Bride disillusioned with wedding dress options takes matters into her own hands

After trying on tons of expensive dresses and struggling to find one she really liked, one bride said News week she decided to make her own wedding dress from scratch, and the result is quite impressive.

In a shared video on TikTok in January, under the username monicarazak, the small business owner sews the different parts of her dress after gathering a selection of fabrics from ideas on her mood board.

Poster Monica said: “I knew it would be a fun challenge! I had recently made my engagement party dress and was really happy with how it turned out, and it gave me the confidence to say 'Hey, I might actually be able to make my own wedding dress.

“In the end, I also realized that if I didn't try to do it, I would regret it. I'm lucky enough to have started sewing a few years ago and I have the basic skills needed to put a dress together, why waste this opportunity?

“I imagined walking down the aisle in a dress I hadn't made. I hated that feeling, so I knew I had to make it myself.”

According to a survey by The Knot, more than 98% of American brides wore a dress to their wedding in 2023, but it's expensive. In fact, the average cost of a gown last year was around $2,000.

Monica has so far spent less than half the price of an average dress, while still being able to find the best materials and designs for her dress.

“In total, the materials cost about $750. I made a sample dress with a cheaper fabric that could have been a completely viable dress at a more affordable price. The materials suggested for the dress were about $250 . But I opted for the more expensive and luxurious fabric in the end,” she said.

By making her own dress, Monica was also able to bring all the best parts of her favorite dresses into one, without having to go through the pain of sacrificing one over the other.

“The pattern itself was basically a compilation of inspired photos I found on Pinterest,” she added, “I'm not a lace girl, so I knew I wanted satin/silk. I wanted the dress to make me feel like 'me,' and the design I came up with really feels like me.”

The dress took her about three full weeks spread over six months to make, and while it's not yet finalized, the result so far is incredible.

“I wanted to work on it slowly to take some of the pressure off. The first three months I was just researching materials, deciding on the design and making samples. The last three months were spent working with the actual fabric, putting the pieces together and making changes. I would work for a few days at a time, then take a long break to preserve my patience.

However, Monica is not new to sewing: she actually owns a small business that sold made-to-order handmade clothing, which has now branched into selling other artisanal products. She also currently makes all of her bridal outfits, from her bachelorette party to her bridal shower, wedding rehearsal and getting ready outfits.

“Honestly, my expectations were low. I told myself that if I didn't finish at least 80% by February 2024, I would just buy a dress in a store. I expected it to be difficult , especially at the beginning when I was designing the model.

“I also expected the whole process to be stressful, but exciting, and I was right. On top of that, I certainly didn't expect so many people to be invested in this project with me on social networks!”

For the bride, it was mentally frustrating to have that extra bit of stress every day on top of everything a wedding needs. It took some rework and a lot of time pressure since the wedding is in early May.

But now that the dress is almost ready and it turns out as pretty as she imagined, she's sure it was worth it.

“Sewing seems intimidating and difficult, and it's certainly easy to feel imposter syndrome because you haven't formally studied fashion design. But there are so many free tools that anyone can learn !It will save you money, it's more sustainable and you get the unique feeling of being proud of having created something unique for yourself.

The video quickly went viral on social media, attracting viewers from all over TikTok. It has so far received over 534,500 views and 26,800 likes on the platform.

A user, Olivia | The wedding videographer commented: “This is so wholesome! And Rachbobach said: “I'm on YouTube – I'm so excited to see this all come to fruition!!” Faith added: “I'm so excited for you! It looks amazing already.”

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