Tag Archives: chicago custom bridal

Lauren’s Custom Lace Dress – Complete!

Oh man, I really want to show you the completed dress from last week. It’s soooo goooood. I honestly kind of miss having it around – I’ve grown so attached. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap photos during the final fitting (too much happy crying and brains exploding and stuff) and now all I’ve got are a few shots on the hanger. I mean, I’ll show you these and everything, but just know, this is NOTHING compared to how amazing this dress looks on the bride.

antique vintage lace wedding dress _ veronica sheaffer custom bridal

 

Ohmigoodness, I love this so much. I love it like I didn’t make it – I hope that makes me sound less obnoxious, going on and on about it. I can’t help it! This dress means so much to me for so many reasons – not only did I have a ton of creative freedom, which is super exciting, but we used laces I’ve been holding onto for years, just waiting for the perfect project. And one of them was the leftover lace from my own wedding veil, which was so cool to work with again.

On top of all that, the bride, Lauren, is an incredibly kind, sweet, charming person with the most amazing style. Every fitting was a breeze and all of the laces worked together so well (five, total) – it was absolute kismet from start to finish. I’m DYING for her to get married already and send me pictures!

And I’m also thrilled that every project this year is equally as unique and exciting. So, even though I’m missing this dress like crazy, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one. GOOD. STUFF. !!!

12 Comments

Filed under MADE IT

Sorry, But Look at This DRESS

Hey guys! Sorry for the light posting this week. I’ve been working on/finishing up this dress for a super sweet (and gorgeous) bride:

antique vintage lace bridal dress _ veronica sheaffer custom bridal

And it is MAGNIFICENT.

More surprises to come with this one – like that lace in the skirt making an appearance in the bodice. Just wait. Seriously, you guys. I’m dying over here.

She’s picking it up tomorrow and there’s still some work to do, so I gots to go. But seriously, ohmigod, THIS DRESS!

16 Comments

Filed under MAKING IT

2013 Custom Bridal! And … the Dentist

I have to go to the dentist today. Wah. For someone who has basically no issues with their teeth, I shouldn’t be SO upset every time I have to go. But whatever. I’m bummed. I’m also bummed at my body this morning. Sometimes I think I have kind of a cute little bump going, but other times it’s one giant barrel torso and I just look like a blob. A blob who gets to walk around in a bathing suit this weekend. A blob who can barely fit into any of her bathing suits. P.S. I’ve only gained FIVE POUNDS.

I think I’m having one of those days. You know, the kind that makes you feel like a schlump when you spend all of 30 seconds looking at Pinterest? Everyone is prettier and thinner and tanner and happier and more successful and creative and driven than you and you can go ahead and just collapse into a puddle on the floor. Thanks, PINTEREST.

No really, you guys. Things are especially good, I’m just pi$$ed about the dentist.

I haven’t told you at all about my fun, new custom brides yet. I’m so excited about ALL OF THEM. And because the baby is due in August, my goal is to have everyone ready by early July. Ooh la la! Bridal Whirlwind! The approach is a bit different this year – I’ll be focusing mostly on the muslins myself and using additional sewers to stitch up the actual gowns – but as always, I’ll try to document as much as possible along the way. Like this foundation and muslin for Lauren:

silk taffeta foundation corsolette

muslin fitting

 

It doesn’t look like much now, but it will eventually become something similar to this look from the Valentino Spring ’12 Couture collection … but completely different. We’re using an antique lace that I’ve had in my stash for going on ten years, and I’m thrilled. Thrilled about the whole thing, really. Thrilled about all of my brides. Not one of them is going super-traditional, and we’ve got LOTS of color this year. I can’t wait to show you all of the goods!

And now I must go floss.

8 Comments

Filed under MAKING IT

Wedding Pics! Sylvia and Ryan

Ooh la la – fun stuff today! In all of the craziness this summer, I never got around to showing you pictures from all of these amazing weddings. I’m still waiting on some, but I’ve gotten bunches of adorable ones, and I’m sooo excited to share them. I mean, let’s face it, if you’ve recently planned a wedding and then gone into the wedding industry, your eyes have maybe glazed over and then eventually fused shut to wedding photos in general. There are just SO MANY wedding pictures online. But I always, ALWAYS cry when I see pictures of my brides. First of all, they are always so gorgeous. Second, they are always so happy. That’s my favorite part – seeing them so in love and just bursting with complete joy. I’m just so humbled and moved. Every. Single. Time. I mean, look at these cutie pies!

wedding_tandem bicycle_bride and groom_veronica sheaffer custom dress

I want to jump into this photo, knock them both off of the bike and squeeze those cheeks silly. It sounds very aggressive, but it’s exactly what I’m picturing in my head. So. Look out or something.

veronica sheaffer_custom chicago bridal

chicago custom bridal_1950s style wedding dress_veronica sheaffer

So cute and so fun. And doesn’t that dress just come to life on Sylvia? I mean, it looked good on the hanger and everything, but that’s nothing compared to the girl. She owned it. Case in point:

1950s style wedding dress_chicago custom bridal_veronica sheaffer

MOVIE STAR. Congratulations, Sylvia and Ryan! You are both adorable and I recommend locking your doors at night, ’cause I’m coming to squeeze and kiss you both in your sleep.

Cutest.

[Images by Johnny Knight]

Leave a Comment

Filed under MADE IT

Sneak Peek: Dean’s Vintage Wedding Dress

Okay let’s just ignore the fact that I’ve been gone a long-a$$ time and pretend it never happened, ‘kay? Oh man, I have soooooo much to tell you about now. LOTS of wedding stuff, LOTS of house stuff AND an amazing tutorial. Wha- what?

And I’m going to start with a major sneak peek.

veronica sheaffer _ vintage wedding gown restyled _ boho lace

BOOM. I mean, you guuuyss. Look at this! I can’t take credit for the design – my super stylish friend, Dean (who I go on and on about, I know), found this amazing vintage dress on Etsy and it just happened to fit her like a glove (both in size and style – like, nothing on Earth could be better suited for this adorable girl). And she brought it to me for some minor adjustments. For instance, it originally had long sleeves, which was super cute, but a little too covered with the high neckline and everything. It also had no pleating or slits or anything at the bottom, so she kind of had to scurry around in it. So funny. Lucky for us, the pattern in the sleeves perfectly matched the pattern in the skirt, so I was able to use one of those (cuff and all) to create an inverted kick pleat at the hem. You would never know it wasn’t original, right? Then we followed the dotted pattern in the lace to make those cute, little scalloped edges in the cap sleeves. Her mom suggested the covered buttons down the back, which were just the icing on the cake. SO CUTE.

You guys will die when you see the pictures from the actual wedding – I’m just telling you now. It was EPIC. It was so epic that one day you will see the photos everywhere and your fingers will bleed from so much Pinteresting. I don’t even know if I should be showing you these little bits just yet, but I can’t wait. And she’s currently honeymooning, so I can’t even text her real quick and ask. Oh well. I can’t wait, Dean, I’M SORRY!

It’s just too cute.

6 Comments

Filed under MADE IT

Reworked Vintage Gown

Look! I did it! ‘Cause I love you. And don’t ever forget it. Now let’s talk dresses …

Okay first of all, I love vintage wedding gowns (I think that goes without saying, but you know, whatever). That being said, even though I find them to be so romantic, we’ve kind of moved away from covering every square inch of our bodies, leaving only our faces exposed. And that can make them a bit … costumey. Not all of them, but let’s face it, when a lot of our moms were getting married, they wore polyester medieval- or prairie-style ensembles.  High neck, long sleeve, floor-length gowns with giant veils. Which I really love, honestly, but they are very particular to that time period. So what do you do when you want to carry on tradition but still look “with it”? You could …

mother's juliet style gown transformed into 1960s mod wedding bridal

… replace the skirt with a silk satin mini and accessorize with a gorgeous lace-trimmed veil. And then go and be the flirtiest bride ever. You know, if you were into that sort of thing. Being awesome, that is. This bride has promised before and after photos from both weddings, and I’m DYING. I can’t wait! I also can’t wait to show you the back, because it’s way cuter than you are even imagining. There are buttons involved. So good.

By the way, I forgot to mention that I plan to take lots of pictures on our little getaway, so if you’re curious what it’s like to jet set with this face right here, then follow me on Instagram (@vsheaffer, yo). I’ll try to make it worth your while …

9 Comments

Filed under MADE IT

Custom Hair Accessories for Jen

Guess what I’m about to do? Leave work, pack up my dang bathing suit and drive to St. Louis for some Lazy River-ing. *high five* That’s not the entire purpose of the trip – I mean, it is, basically – but I’m also going down to pick up Keith and my brother Alex ’cause those two fools rode their bikes all the way there. Of course that is really cool and everything, but now they need a ride home, and  I conveniently need a getaway. And since we’re gonna do a super long Lazy River before we head back, all of my hopes and dreams will soon be realized. The only bummer is I have to drive all five hours by myself, after working all day, and I haven’t packed a single item yet. Whoops. I’mma be real tired. I hope the rest stops aren’t too terrifying.

Anyway, I’ll be gone the rest of the week, so no more posts from me. Sorrryyyy. But here’s a li’l something to remember me by:

veronica sheaffer custom hair bridal accessories silk lace flowers

Little hair guys for Jen and her mom – both made with lace and fabric from her gown. All ivory for the bride:

veronica sheaffer bridal hair accessory comb flower custom

And just a touch of pale blue for her mom:

veronica sheaffer custom bridal hair comb accessory chicago

So cute and sweet. Only ten more days until the wedding! Her final fitting was yesterday and I can’t even put into words how amazing she looked. It’s soooo cool to see the entire look come together – she just, I dunno, she looked like a BRIDE. A happy, beautiful bride. Congratulations, Jen, I can’t wait to see pictures!!

1 Comment

Filed under MADE IT

Projects Galore

Hello, party people! Thanks for the sweet notes and stuff the other day – I love you guys. In case you’re wondering, dinner was fine – it didn’t blow my mind or anything – but we had a super fun time anyway ’cause we’re in love and stuff. And then yesterday I took a five-hour trip to Ikea and bought no fewer than one million baskets, because … we’re redoing our bedroom! Or, I’m redoing the bedroom and using Keith for hard labor. I’m super excited and also super confused by this project. I moved our giant persian rug from the dining room into the bedroom and it’s much warmer than I had imagined (in tone, not temperature), which is why it wasn’t working in the dining room either. I’m going to try to work with it though, because it’s super plush and feels extra cozy in there. Anyway, I can’t wait to Photoshop the crap out of that room when I get home tonight. In the meantime, I’ll be working on some very fancy dresses for some very adorable brides. I’m finishing up one gown today, meeting with another bride in the afternoon and then getting started on this amazing thing:

veronica sheaffer custom bridal gown sketch

Four-ply crepe back satin with the slightest sparkle in the skirt – aren’t you dying? I can’t wait to see this gorgeous thing come to life!

2 Comments

Filed under MAKING IT

Meagan’s Custom Sash

Yesterday was a wash, so I have to work like an a$$hole today to catch up.  But I couldn’t wait to show you the very sparkly sash I made for my cutie pie bride Meagan. So real quick . . .

veronica sheaffer custom rhinestone belt sash bridal

veronica sheaffer custom rhinestone belt sash bridal accessory

Look at how fancy that is! The wedding is in just a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to show you guys the full ensemble (remember, I’ve been working on her Reem Acra). Y’alls are gonna lose your dang minds and forget who you are and where you live. It’s that amazing. Meagan is going to break all of our hearts.

2 Comments

Filed under MADE IT

The Unloved and Unknown

I’ve been blessed with about a million custom clients over the last few months.  And I’m sooo lucky that I can say each and every one of their gowns makes me so happy.  I’m thrilled to work on all of them.  They’re completely different from one another, but each has some incredible detailing that requires a serious amount of hand-stitching (which is my favorite part).  There will obviously be a lot of blogging about those darlings, but in the meantime, I thought it would be fun to rummage through the reject pile.  The sketches that led us to the final designs.  Unloved and unknown . . .

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you or a friend would like to adopt one of these poor neglected gowns, please reach out to me.  And do it soon, ’cause I’m busy, yo.

P.S. These are the rejects.  Imagine what we ended up choosing.  *wink*

2 Comments

Filed under WANNA MAKE IT