FABRIC

There is a vast array of fabrics to choose from, from featherweight chiffons to rich taffetas. It's important to make sure a wedding gown not only looks beautiful, but that it won't snag, run or tear easily -- especially during the wedding or reception. The fabric should be resilient and strong when stretched, though some give is desirable. Silk fabrics are usually flecked with naturally-occurring fabric nubs, but there shouldn't be too many nubs, and synthetic fabrics should have no nubs at all. Satins are to be smooth and flexible. Chiffons should feel soft and flow freely. If a dress is made of a sheer fabric, like chiffon, organza, or tulle, the fabric should be layered thickly enough that the gown is not inadvertently see-through.

SEAMS

Seams are the infrastructure of clothing. They not only hold pieces of fabric together, but dictate a dress's shape, how smoothly it will lie on the wearer's body, and how the skirt will flow. Make sure seams are straight, precise, and evenly spaced. On lightweight, form-fitting dresses, it's especially important that the seams lie flat or the dress's silhouette will not be uniform. Check for ripped threads, particularly in off-the-rack and sample sale dresses.

DETAILING

Beads, ribbons, and rhinestones are available on wedding gowns in all price ranges. On higher end dresses, Swarovski crystals, pearls, and gold threads adorn bodices and skirts. No matter a dress's price, however, it's important to make sure detailing is securely fastened. Inspect beads, pearls, and rhinestones to see that they are stitched tightly to the fabric. Loose stitching is more likely to become snagged or get ripped off altogether. Check to be sure that patterns and designs are regular, even, and consistent. Make sure metallic stitching is not visibly crooked. If you are concerned about losing a piece of beading, check if the manufacturer will supply extra pieces.

BUTTONS, CORSETS and ZIPPERS

Since most wedding gowns fit snugly, they need to be tightened once the bride has gotten into the dress. Traditionally, many wedding gowns featured a row of buttons parading down the bride's back and skirt. Regardless of whether the buttons are the real closure or just an embellishment, check to see that they are well-secured to the dress. Make sure zippers are sturdy but flat, and that they are sewn tightly into the dress. Zippers should not be bulky or difficult to zip and unzip.

Another popular dress style is the corset back. A little bit old-fashioned and a little bit bordello glamour, corsets are also a practical means to closing a dress and making sure it fits the bride comfortable. Unlike other closure styles, a corset can be adjusted at any time, meaning that if the bride gains or loses a pound or two after her final dress fitting, her dress can still be tightened or loosened on the wedding day -- or even during the reception. It is important to make sure that the fabric tying the corset is durable. Equally important is checking that the corset hooks are strong and anchored properly inside the dress; otherwise the hooks may tear as the corset is tightened. For modest brides, it is a good idea to check whether a corset is open, revealing the skin underneath, or whether it has a fabric insert behind the corset ties.

TRAINS

Trains come in a variety of lengths, from no train at all to sweep trains popular for destination weddings to royal/monarch trains, which usually stretch at least nine feet from the bride's waist. No matter the length of the train a bride chooses, there are a few things to look out for. A train should flow naturally from the dress to the floor, and not fall awkwardly. When a train is spread out on the floor, it should appear round and even. If a train is pleated or decorated, the pleats and decorations should be symmetrical or appropriately off-centered, but never crooked. Even the most richly embellished trains, if well-designed, will look beautiful and not loose their impact when they are bustled. Ask to see what a train looks like when it is bustled in a variety of ways to make sure it looks just as elegant as when it is spread across the floor.

INTERIOR STRUCTURE

Some wedding dresses are designed so that undergarments are unnecessary. If a bride plans to wear her wedding dress without lingerie, she should take a few extra precautions and study her dress inside and out. Make sure the bodice of the dress is not so filmy that it will be obvious the bride isn't wearing underwear. Check to be sure the dress top is supportive and will hold the bride comfortably in place. Examine the interior shaping for well-structured boning, which will slenderize and shape the bride. The bride should spend some time wearing the dress and moving around in it -- standing, sitting, walking, dancing, practicing throwing her bouquet -- to ensure that she stays securely inside the dress! If the dress has a thickly lined, well-shaped top a seamstress should be able to sew a bra into the dress. A well-made gown, once tailored, will cling gently to a bride's body, follow her curves, and stay in place. (http://laura-b.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Choose-a-Quality-Wedding-Gown)

Remember how I said that experience arranging flowers was not necessary for doing your wedding flowers? Well, I still think that. However, when it comes to sewing a wedding dress, I think experience is a very very good thing. If you've never sewn a dress before, go out and sew a few. Figure out what you are doing, and then decide if you want to take on your wedding dress. It's not an impossible project, not at all, but it's complicated, and takes skill.

My sister, my mother and I tackled Project Wedding Dress over Christmas break. It was more complicated and more time consuming than we expected (of course). It lead to Project Runway like, down to the wire, midnight sew-offs. And, in the end, it was far more rewarding than I'd ever imagined. The dress isn't quite done yet, and I reserve the right to complain about it later (remember that!) Sadly, you are not going to see the finished project till August, I'm afraid, just hints and whispers. But! I've had requests to walk you through the process, so here we go!

Step 1: Pick Your Pattern
My pattern is a vintage Vogue pattern. Pretty, no?
The key to picking a pattern is to pick something where you like the basic construction - this dress has princess seams, no true waist, and pleating. Those are elements of the pattern would be next to impossible to change.

Step 2 - Pick Your Fabric
Once you have your pattern, you'll have a pretty good idea of what kind of fabric you need. I've already written about my fabric search, but I was looking for a mid-weight silk - and I found the worlds most beautiful blush-toned off-white silk. Swoon.

Step 3 - Decide On Simple Modifications
This is the time to decide what small tweaks you want to make to the pattern. On my pattern, we decided to take off the sleeves, adjust the neckline a bit, and remove the yoke around the neck. These small changes made the dress feel like it was mine, but didn't change the fundamental construction of the dress.

Step 4 - Muslin Mock Up
While this step is truly a monumental pain, I would not, under any circumstances, suggest skipping this step. It's where all the really hard work is done. At this point, you take your measurements, get the pattern out, cut and mark the fabric, make the small modifications you are planning (no sleeves for us!), and sew up the dress. What you now have is a weird muslin dress. It's going to be HUGE on you (I'm a street size 4, according to Vogue I was a size 12, we sewed a size 10, and it was still pretty darn big at this point). It's also, frankly, not going to be very flattering at this point but don't freak out. It will be.

Step 5 - Alterations, Alterations, Alterations
This step takes an incredible amount of skill. Unless you are a four-armed double-jointed sewing genius, you can't do it for yourself. Put on your muslin mock up. Stand in front of the mirror. Try not to wiggle (ha!). Get a sister, or another wise seamstress, to get out her pins and pin that dress like mad, until it fits like it is supposed to. Now is the time to discuss the neckline (is it working? Should you open it up more? Do you want to change the shape a bit?) and the length. Discuss if the dress is comfortable and how you feel in it. Discuss all the little things.

Next up. The dress comes off (carefully, it's full of pins). The head seamstress takes out a needle and thread and bastes in all the alterations she's made (another option: the seamstress can actually do the basting alterations while you are in the dress). After this, try it on one last time, to make sure it fits.

Step 6 - Altering The Paper Pattern
The muslin dress is carefully cut apart. The head seamstress laid it back out on the original pattern and carefully transfers all the alterations that have been made on to the paper (This step is half skill and half voodoo magic, if you ask me).

Step 7 - Cut And Mark Your Fabric
At this point in our process, we were running tremendously behind. My pattern looks simple, but BOY is it not. The alterations had eaten up two full days. So, we stayed up until midnight, cracking Project Runway jokes, and ever so carefully cutting and marking yards and yards of silk. Cutting your fabric is an exercise in precision. After the magic that has gone into altering the pattern, you want to cut extremely precisely, and make sure the fabric is laid exactly the right way on the grain of the fabric. After it is all cut, you'll use thread to mark all the indicated points in the fabric.

Step 8 - Baste The Dress Together
Those who are weak of heart, do not even read this step! Because at this point you will hand sew the entire dress together in medium-sized basting stitches. It sounds crazy, and it sort of is, but I have to say, I enjoyed this part the most. My sister and I sat there, and in a true old world fashion, and hand-sewed my entire wedding dress. When it was done, I tried it on to make sure it fit, and we made final adjustments. Because you have just basted the dress, if anything is still not working, you can pull the stitches out and fix it.

Step 9 - Sew The Dress Together
This is it. The sewing machine comes out, and you finally sew the dress together once and for all. If you are making a liner for your dress, you will cut and sew that now. We're in the midst of this step and the next one at the moment.

Step 10 - Finishing
Still to go: My sister is building crinolines for the dress out of tulle, and will attach them to the liner. Then she will mail the dress back to me, and I'll attach some lace trim, and some buttons on the back. I might embroider our names and the date on the inside, because if this dress isn't a heirloom, I don't know what is.