From a $50 thrift store dress transformed into a jaw-dropping wedding gown to knitting their own dress on the bus on the way to work, these are some of the most inspiring looks from superwomen with mad arts and craft skills.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I Knitted My Lace Wedding Dress On The Bus On The Way To Work. It Took 5 Months And Less Than $30 To Create This Beauty
Boopie Dew 4 years ago
Wow! That is absolutely lovely. I would never have thought of a knitted wedding dress. Turned out gorgeous 😍
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#2
I Made The Dress. I Did That From Scratch With Two Hands
#3
Made A Non Conventional Wedding Dress! V9296
Making your very own wedding dress you’ve dreamed of is not for faint-hearted brides. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. The sewing fanatic and blogger Charlie, who has done it, warned everyone that “All romance aside, it’s quite a tedious, sometimes boring, sometimes frustrating process.”
It turns out, the actual fun of seeing your dream dress come to reality was nowhere around until 3 months before the big day. “Imagine not having seen yourself in a dress and it’s already 8 weeks before the wedding,” Charlie recollected in her blog.
If you choose the path of DIY-ing your wedding gown, you may have to come to the understanding that you won’t get to see yourself in a dress for way longer than you’d like. And it can be nerve-wracking.
#4
I Fell In Love With A Dress, But It Cost $2,200, So I Decided To Make The Same One Myself. I Used Scotch Tape And A T-Shirt To Make A Mannequin, And Bought 26 Ft Of Silk And Lace. Here’s The Result
#5
I Just Love How My Dress Turned Out
#6
I Diyed My Wedding Dress From Olive-Nets
Charlie suggests giving yourself a fair amount of extra time in case something goes wrong. Count all the unexpected breaks, mistakes, and moments you’ll need to slow down and give yourself a moment to think. Imagine facing multiple doubts, like pattern, decor, length, cleavage, texture, etc. and you’ll see that nothing goes according to plan, no matter how well prepared you are.
Another great tip is to “Decide on a design early on and try not to change your mind.” Sticking to what your gut is initially telling you may be key to actually accomplishing your goal.
Also, always think of buying extra fabric even if you’re sure you won’t need it. Miscalculations happen and it’s best to not try and avoid them, but be ready to tackle them with solutions.
#7
My DIY Thrift-Flipped Wedding Dress
#8
One Year Ago Today, I Got Wear This Beauty 🥰 It Took Me A Whole Week Of Sewing 12 Hours Per Day To Finish This One, But I Am So Glad I Took On This Challege
#9
DIY Wedding Dress
The last tip from Charlie is to “stop comparing your dress to others once you start on your project.” Not only is it unhelpful, but those thoughts can become really draining, especially if you start thinking someone else’s dress is better than yours.
In the end, it’s not really about the dress, but rather about the commitment you put into creating something as beautiful as your love you are going to marry. And this is the most precious thing you can think of.
#10
I Made My Wedding Dress. I Wanted Something Unique That Would Really Suit Me, And It Turned Out Great
#11
'celine' Wedding Gown With Built-In Corset
Joanna Blyther 4 years ago
I think she might of meant devastating as in effective or impressive maybe?
#12
This Dress Is The Star 🌟 And She Did It Herself After Seeing It On Pinterest. Congrats
Luna Lovegood 4 years ago
This reminds me of the post a while ago about the lady who did this to her dress and sells dresses like it. I wonder if that's where she got the idea. It looks amazing!
#13
The Biggest Project I've Ever Worked On In My Life, My Wedding Dress! This Dress Was The First Dress I've Ever Made And Was Constructed Over The Course Of 2 Years. It Has Around 60k To 70k Individually Hand Strung Sequins. I Hand Drew The Entire Dress Pattern. [self Drafted]
![The Biggest Project I've Ever Worked On In My Life, My Wedding Dress! This Dress Was The First Dress I've Ever Made And Was Constructed Over The Course Of 2 Years. It Has Around 60k To 70k Individually Hand Strung Sequins. I Hand Drew The Entire Dress Pattern. [self Drafted]](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f993566bae48_bQUyp01__700.jpg "The Biggest Project I've Ever Worked On In My Life, My Wedding Dress! This Dress Was The First Dress I've Ever Made And Was Constructed Over The Course Of 2 Years. It Has Around 60k To 70k Individually Hand Strung Sequins. I Hand Drew The Entire Dress Pattern. [self Drafted]")
#14
I Worked On My Outfit For 8 Months With The Help Of Online Courses. It Didn’t Work Out Perfectly, But I Did It, And This Is The Most Important Thing!
#15
My Wedding Dress. Holy Moly This Is The Best Thing I’ve Ever Made. I Just Love It Beyond Words.
#16
Handmade Wedding Dress
Boopie Dew 4 years ago
Omg!! That is beyond. If you're going to go with a non white gown, this is how you do it! My daughter actually wore a black gown for her wedding. Untraditional, but suited her so well.
#17
Handmade Wedding Dress
#18
Back In 2015 When I Was Making This DIY Wedding Dress Of Mine, Naked Lace Was (Or Was Becoming) A Thing
#19
This Beautiful Bride Made 👏🏼 Her 👏🏼 Own 👏🏼 Dress 👏🏼 And It Was Absolutely Gorgeous On Her!
#20
[vintage Simplicity 2442] My Wedding Dress
![[vintage Simplicity 2442] My Wedding Dress](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f993b13b649e_church1__700.jpg "[vintage Simplicity 2442] My Wedding Dress")
#21
[self Drafted] Last Time I Shared My Wedding Dress, But I Added A Last Minute Touch! It Was Magical
![[self Drafted] Last Time I Shared My Wedding Dress, But I Added A Last Minute Touch! It Was Magical](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f993b9668f1e_dKNX9Us__700.jpg "[self Drafted] Last Time I Shared My Wedding Dress, But I Added A Last Minute Touch! It Was Magical")
#22
Finally - This Dress. I Am So Glad I Was Somehow *overly* Confident Enough To Make My Own Wedding Dress
#23
I Spent At Least 100 Hours Working On My Outfit And Felt Great In It! I Think My Husband And I Looked Fantastic
#24
[self Drafted] I Made My Own Wedding Dress. It May Not Be Perfect But It Was Just What I Wanted
![[self Drafted] I Made My Own Wedding Dress. It May Not Be Perfect But It Was Just What I Wanted](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f9938cd06676_alQq05D__700.jpg "[self Drafted] I Made My Own Wedding Dress. It May Not Be Perfect But It Was Just What I Wanted")
#25
I Sewed A Wedding Dress With The Help Of Videos Online. There Is A Lot Of Handmade Work Here
#26
[fo] Wedding Dress (Loosely Based On By Hand London Kim Dress), Details In Comments
![[fo] Wedding Dress (Loosely Based On By Hand London Kim Dress), Details In Comments](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f99345827d33_yK1XB8N__700.jpg "[fo] Wedding Dress (Loosely Based On By Hand London Kim Dress), Details In Comments")
#27
Making My Own Wedding Gown Was A Dream Come True For Me
Dorothy Parker 4 years ago
Even without knowing her you can see it suits her perfectly. Fresh and pretty.
#28
She Created Her 2020 Dress Masterpiece From Her Mother’s Wedding Dress
Kimberly Young 4 years ago
I love the idea of paying tribute by using a family member's dress, but modernizing it for your own tastes! Lovely!
#29
I Sewed A Wedding Dress Out Of Sweatpants...
#30
So My Sister Got Married This Weekend And I Designed/Made Her Gown🌚
#31
After Some Blood, Sweat, Burn Holes, Major Resizing, And A Million Other Little Sewing Snafus - I Made My Own Dress
#32
Still Soo In Love With My Selfsewn Wedding Dress
Boopie Dew 4 years ago
The backless edging and the straps are gorgeous . I'd like to see it from the front.
#33
Synne With Her Elegant And Down-To-Earth Wedding Dress That She Made Herself With The Help Of Her Mother-In-Law
#34
I Made Two (!) Wedding Dresses
#35
I Made Myself Both A Wedding Dress And An Outfit For My Husband. We Wanted A Celebration With Forest Fairy Aesthetics. And This Is What We Got
Nicola Roberts 4 years ago
I love that they love it, but the water is making me very uncomfortable. It's getting WET!
Tabitha L 4 years ago
I thought they were standing on sand. Is that water?
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Remi Flynne 4 years ago
That's pretty much my reaction. Forest Fairy would make me think more of green - this looks quite autumnal. Which may have been exactly what she was after of course.
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JessG 4 years ago
She’s just posing edgy and solemn. If she made his outfit too, I’m sure she’s happy
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Vicki Napoleon 4 years ago
Looks more mermaidy than foresty - very detailed, hope they were happy with the results!
#36
One Year Ago Already! I Sewed My Own Wedding Dress...and It Almost Made Me Crazy!
#37
I Poured My Soul Into This Wedding Dress
#38
Sirja Made Herself A Wonderful Wedding Dress That Charms With Her Personality
Hilary Mol 4 years ago
Well, no, she made a romper. Or possibly a two-piece. But it suits her all the same!
#39
Finally Pictures Of My DIY Wedding Dress
Petra, princess of Brigid 4 years ago
It's amazing! I love how much it matches with EVERYTHING! The flowers, the background, your hair!
![I Made My Wedding Dress So I Could Sparkle. :) [vogue 8943]](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f991f9db7f38_bbYaxcy__700.jpg "I Made My Wedding Dress So I Could Sparkle. :) [vogue 8943]")
![Drafted And Sewed My Own Non-Traditional Wedding Dress [self-Drafted]](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f993d008d232_te1587f__700.jpg "Drafted And Sewed My Own Non-Traditional Wedding Dress [self-Drafted]")
![[self-Drafted] I Made My Wedding Dress! I Went With A Simple Boho Feel For Our Backyard Venue](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f99394ec457d_7q8z8j2dey301__700.jpg "[self-Drafted] I Made My Wedding Dress! I Went With A Simple Boho Feel For Our Backyard Venue")
![I Made My Wedding Dress And The Bridal Party Outfits! [self Drafted Patterns For All Pieces]](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f992479894d5_gw83n7h49e651__700.jpg "I Made My Wedding Dress And The Bridal Party Outfits! [self Drafted Patterns For All Pieces]")
![[self Drafted] Not Quite Perfected Yet, But I'm Insanely Proud Of My Wedding Dress! 19 Days!!](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f9939eea7d3b_p0hXxZk__700.jpg "[self Drafted] Not Quite Perfected Yet, But I'm Insanely Proud Of My Wedding Dress! 19 Days!!")
![[simplicity 8130 & Burda 6650] My Finished Wedding Dress!](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f993c49db622_34wkq6o1f6sy__700.jpg "[simplicity 8130 & Burda 6650] My Finished Wedding Dress!")
![[burdastyle Tiered Dress #112] I Made My Wedding Dress! (Photos By Ericka Dawn Photography)](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f993c5fbe041_h1pvilcdnplz__700.jpg "[burdastyle Tiered Dress #112] I Made My Wedding Dress! (Photos By Ericka Dawn Photography)")
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What do you think ?
Dorothy Parker 4 years ago
So beautiful. This is how you get what you want. Some of the grooms, though, needed help with ill fitting suits.
Rainbow Panda 4 years ago
:/ Did I say anything wrong, panda who downvoted?
Load More Replies...
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
WELL DONE! Woot! I redid mine (which cost $30 originally, so, yeah, not like I repurposed a fortune) after teh wedding:-) New color, snipped a bit of decoration here and there, and voila!
QueenoftheSquids 4 years ago
My cousin is making her own wedding dress and it looks so cool right now
j carreon 4 years ago
does anyone know where can i see #5 gown's front? the pink one, thank you in advance :)
Patricia Rix 4 years ago
My sister made my wedding dress, and I made two of my daughters' wedding dresses. It is a feeling of immense satisfaction to make it yourself.
Maud Gakes 4 years ago
Wow! All the dresses turned out great! Now I also kind of want to learn how to sew, and want to buy a sewingmachine..
Seabeast 4 years ago
Making your own wedding dress was really common back in the days when every teenage girl was taught to sew in home ec class. (Even now the pattern companies publish a plethora of wedding and formalwear patterns - no need to self draft!) It was sexist to segregate girls into home ec/boys into shop, but it seems to me that we were less critical of our bodies back then. We learned that clothing could be cut or altered to fit us, rather than us altering our bodies to fit the clothing.
yxkb 4 years ago
In my country it is concerned as a very bad luck for marriage if the bride makes her own dress. Even those brides who don't believe in superstitions somehow follow this rule.
Laugh or not 4 years ago
Which country, if you don't mind me asking ? Also how was it done traditionaly before wedding shops were common ? Did the mother/sister/friend make the dress?
Load More Replies... Dorothy Parker 4 years ago
So beautiful. This is how you get what you want. Some of the grooms, though, needed help with ill fitting suits.
Rainbow Panda 4 years ago
:/ Did I say anything wrong, panda who downvoted?
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
WELL DONE! Woot! I redid mine (which cost $30 originally, so, yeah, not like I repurposed a fortune) after teh wedding:-) New color, snipped a bit of decoration here and there, and voila!
QueenoftheSquids 4 years ago
My cousin is making her own wedding dress and it looks so cool right now
j carreon 4 years ago
does anyone know where can i see #5 gown's front? the pink one, thank you in advance :)
Patricia Rix 4 years ago
My sister made my wedding dress, and I made two of my daughters' wedding dresses. It is a feeling of immense satisfaction to make it yourself.
Maud Gakes 4 years ago
Wow! All the dresses turned out great! Now I also kind of want to learn how to sew, and want to buy a sewingmachine..
Seabeast 4 years ago
Making your own wedding dress was really common back in the days when every teenage girl was taught to sew in home ec class. (Even now the pattern companies publish a plethora of wedding and formalwear patterns - no need to self draft!) It was sexist to segregate girls into home ec/boys into shop, but it seems to me that we were less critical of our bodies back then. We learned that clothing could be cut or altered to fit us, rather than us altering our bodies to fit the clothing.
yxkb 4 years ago
In my country it is concerned as a very bad luck for marriage if the bride makes her own dress. Even those brides who don't believe in superstitions somehow follow this rule.
Laugh or not 4 years ago
Which country, if you don't mind me asking ? Also how was it done traditionaly before wedding shops were common ? Did the mother/sister/friend make the dress?
Load More Replies...
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