Weddingbee Blog

The dress journey has been a long one.

First I had foreboding feelings about wedding dresses and dress shopping. Then I looked into custom made simple and modern dresses. Next I fell for Stephanie James Couture Retro styled short dresses. My pocketbook ached, so I did a little vintage dress hunting.

Never fear, the dress hunt is nearing the end. The important thing is that I had a clear vision of my dress. I had gotten in touch with my inner 1950s bride.

1953 cover of Ladies’ Home Journal

After realizing that an authentic vintage dress wasn’t in the cards for me I started to search for the next best thing—a reproduction 1950s dress. A voice in the back of my head kept telling me I would be happier having someone make my dress, rather than buying off the rack, so I searched for custom made dresses. I didn’t have to search much further than my bestest friend. I like to call her Etsy.

Porsches Place on Etsy is a vintage inspired dress dream. I was instantly captivated by one design in particular. You might recognize it from my Kodachrome inspiration board.

1950s reproduction wedding gown with surplice bodice and circle skirt

I.was.sold! I instantly contacted Femia of Porches Place with a slew of questions. I also decided to have her make my engagement photo dress as a trial run. I was so happy with her work that there was no question that I would have her make my dress.

My E-photo dress sealed the deal! Photo by Amore Studios

The nice thing about having a dress made is you can control all of the elements including the fabric. Uh-oh- wait… more decisions! All of the options sent my Pretzel brain into a tailspin. Over Christmas I had images of polka-dots, lace, and Dupioni silk dancing in my head. As January quickly approached, I started to feel the pressure to decide on a final design and order my dress. I narrowed it down to three options and then I was stalled.

Option 1: Solid Dupioni Silk with a shirred midriff

Option 2: White on White Polka-Dot Overlay

Option 3: Dupioni silk with lace overlay on midriff.

I.could.not.decide.

I consulted the Pretzel bridesmaids, Mama Pretzel, FMIL Pretzel, and Mr Pretzel. Everyone said they all looked great. Mr. Pretzel was the only one who singled out a clear winner.

Would you entrust your dress decision to your FI?