The Dress

I tried on dozens of dresses for my wedding, and this was the one I did not want to take off once I got it on. I felt so happy in it. The dress is stretchy with two linings, so you feel so comfortable and secure - I didn't even wear shapewear on my wedding day (my seamstress did add a panel for extra tummy flattening).

A few things sold me on this dress - one was the amazing train with scalloped hem. The detail is just so beautiful up close. The train was thick enough that it really made a statement (some of them were too sheer and they just didn't have the same wow factor). Another thing was the sparkle all over the dress, especially the beaded straps. Love them. Mostly, the way the dress is built is just so flattering and so comfortable. I felt sexy and elegant in the dress, which was the look I was going for. Truly obsessed with this dress and had zero regrets about it!!

The dress is in excellent condition - we had perfect weather on our wedding day, our ceremony was on a terrace, and I changed halfway through the reception into a jumpsuit. It will honestly break my heart to part with this dress, but our house is just too small to store it.

Because of the way this dress is made (it stretches!) I barely needed alterations at all. I had a slight hem just to the front. I'm 5'3 and wore 3.5inch heels and it just barely touched the floor in the front. I had the straps shortened about an inch. She also added extra cups to keep me secure in the dress. Lastly, I tried multiple bustle options because I wanted the bustled look to be great - I did not want it to look like an afterthought or like I had a wedgie lol. We ended up with a 5 point French bustle that looked like it was made to be there. I tried showing a pic of it the last photo but can provide more and videos too if needed! I only have sneak peek photos from my photographer so far.

From the designer: The classic fit to flare silhouette of the Simone designer wedding dress is accented with pearl and crystal beaded trim and frosted alençon lace appliqués. Sequined chantilly lace adds a glamorous touch of sparkle. An open scooped back with wide scalloped hemline and long, sheer, train complete the look. If you google Madeline Gardner Simone you will find it.

Alterations

Described above -- very minimal alterations were done - most of the work she did was to create the bustle and to make the train look better. Other than that just had straps shortened approx an inch and a slight hem in the front. And cups and panel added for support (both of which could EASILY be taken out).