The beginning of the year is the time when brides start asking their biggest question regarding the wedding - what will my wedding dress be? In various wedding forums, questions from brides who are looking for answers and stories of experience in the question of whether to buy their wedding dress ready-made in a wedding salon or sew it at a seamstress are appearing more and more often. Although the first option seems more convenient to many brides at first, there are many brides who say that sewing the dress was the right decision.
Each dress is individually created
Undeniably, there are some people who have never used the services of designers and seamstresses, choosing to buy clothes from ready-made store and salon collections. Not knowing can lead to fear that this process is complicated, too time-consuming and, yes, a lot more expensive.
Stylist, designer and seamstress INTA GRASE , who has made wedding dresses for hundreds of brides both in Latvia and abroad, says that these are the most frequently invoked stereotypes.
"I'm a happy person because I'm doing what I really love. Every centimeter of fabric designed, cut and sewn is my own work.
I don't hire seamstresses and I don't use ready-made lekals. Every garment I create is individually modeled, not repeated, and not intended for mass production.
And brides appreciate it, because they want to not only look beautiful on their wedding day, but also feel unique and special," says Inta Grase. She also admits that since she works alone, she can accept a limited number of orders each season, so usually by the end of March, brides-to-be have already filled the designer's work calendar for the spring, summer and autumn months.
"Cheap" does not guarantee quality and originality
It is often emphasized in various wedding forums and stories of brides' experiences that sewing a dress is many times cheaper than buying it in a salon. But is it really so? We asked wedding dress designer Inta Gras.
"Practically, there are several options available on the market for buying a wedding dress:
- buy a ready-made dress in a wedding salon or order it online;
- make an individually modeled dress at a designer;
- to order a dress for a seamstress;
- or buy a used dress.
Accordingly, the price range for each option can vary from 100 euros to several thousand. The choice depends on the self-assessment of each bride, as well as on the financial possibilities. I have no doubt that a dress can be sewn cheaply at a seamstress, but the question is, will it be a guarantee of quality and originality?" asks Inta Grasse rhetorically.
But in the end, what are those things and qualities, why brides choose their real dress not to find it in a wedding salon, but to order it from a professional wedding dress designer?
Handmade
The bride, Krista Kovrigina, who has been living in Milan for more than 10 years, got married last summer, and admits that her biggest motivator to sew the dress was, and at the same time, the benefit, that it is a real handmade product.
"The fact that the wedding dress will be made to order was clear to me right away, because I did not believe that I could find a dress like I had imagined. I have always wanted something special, unique, made just for me.
Considering that sewing is a risky venture, I think it is important to find a professional seamstress. Inspired by the mecca of fashion, Milan, I bought Venetian lace with beads, which was a big challenge for Inta Grasse, but which she managed like in the most glamorous fashion house in Milan. I knew quite confidently what style I wanted, which I had seen on an Italian fashion website. The process of creating the dress was emotional and creative at the same time, special importance was given to details and accents that create delicacy - lace, beads and silk. My wishes were fully realized, because Inta really is a born stylist," says Krista.
Sew a dress - less tiring
Dace Reinholde says that although she chose to sew her own wedding dress for several reasons, one of the most important was being busy and not wanting to spend too much time on the process.
"Frankly, I got confused in the huge selection and the sea of wedding salon dresses.
I realized that it would be tiring to walk through all the stores and try on all the dresses. It all seemed too complicated and difficult to fit into my schedule. Secondly, when sewing a dress, you choose the model yourself, choose the material, and it is sewn just for you. My dress is multifunctional - you can't buy it in stores at all. And thirdly, a personally sewn dress will not cost much more than those that can be bought in wedding salons.
In the end, thanks to the creativity of designer Inta Grase, my dress turned out much better than I had imagined," shares Dace.
Dress like natural wholemeal bread, not puffed white bread
Liene Bērziņa became a wife very recently - last year's Christmas, entrusting the making of her wedding dress to designer Inta Grase. She admits that although she herself does not live in Latvia and sewing a dress might seem quite difficult, she still wanted a unique dress created just for her.
"My main setting was to make my dress natural, simple, delicate and different from the lace dresses that are so common. To make my dress look like natural wholemeal bread, not puffed white bread," compares Liene.
The young wife admits that since she herself does not live in Latvia, the most difficult thing was the choice of fabrics. "Designer Inta Grassi and I actively exchanged pictures and descriptions about the feel, shade and other aspects of the lace in e-mails. It was delicious, interesting, but also a relatively difficult process. Then, when the fabric was found and the details agreed, Inta took everything into her own hands, and the second time I saw the dress was already a week before the wedding itself. We only met so little, which was a relief for me, because there were more flights to Latvia I didn't plan. In the end, I got my real wedding dress, and the development of events could not have been better," says Liene.
"People will understand" factor
Evia Braga lives in Brazil, but she chose Inta Grassi as the designer and seamstress of her wedding dress, believing that "her own people will understand better". "I decided to sew a wedding dress for a completely banal reason - I couldn't find anything to my taste in local Brazilian stores.
That's why I started looking for a seamstress in Latvia - I decided that it's better for the dress to sit nicely on the hanger and wait for me at home than to fly halfway around the world in a suitcase. And, of course, the "people will understand" factor -
I was sure that the Latvian designer would understand my wishes from the bottom of my heart. And so it was.
Although the dress was made from a distance, on the day of the fitting I was surprised to see a practically ready-made dress on the mannequin, which fit me like a glove. Inta also provided design surprises - nuances of tones and other ideas that she had come up with during the work process. The dress matched my personality, for which I also received many compliments on the wedding day," says Evija.
See the profile of the stylist, designer and seamstress here: INTA GRASE
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