The Dress

Selling my wedding dress from my wedding in June 2023. It was the perfect blend of modern and romantic and I received so many compliments on the train and open back design.

I originally purchased it on Stillwhite from another bride who bought it during their summer 2022 sample sale when Anais Anette was closing their flagship store in Calgary. It was a sample gown but there were no flaws or imperfections. She never worn or altered it.

The James gown is an A&Be bridal (US wedding dress retailer) exclusive so you can’t just buy it anywhere. It retails for $2700 USD before tax. The lace is so intricate and is hand-beaded. The gown fit like a dream and the crepe is such solid quality, helping hide any features you might now want visible. It was so comfortable and despite the fit and flare style, it didn’t feel restricting at all.

As mentioned, it was a sample gown so started off as a bridal size 12. I wear a street size 2-4 and my measurements are approx. 27” waist, 35” hips and 33” bust. The tailor I used did a phenomenal job bringing it down to my size. You can’t tell it used to be 3 bridal sizes larger.

It was brought to the dry cleaners the day after my wedding and stored carefully since so it’s ready for the next bride :) there are no stains or rips in the delicate lace train. The wrinkles on the front of the dress are from storage and will come out with a quick steam.

Alterations

Apart from taking in the waist and hips to bring it down from size 12 to size 6, the straps were shortened, bra pads were added and it was hemmed to accommodate height of 5’4 with 2 inch heels. A single point button bustle was also added.