Help me design a dress to wear to a friend's wedding - 2.0!
Now, I get a chance to design and make a dress to wear to the wedding of a good friend of mine later this summer. It'll definitely be a different atmosphere (beautiful rustic lake setting, peacocks wandering around the property, 300+ guests!), and I'm not in the wedding so I don't want to look too similar to the bridesmaids (who, I happen to know, will be wearing teals/blues in simple, short-ish semi-formal dresses). But, I do want to look good in the setting and with the color scheme. I'm not 100% sure on what it is, but I know it's rustic (think wood cookies, cowboy boots on the bride, and wildflowers in jars) and has a peacock theme twist to it (I think there'll be some peacock feather accessories).
Summer in Oregon is a magical time, and I love getting to enjoy it outdoors at a pretty setting like this wedding venue. It's definitely not the place for preppy or formal summer guest wear (I doubt there will be many ties, grey suits, and stilettos) but I definitely want to dress nicer than I do for a backyard party. Style challenge!!
So, some rustic inspiration from my friend's wedding pinboard... =)
 |
| Source |
 |
| Source |
Plus ideas from great party dress sources! Hoping I can combine the two, plus fabric and patterns I have or can find, to make a great dress to wear!
Designing a wedding-goer dress for a rustic wedding
So, I did some serious wedding party-goer dress research, and came up with these top choices from some pro sources: BHLDN (they have a whole listing for wedding attendee attire!), J.Crew Wedding, and Anthropologie party dresses, because I think some of their slightly funky prints and laces could be perfect for this kind of wedding).
My friend the bride has always liked blues and aquas more than pinks, and I really associate her with navy and mint and light blue. So I'm definitely drawn to those colors for this dress, to honor her tastes plus the wedding theme for the attitude.
(I would modify some of these since I don't want to do a maxi dress, and I'd pick a blue/mint/aqua/navy color family rather than the pink one.) But something like...
 |
| Sources: BHLDN, J.Crew, Anthropologie |
Okay, obviously I'm all over the map! So many choices, all so different!
What would you do? Fitted? Ruched? Loose and flowing? Fit and flare?
I have plenty of patterns at home to work with, as I'm sure you can imagine, but can modify them to get the look! I may have to go fabric-shopping for this one. So, print or solid?
(Can you tell I need help focusing?) Anyone been to a wedding like this before, and have any ideas?
Update: This is what I made!