Part Two: The wedding party
The wedding party was to be dressed in silver satin. I suggested we use the matte side for the dresses, and trim it with contrasting bands using the shiny side. The bride agreed. Doing so would help keep HER as the central focus, and downplay the size of her bridesmaids. Some of the bridesmaids were very tall, plus-sized figures and highlighting them in shiny silver would detract from the bridal gown.
We started with just enough fabric to cover all the bridesmaids, but along came a new addition to the wedding party. The flower girl. Problem... there was no more silver satin left for her. We hunted the local fabric shops (as time was getting short) and couldn't find the exact same fabric. Thus, the bride changed her plans and brought me a lightweight burgundy satin to work with for the maid-of-honor and flowergirl.
Bridesmaid dresses: Made in silver crepe backed satin, nice heavy weight, beautiful drape. This was perfect for the bridesmaid dresses. They liked the feel of the satin so much that they wanted it made unlined.

Maid-0f Honor and Flower girl dresses: I wasn't happy with the maid-of-honor's dress as the satin was too lightweight to drape and be flattering. It tended to be a bit "flyaway" and floats away from the body rather than fall straight. But it was perfectly fine for the flower girl. If there were more time, I would've gone shopping with the bride to help her find the same type (but different color) satin she had for the bridesmaids.
Back view, Flower girl dress: Trimmed with grosgrain ribbon (velvet is not in season) and tied in the back at neck and center back. We thought ribbon ties at the neck would be cuter than buttons.

The process of creating gowns for the wedding takes an average of 6 months. This will vary depending on the size of your party and the kind of work you want done on your gown.

If you are interested in having a gown custom made, please contact your custom clothier BEFORE shopping. Fabric choices are very important in the creation of beautiful clothing. If you see something you absolutely adore, buy a small 1/8 yard swatch to show your custom clothier and she will help you decide if it will work with your dress style.

Stay tuned for more tips on working with your custom clothier...