We know you’ll agree, dress shopping is one of the most exciting parts of the wedding planning process. Except what happens if you can’t find the perfect dress? It’s not the end of the road, you can always DIY your own gown. These talented real brides show that you can take matters into your own hands to make your wedding dress dreams come true.
Not only are you guaranteed to walk down the aisle in a dress that completely celebrates your personal style but it will make the big day even more wonderfully special. From sleek to sparkling, monochrome to blooming with colourful florals, we know you will be so impressed by their creativity and impeccable sense of bridal style.
Real Brides Who Designed Their Own Dresses
Peggy’s Sparkling Dress
It was only natural of Peggy to design and make her own wedding dress as she is a skilled costume designer. Her dream dress was the result of hours spent researching on combined with months of creating beautiful costumes for Downton Abbey! She sparkled on her special day in a stunning iridescent gown with dainty sheer sleeves and a magical detectable train. Not only that but Peggy also designed her own veil and chic bridal jacket to keep her warm. Peggy designed each girl a unique full length patterned skirt and black jumper for her bridesmaids too, lucky ladies!
Check out Peggy’s magical winter wedding photographed by This Modern Love.
Anna’s Irish Silk Gown
Anna designed her breathtaking wedding dress! Crafted from Irish silk and sporting puffed sleeves and a flowing skirt, her grandmother, mother and niece Hannia (who was chief flower girl) helped make it. The flower crown brought a sensational dash of brightness to her wedding day look. The talented bride also created the dresses for the flower girls. They could decide the colours and they were the prettiest in light pastels.
Check out Anna’s DIY West Cork wedding photographed by Sarah Kate Photography.
Róisín’s Pleated Princess Dress
Róisín is the fashion designer who she runs the luxury womenswear brand Róisín Dockry Design so she jumped at the chance to design the wedding dress of her dreams. She always knew she wanted a princess style since ger modelling days. She also really wanted strapless but something not so traditional, a unique statement dress that showed off her own personal style. She used silk taffeta for the pleated top to create the structure and add drama to the dress which she paired with a silk mikado fabric for the waistband and voluminous skirt with pockets.
She loved the process of designing her wedding dress so much that it inspired to create outfits for other wedding-related events such as the engagement party, hen party, rehearsal dinner, and the after-party, which was a balletcore bowed beauty!
Check out Róisín’s full wedding wardrobe and destination wedding which was photographed by The Ivory Roses.
Úna’s Fabulous Floral Dress
Colourful embroidered wedding dresses always wow. That’s exactly what Úna did on her big day wearing a romantic wedding dress she designed herself. It had a fascinating story too as it was based on a vintage dress she bought, which was then embellished, embroidered, and restyled by a couture designer. We just love the retro feel of the blooms, and gorgeous 3D floral sleeves that add so much lively colour.
Check out Úna’s colourful and creative cliffside wedding photographed by Love Like Crazy.
Niamh’s Lace Gown with a Monochrome Twist
It was no surprise that the immensely talented fashion design Niamh O’Neill designed her own wedding dress. Her timeless gown was a stunning lace number with a pop of black! As well as her own dress, Niamh put her hand to her bridesmaids’ soft grey gowns with dark grey almost lilac coloured sashes. The design complemented her leading ladies and the wedding day aesthetically beautifully.
Check out Niamh’s Relaxed Ghan House wedding photographed by Dara Munnis.
Eavan’s Hand-Knit Ombre Dress
Eavan not only designed, but also hand-knit her wedding dress in pieces over the space of three months and lovingly stitched it all together to ensure it was ready for her big day. What a talent! If you can’t stop swooning over the gorgeous dress like us, check out her Instagram account @handknit_wedding_dress where she documented the entire design process. Once completed, she paired her precious creation with a silk underdress designed and made by Carolyn O’Sullivan from Not Another White Dress.
Check out Eavan’s Eclectic Camus Farm wedding photographed by Sarah Kate Photography.
Anna’s Lace Gown
Anna runs her own bridal brand Anna Darcy Couture and when she could not find a dress that felt right for her she decided to make it herself. She always knew she wanted a fitted silhouette with long sleeves and a high neck but she was unsure what fabric to use. If she was going to use a plain fabric like satin or crepe she wanted to go more all out with the design and she considered draping, peplums, ruffles, slits, you name it! Whereas if she was going to use lace she wanted to keep the shape and design simple and just let the lace do the talking. She made her decision when she was watching Meet Me at St Louis when the mother steps out of the house wearing a long sleeve, fitted, high neck dress in a very elaborate lace, she knew that lace was the way to go.
She also designed the dresses for her bridesmaids in her favourite colour, pink! There was never any doubt in her mind that they weren’t going to be matching as their personal styles are quite different from each other. She created a sister’s dress would be fitted, strapless cerise pink midi for her sister with statement puffed sleeves. She was thrilled to hear that she’s worn the dress to a couple of occasions after the wedding too! Anna’s friend Susanne looked utterly fabulous in a delicately hued yet vivid floral dress with darling pastel pink tulle bows with a full skirt.
Check out Anna’s laid-back Horetown House wedding photographed by Berit Alits Photography.
Emma’s Textured Maxi
Emma helms her own award-winning fashion brand Manley and her bespoke bridal look was one for the books. She designed a breathtaking textural wedding dress with a sheer skirt that had a Blake Lively feel. The designer even created complementing minis for her ‘maids. She opted for a striking alternative to a veil with her sculptural headpiece, just wow!
Check out Emma’s stylish Royal Hospital Kilmainham wedding photographed by Paul McGinty Photography.
Want more wedding dress inspiration? See 10 Real Brides Who Wore Heirloom Wedding Dresses!
