Stress the Dress

The first time I talked with my parents about wedding plans, I told them that I had one priority: My dress. Of course, I was concerned with what our guests would eat and what kind of music we'd dance to, but my dress was something on which I did not want to compromise. I visited every bridal shop within a 100-mile radius, but to no avail. I knew I wanted a sheath silhouette with a look of classic glamour, but nothing I tried on had that "wow" factor.

I wanted my gown to be the centerpiece of the entire wedding. A few weeks in, I'd become a professional at the over-the-head-shimmy-and-zip dance any bride-to-be loves to hate. I'd spent more time than I'd care to admit browsing magazines and the Internet for dresses with price tags bigger than my entire wedding budget. But still, I had no luck. Nothing met my expectations!

My now-husband, Joe, and I went to visit his family in Virginia. Joe's mom, sister and I decided to spend the day visiting a few bridal shops there. Bella Rosa in Richmond, Virginia, was our first stop. I fell in love with a Monique Lhuillier satin strapless gown with a French Alençon lace shrug and a vanilla satin sash. I'd never seen anything like it before, and after having the sash wrapped around me and fitted with a brooch, I was convinced that I had to have it. It was the perfect blend of fit and flair, unique design and tradition.
 
There was only one problem: Monique's perfectly sewn masterpiece of a gown cost around $6,000. It was too much for me. So upon my return to Springfield, my mom started digging. Through a friend, we got into contact with a seamstress named Saundra Dent. We set up a meeting with Saundra and found out that she's a very busy lady. Not only does she make all the costumes for the Baldknobbers Jamboree Show in Branson, but she also she works on a local children's line called Goo Goo To You and occasionally does wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses. I showed her some photos of the dress I wanted, describing the fit and styling in detail. To our delight, she agreed to make my gown and the bridesmaid dresses. She instructed me to visit Cy Rudnick's Fine Fabrics (2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, 816-842-7808, cyrudnicksfabrics.com) and pick up all the materials so she could get started.

In a few weeks, we traveled to Kansas City and purchased eight yards of diamond white bridal satin and enough pricey French lace for the shrug. I got the material for the bridesmaid dresses from F M Stores in Springfield (1368 E. Sunshine St., 417-882-9244). Saundra had all she needed to make the dresses a reality.

With fittings every few weeks, the look of the wedding dress really started to take form. But having a wedding dress made is not for the faint of heart. We faced several setbacks, such as the bridesmaids' dress fabric being ordered in the wrong shade of brown (three times!) and Saundra working herself so hard that she came down with pneumonia! But she was truly dedicated to creating exactly what I wanted, and somehow I knew it would all work out. Saundra made a house call at 11 p.m. the night before the wedding for a few last-minute fixes. On the wedding day, my dress looked exquisite.

Looking back, I couldn't be happier that I chose a unique route. Everything turned out so beautifully that my brother's wife-to-be, Lisa Scoma (now Lisa Van Gorp), asked Saundra to make the dresses for her June nuptials. Although her vision of a classic A-line dupioni silk gown was completely different from mine, Saundra created the look for her. And on the big day, Lisa looked absolutely flawless.