How I Designed My Custom Wedding Dress (& Veil!) for $1500
Once I got engaged, I, like many brides (and grooms!), jumped right into the wedding planning. I felt confident in many aspects of the wedding due to being an event planner, but the one aspect that made me feel way out of my comfort zone was the wedding dress itself. While coordinating weddings for almost a decade, I had seen so many incredible dress styles and cuts and was always inspired by the personal style they evoked. I spent a few months pinning designs onto my Pinterest board, researching styles and trends for my body shape and trying on dresses at shops in Seattle and in the San Francisco Bay Area. There was so much pressure to find “the one”. I had “the one” in my head, but could never find it in the storefronts or if I got close, I could not justify $6,000 on a dress or the idea of doing a complete rebuild of a dress with the features I wanted. In my research, I knew the neckline I was envisioning, the sleeve length, details for the back and scallop lace for the veil, but I could never find a dress that embodied all of them.
My maid of honor’s cousin went to Stanford School of Business with the founder of Anomalie. In fact, the founder was the man of honor in her cousin’s wedding! She had mentioned Anomalie a few times and I kept thinking about it, but was convinced I would have that moment shopping with my mom trying on “the one”. I even purchased a white bridesmaid dress as a backup in case I never found one that I loved.
After a few more discouraging try-ons at bridal salons, I jumped on my call with Callie (the founder!) and immediately felt at ease as I committed to embarking on this custom wedding dress process. He answered my questions and calmed my nerves as he walked me through the process. I finally felt like I was actually going to find “the one'“!
I gathered photos of dresses I had tried on, dresses I had seen in stores and on-line, and any design detail that caught my eye. In each image uploaded, I could include a little note about what I liked about the dress (ex. “The lace on the, The depth of the V in the back, the buttons, the neckline, where this dress hits on the waist”). They now offer an incredible Design Survey and DressBuilder to help you design your perfect dress!
Once that is complete, you are matched with your personal stylist who works with you on confirming your initial sketches, budget, silhouette and style to help perfect your custom creation down to the last detail. I met with my stylist in their office in San Francisco the week they were packing up to move to a larger space in Hayes Valley. With her, I was able to confirm the fabric and lace in person to help us move forward with the dress design. Their procedure is to mail you fabric swatches of material(s) we recommend for your dress so you can confirm the correct weight, color, feel, etc. and upload lace options to your dashboard. During my visit, she also took my measurements at the office. Had I not been able to that in person, they provide a detailed measurement form, instructions, measuring tape and a step-by-step video on how to take accurate measurements.
Once all of the elements were cohesive and everything was confirmed, my dress went to production. One of the most fun parts of this was getting the dress updates every few weeks as it was taking shape and coming to life! The dress was completely hand made and production is a 4-5 month time frame. Anomalie is the perfect option for you and your wedding dress if your date is 7+ months out to ensure a flawless (and not rushed) process!
My dress was shipped to the Anomalie office in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, so I was able to go there to pick it up, try it on with my maid of honor and see Callie at their headquarters. They made a few adjustments to the sleeves and bust, but it was such an exciting feeling trying it on and seeing it in person. Here we are at the first try-on that day!
They shipped the dress to my house and I took it to Jacquie’s Sew & Sew in Palo Alto to make the final adjustments and add in the bustle. They did an amazing job and were just very easy to work with. The dress came alive and fit me in all the right spots.
This was my experience with Anomalie and I would not have changed it! I enjoyed the creative process and appreciated having it feel like a true partnership the entire time. Anomalie has an FAQ page that is extremely helpful and the most up to date process on how they streamline their fast-growing and ever-evolving company!
Congratulations and enjoy the process! Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about Anomalie or leave comments below. I cannot wait to see your design come to life as you walk down the aisle!
Interested in designing your own dream dress and seeing “the one” come to life? Click here for $100 off your gown and to get started down this journey to your custom wedding dress!