New York Bridal Fashion Week is coming our way in October, and we are so excited to introduce our bridal launch, Bridal by Sabrina!
Photo by Andie Avery
Believe me, none of this happened overnight. We have been designing and working on this since 2018. It all began with my sister; she asked me to design and make her wedding gown and I did. The rest is history… word spread and I kept getting more requests for custom made wedding dresses. Now four years later, we are excited to expand and provide our services to you.
Planning a wedding is an exciting yet overwhelming time! Designing a dress is no different! It takes time, a precise vision, and lots of RE-vision. Most of all, it requires passion and the willingness to collaborate. In celebration of the launch of this new adventure, we’ve compiled a Sabrina-style FAQ to answer some of those burning questions about bridal season.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(K)Is there something special about creating custom wedding dresses that you don't get when creating your collections?
Custom bridal dress is a little bit of give and take; the bride comes to you with her framework and you expand upon it and design something original and one of a kind.
I really enjoy the collaborative nature of creating custom wedding dresses and learning my client’s design preferences. It's special because of the relationship we build with each other, and that is reflected in the design’s shape, textures, and details. It challenges you in unexpected ways because it is a balance of ideas and problem solving! The dress can be a visual representation of the bride and her personality, and that’s my job. I love it.
(K)Are you excited to finally launch your custom bridal wear?
Very much! Before Project Runway, I actually designed bridal full-time. After the show, I expanded into ready-to-wear. And now I’m stoked to bring back my bridal wear!
While doing bridal and with every dress that I create, I am so grateful that I was able to bring my bride happiness and be a part of her moment forever. Seeing these moments and these feelings come to life is why I am a designer.
Preparing for a wedding can be a stressful time. When tension runs high, how do you handle that?
I am never worried because at the end of the day, I know my bride will look stunning walking down the aisle. I work very closely with every client to ensure they get exactly what they are looking for and beyond.
After all the hard work, a bride can walk away with a dress that now has a deeper meaning than something off the rack. Having a custom wedding dress is an experience of a lifetime: To design, to be so closely involved in building, and to be a part of a beautiful vision is a wonderful thing to share.
(K)Can you walk me through the design process step by step?
Consultation: First, We’ll meet (in person or via Zoom) and I will ask you to save pictures of wedding dresses that you gravitate towards. Once inspiration is collected, I will help them narrow it down to get a better idea of what you look for in a wedding dress.
Sketch Review: Afterwards, I start sketching many designs and narrow them down to the top three designs that I will then show as options. Then, the bride picks their favorite of the three.
The next step is sourcing fabrics. I will often order fabric swatches from vendors, sometimes my brides want to join me on an adventure through fabric houses.
Muslin: Once we have fabrics chosen, the next phase is measurements. We’ll take precise measurements and start to create a first sample. After draping and creating its patterns, we have our first fitting! I adjust any fit issues as needed.
Final Dress:The very last step is creating our final dress in entirety with all of its details. Throughout the process, I schedule more fittings to make sure that the dress fits the bride perfectly.
(K)How many fittings does it usually take?
This number can vary. Most of the time we land between 2-3 fittings, though we may do more if a dress is a little more complex. My last bride had multiple layers with applique, so we had more fittings in order to perfectly customize the dress to her body.
(K)How long does it take to complete a wedding dress?
This also depends on the complexity of a dress design. Some may take up to a month or two, or can take much longer and could need to be booked six months in advance.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everytime I finish a dress, it's bittersweet. It’s a relief to have the dress done and ready, but this also means the journey of that dress has reached its near end. It's sweet and exciting, but sad. It's like sending one of my children off into the world!
What makes a custom wedding dress so special is that it gets to be truly yours. A custom dress is an experience that we get to share, and is made entirely with you in mind. If you love to be involved in the design process, then a custom dress could be a fantastic option to make your wedding day even more special.
Photo by Andie Avery
View our bridal page and book your consultation:
https://sabrinaspanta.com/pages/bridal