The Dress

I wore this dress for my wedding in April of 2022. It is Emilia by Sarah Seven and I fell in love with how absolutely simple, and elegant and light-weight this dress was; I was comfortable wearing it all day long. After endless searching and try-ons, I finally found this dress to be the perfect combination of elegance without feeling too over the top. It matched my down to earth wedding in a botanical garden perfectly after I paired it with a simple veil and earrings.

It fit me pretty well in the bust/torso, though after my alterations it was a still tiny bit too loose for my liking and it didn't feel perfect. I ended up putting on a sticky bra at the last minute on the day of to help me feel like I filled it out enough and have it feel a touch more snug. For comparison, I typically wear 36C bra, size 29/30 or 8/10 jeans, size 10 dress, Medium or Large tops, 5'6" tall.

She added a French Bustle- lots of strings to tie together (40 total!) with a color coded system (she placed a tiny dot of highlighter on the end of each string to make it easier to be tied together in a pinch)- I was so worried that the bustle strings were going to be obvious and noticeable through the delicate organza, but to my surprise I can't even tell in any of the pre-bustled photos that they were there. (see photo #4 of it bustled)

I got it professionally cleaned and preserved after the wedding and it is currently stored in the preservation box from the dry cleaner.

There are some minor flaws to disclose as followed:
- Someone stepped on the dress while it was bustled and it tore two of the bustle connections, making two small tears in the organza. I would imagine that your seamstress would need to repair the bustle ties anyway, therefore repairing the hole. I attached a photo of one of the two bustle points needing repair- the other spot (not pictured) is more minor than this one in the photo.
- there seems to be some tiny pulls in the silk on the bust, presumably from rubbing up against my flowers? or Husband's suit? You can notice this up close in the last photo, but can't notice it in the other photos.

Let me know if there are any questions!! Hoping to pass on this beauty to someone else.

Alterations

-Straps were shortened and therefore raising up the plunging V a bit, also to allow it to fall at my natural waistline
- taken in at the waist/bust/torso
- Added a small ribbon around the seam between the top and the skirt (using salvaged organza from the hem scraps, this could easily be removed if desired)
- slightly trimmed the illusion mesh on the side so the mesh didn't rub into my armpit
-Hemmed to my height (5'6") with 2" heels
-Added a French bustle