Behold the 120-Hour Wedding Dress I DIY'd Myself

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(Photo: Bethany Kohoutek)

For this indecisive shopper, the prospect of succumbing to bridal-salon nerves and fatally choosing the wrong wedding dress was terrifying.

I thought that if I stepped foot into a shop, a well-meaning, but overly enthusiastic salesperson would convince me that I’d found the perfect dress—but as soon as I left, I’d be filled with doubt. So for the first few months of my engagement, I stuck to pinning pretty pictures of wedding dresses to Pinterest.

Then one day, I learned that Alabama Chanin had a bridal collection. As a sewer and quilter, I greatly admire and respect the company, which is known for their intricate stitching and beading. Their garments are incredible. I was quickly priced out of their more elaborate designs, but after emailing with Natalie Chanin, the founder of the company, I realized that I could afford a weekend workshop at their studio in Florence, Alabama if my wedding dress was my workshop project. I could make my dress! And I’d bring my mom along to share the experience with me.

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(Photo: Bethany Kohoutek)

A full eight months before my wedding date, my mom and I road tripped from Iowa to Alabama for a weekend of sewing. I brought images of dresses that I liked, but in actuality, the only thing that mattered when we got to the studio was the rack of stunning hand-stitched white samples. The first one I tried on was completely lovely in every way but the neckline, which gaped a little on me. I tried on a second sample with a more fitted neckline and we quickly decided to combine the two dress styes so that I could have exactly the parts of each that were most flattering. It was shockingly easy.

Choosing the stitch and beading pattern, on the other hand, almost derailed the whole plan. I looked through stacks and stacks of pattern books, each one seemingly more gorgeous than the last. Filled with anxiety about the decision, I basically closed my eyes and picked one. I vaguely remember someone telling me that the medallion pattern I chose went back hundreds of years, which I took to be a positive sign.

The pieces were cut, the pattern was sprayed on, and I learned their stitching technique, which included a process for hiding the ends of the thread between the double-layered panels of jersey cotton. It was a little different from how I normally quilt, but since sitting and sewing is one of my very favorite things to do, I quickly became enamored with the process—even if I secretly gave myself permission to buy a dress from J. Crew if things didn’t work out.

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(Photo: Bethany Kohoutek)

For the next two days, I sat and sewed—and talked and ate—with the group of women who had come from around the country to also participate in the workshop. When we wrapped up on Sunday morning, I was nervous to leave the experts, but I felt ready to get to work. I stitched nearly all the 14 hours of the drive back home, and then almost every night after dinner for an hour or two, and more on the weekends. Thankfully, I got faster with my work as it became more familiar under my fingers. I even figured out how to use the incredibly thin beading needle without cramping my fingers.

Each panel took about 12 hours to stitch and bead, and after about three months, I had finished all 8 panels. (Actually, I did 10 panels because two of them weren’t as uniform as the others so I redid them. Yes, my fiancé thought I was a little crazy.) It was at that point that I completely understood why an Alabama Chanin dress costs what it does.

I sent the panels back down to Alabama by the most nerve-wracking Fed Ex shipment ever, where they put it together into a dress and added beading to the neckline and hem. It was perfect.

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(Photo: Bethany Kohoutek)

A lot of friends commented about how they expected ours to be a full DIY wedding, but in truth, I felt pretty strongly that if I had put about 120 hours into making my dress, I was off the hook for making anything else. I recruited a family member to help with our invitations and we skipped most other decorations because our ceremony was in a rose garden and the reception was in a restaurant. But it is true that when I found myself facing the spring without a sewing project, I decided to embroider my sister’s dress as well.

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(Photo: Bethany Kohoutek)

But those elements, the ones that I did with my own hands, were safe from logistical challenges, contracts, and vendor fees. They helped me focus my energy on projects that I really enjoyed. I didn’t care so much about sending save-the-dates or making elaborate centerpieces, but I did care deeply about wearing a dress that made me feel like me. And on my wedding day, thankfully, those elements—and the experiences that went into making them—were also the ones that mattered most.

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