The Dress

I loved wearing Laudae's Jasmine dress on my wedding day. Sturdy construction made me feel comfortable and held together. There is a satisfying sense of weightiness to the dress without it being constrictive or confining (I arrived by canoe with my honey and danced the night away). The crocheted lace overlay is stunning. I felt effortlessly elegant in this dress.

The overlay is white and the lining is ivory.

The dress did not fit me tightly, and I think could accommodate an extra inch on the measurements for hips or bust.

I followed Laudae's instructions and did not dry-clean (dry-cleaning is very bad for the environment and the harsh chemicals can damage the dress). Instead, I cleaned it with an enzyme cleaner, soaking the entire train and spot cleaning the bodice. There are some signs of wear (some looser threads/fibers) on the flowers of the last 1-2" of the train and the hem of the dress. The crochet overlay cleaned very well but there is some remaining discoloration on the lining, which is completely covered when you wear it. Ask me for up-close photos. I don't think it's an issue at all but don't want you to have any surprises.

LAUDAE is a Vancouver-based line that makes all of their dressings by hand with attention to environmentally-friendly practices and materials and ethical production. Their designs are sleek and modern and they focus on details like a slightly stretchy lining and boning for support so that brides feel amazing in their dresses.

Alterations

A skilled seamstress made several alterations:
-the straps were shortened. If you look closely you can see where the flowers were cut and resewn on top of each other.
-I wanted to soften the bulkiness and straight-across line at the waistline. The seamstress undid that seam and brought the flowers that were tucked into the waist out, stitching each one carefully on top of one another at the waistline. She did an amazing job and I think it made a big improvement as there was originally a lot of bulk at the waistline with both the inside of the dress and the two layers of lace overlay all entering that seam. Visually it draws the eye less to the waistline.
-She shortened the dress so that I could wear it with sandals (the exact height with sandals is 5'5.75").
-We did a very simple bustle with two buttons and 3 loops. It attaches quite high, because I like the look of that (more flamenco than mermaid), and because I wanted the train to feel very completely off the ground for dancing. This would be easy to adjust.