The Dress

This ivory-on-ivory ball gown features a sparkle liner beneath an Alençon lace bodice with a sweetheart neckline and a dotted tulle skirt with horsehair-edged cascades throughout. The ivory-on-ivory dotted tulle is subtle compared to the stock photos of the dress, especially outdoors.

The dress came with a jeweled applique ribbon belt at the natural waist. I wore this dress with an ivory satin ribbon belt with rose gold, rhinestone, and pearl beading, which I think complimented the ivory color better than the original belt. Both belts are included.

Although this dress is a ball gown, the skirt falls much closer to the body than typical ball gowns. I'd say it is between an A-line and a ball gown. I preferred a poofier skirt, so I wore it with a hoop skirt underneath and the cascades fell beautifully. I'm 5'4 and wore flats since the hoop skirt poofed out the skirt more and raised the hemline. Without the hoop skirt, I would have needed 4" heels.

The dress was light and very comfortable for our September outdoor wedding. I have lots of pictures from our wedding day, so if you'd like more pictures or different angles, please let me know!

There was only one very minor alteration to the dress. My seamstress took in the lace on the bodice (only the lace panel, not the bodice itself) so that it would lie flat. Unaltered, the lace panel tended to bunch. My seamstress added 2 tiers of 3-point loop-and-button bustles to maintain the flowy look of the cascading tulle layers. The bustle was so simple that one of the guests at my wedding helped me do it while my bridesmaids were occupied, and she didn't have any trouble buttoning it up!

This dress has been professionally cleaned and preserved by Wedding Gown Preservation Co. The dress is in an acid-free preservation chest on a bust form with display window. The cleaning comes with a 100-year certificate of guarantee against yellowing or staining. There were no spills or stains on the dress, but since it was worn for an outdoor ceremony, it picked up some leaves along the hem so I got it cleaned.