5 reasons you want a custom bridal gown from Patti Flowers Design Studio

All little girls dream of their wedding day. And when they think about this magnificent day, they are really thinking about the beautiful wedding dress they will wear to walk down the aisle. Picking “the one” is a journey and today I’m going to do you a huge favor and tell you 5 reasons why you want a custom bridal gown from Patti Flowers Design Studio.

Once Taylor and Jeff got engaged and set the date, I had all kinds of visions that searching for Taylor’s wedding dress was going to be this fun shopping adventure. You know, this amazing mother/daughter bonding moment that everyone tells you about. WRONG! For weeks we spent every Saturday at the finest bridal boutiques in Dallas looking for a gorgeous, traditional gown. Taylor knew what she liked and didn’t like so she was very clear with the bridal consultants about her desires. If I had to sum up Taylor’s bridal gown taste it would be classic, traditional and conservative with clean lines. Think Audrey Hepburn or Jackie Kennedy – beautiful in every way. I really didn’t feel like the girl was asking for too much. You would think we could knock this out with one or two meetings. Nope. What we found looked like an ice skating competition costume or a garden party dress. Lots of tulle, lace, crochet and bedazzled dresses with cut outs were on “trend”. Taylor had a very valid point during this process, “Why is anything about a wedding dress a trend?”

Week after week I would watch consultants bring her dresses and clamp her into a size 12/14 dress in front of a full length mirror only to watch Taylor shrink in stature due to disappointment. It’s hard to imagine what she might look like in the dress because there was also so much extra fabric. None of the dresses she tried on were “the one” and when the bridal consultants would tell us how the designer could alter it to make it right, it was also adding considerable alteration costs to the already expensive gown that Taylor really didn’t love. Additionally, these bridal boutiques offer nothing personal or special in these sessions. You are one of many people trying on a sample size dress and simply an order waiting to be placed. I hope you know to go early because if you wait too long, they really can’t help you. Believe me, we were shopping 6-7 months before the wedding date.

One day I finally said “Let’s give Patti Flowers a ring and see if she can see us”. I’ve worked with Patti on many custom couture dresses for me in the past and I knew she would be amazing to work with (blog posts here, here and here). The only reason I didn’t start with her is because young girls these days watch Say Yes to the Dress and have this notion that you will have this magical moment in a bridal boutique. I want to throttle the producers of that show right now…

The result of the meeting? Taylor LOVED Patti’s ideas and wound up with the perfect dress and veil! Patti listened to her every wish, sketched her design, met with Taylor several times for fittings and even had Pete come to the final fitting to teach him how to walk her down the aisle and handle the long train and veil. Custom work with the utmost attention to every detail! But there is so much more that you get by working with Patti so I have detailed this in my list below. Ultimately, you will save time, money and a lot of headaches if you just start with her first. Additionally, Patti was mindful of Taylor’s hectic work schedule and accommodated her with late appointments if necessary.

Taylor’s custom designed Patti Flowers dress and veil: The silk white gown of imported Silk Mikado from Spain featured a dramatic curved strapless neckline. The molded bodice fit to the natural waistline complimented the full skirt with deep rich pleats. The skirt fell to slipper length with the train sweeping to court length with tiny buttons extending the length of the gown.To compliment the gown, her cathedral length veil of silk illusion was trimmed and adorned with imported Spanish Lace.

The pictures in today’s blog post are from Taylor’s bridal portrait session in April. Wait until you see the pictures from the wedding (follow-up post coming soon). Taylor and Jeff did not do a “first look” picture (photo taken before the wedding) and one of my favorite memories was watching Jeff look at Taylor as Pete escorted her down the aisle. His smile said it all!

5 reasons you want a custom bridal gown from Patti Flowers Design Studio

1. You will get a custom designed dress with the exact details you want!
2. There are no alterations/charges necessary because your measurements are taken and fittings are done all the way up until the wedding. The dress will fit like a glove!
3. Patti works with you on the design, fabric choices, color and budget up front so there are no surprise costs.
4. The Patti Flowers Design Studio is beautiful and elegant studio located in Dallas. During your appointment, you are the only client there with 100% of the focus on you!
5. Patti will be there at your bridal portrait session and on your wedding day to dress you. She gets you ready to walk down the aisle as well as bustles your dress before the reception.This is a HUGE bonus as I did not worry about one thing!

I am so thankful that we went with a Patti Flowers custom designed bridal gown. My only regret is that we wasted time with trying on dresses elsewhere. I highly recommend Patti when it comes time for you to make this decision. People fly in from all over the U.S. to work with her. You will want to as well!

xoxo – Tanya

photo: Caroline Jurgensen

Patti Flowers Design Studio | 214.369.7027