The Dress

The pictures at the end are of the dress now after it was returned from the professional dry cleaner.

I fell in love with this dress! I felt like a bohemian princess and when we went out for our photo shoot cars honked and waved their congratulations and several vehicles even pulled up just to say how amazing we looked (props to my husband for also being so stylish). The gorgeous backless/romantic bell sleeves/deep v slip dress with the crochet lace on top... it was everything I'd dreamed of and more.

The second pic is of me in the dress, the others are models and the cut of the slip is the same as the photos where it comes up to mid thigh, you can also see the bustle buttons in the second to last photo. The dress was professionally cleaned by the best place in the region. I gently wore the gown for the afternoon in a backyard elopement with just 20 guests (we had a first dance but that was about it for dancing).

For those deciding whether to buy new, Rue De Seine doesn't make the dress for your height and you'll need serious alterations (the lowest quote I received was $900) if you're on the more petite side (or anyone under 5'10 with heels). I went to 5 different shops before finding someone who would figure out how to hem the dress without just chopping off all the details on the bottom and replace the trim (it ended up costing over 1k but she's a magician and I can't imagine how to make the dress any better!)

I can also send a video or two of me in the dress so you can see how it moves :)

Alterations

The seamstress I found is super detail oriented and she actually lifted the stunning intricate lacework around the original hem and masterfully placed it on the shortened hem (I'm 5'4.5" with 3" heeled boots). She also brought in the sleeves and several other key alterations to make the dress fit beautifully on a smaller frame (the panels for the cups were made smaller, the back panels made smaller, etc.) She created a 7 point bustle that follows the scallop seam of the skirt that flows beautifully (I'll send a video to the buyer that walks you through how to pin it up).