Here’s a real wedding story all brides and grooms should go check out. Lara Casey is a little wedding wunderkind. She’s the owner of Bliss Event Groups, one of the most sought-after wedding planning companies in the South, the publisher of Southern Weddings Magazine, and more recently, she launched Lara Casey Reps, a wedding consulting firm. And yet, Lara had one of the most low-key weddings I can imagine. No flowers, no bridesmaids, no photographer (a friend took pictures with a regular old digital camera). Lara and her husband got married in Vegas (no Elvis, though) with little to-do, just a few friends, some cheap bubbly, and tons of love and excitement.

 

~ Hilarious, right?! This bride, Keira, hit the nail on the head. Make it your own.

 

Look at the details of this amazing Melissa Blackburn custom-made gown! The pleated skirt came from 94 whopping yards of fabric, can you believe it!

Having a custom gown made can be a wonderful idea. If you find a designer gown you love but can't afford the big-ticket price, you can have it recreated for less money (see the JCrew Sascha lookalike below). Or, if you have something very specific in mind that you can't find on the rack, your dream dress can be created. For instance, unique bead or lacework or a nontraditional color are gowns you'll want a dressmaker to execute for you.

 

Here's what to keep in mind when you having a dress custom-made:

 

* Do your research and find the most trusted, proven dressmaker you can. You're placing a lot of responsibility in one person's hands, and you want to be sure that person can create what you've envisioned, with flawless craftsmanship. Check out online reviews, post on forums for recommendations, and ask around to see who other brides have used and had a good experience with.

 

* Give yourself lots of time. Nine months for a custom dress would be ideal, six months might be OK. You want to have time for every single fitting until the dress is perfect. You will have changes and you don't want your dressmaker to be rushed.

 

* Etsy is amazing, but it's also a leap of faith when it comes to fit. You will have a more stress-free time if the dressmaker is someone in your city who you can visit for in-person alterations and fittings.

 

* Get the right fabric. You may not be able to find top-quality bridal fabric in a fabric store. You may need to order it online. Ask your dressmaker for help choosing the right color, quality, and quantity. Then, order sample swatches of several fabrics so you can see and feel them before purchasing a large quantity. Yet another reason to give yourself plenty of time with a custom gown.

 

One of the top expenses in planning a wedding is buying the bridal gown. However, this isn’t like shopping for any regular dress. There are several mistakes brides make when choosing a gown, says Alex Lluch, author of 30 top-selling wedding planners in North America and creator of WedSpace.com, a social networking and wedding planning site for brides, their guests and wedding professionals. Lluch, who is one of the foremost wedding experts in the nation, shares his insights about purchasing a wedding gown:

5. Biting your tongue if something isn’t perfect. Your wedding gown is a major expense and it’s at the forefront of the most important day of your life. It will star in your photos and you may even pass it down to a daughter or family member. You want to love it and how it fits. Too many brides bite their tongues at the fitting when something doesn’t feel or look right. There shouldn’t be uneven seams, bulging, puckering, gapping or pinching. If you don’t love an alteration, speak up! Have the seamstress or bridal shop get it right.

 

{Search Etsy for dozens of custom sign options}