How I Made My Own Sustainable Vegan Wedding Dress

Vegan Wedding Special

Planning a Vegan Wedding in Vienna
A Vegan Wedding in Vienna – The Day Of
Vegan Wedding Food
Cruelty-Free, Vegan Wedding Hair and Make-Up
How I Made My Own Wedding Dress
The Vegan Groom
A Vegan Wedding in Graz

I made my own wedding dress. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I’m a little insane.
Why on earth would I make my own Wedding Dress? Because I’m a Designer and a control freak and I knew, I’d always find something I wouldn’t like about a dress.

I did go and try some dresses and turns out, I tend to have expensive taste. So the ones I liked were way out of my price range and usually made with silk, so not vegan.
So I decided to combine all the dresses I liked and made my own!

In case you are not a maniac like me and want to buy a dress off the rack, I went to the following shops in Vienna and experienced lovely service in all of them:

Atelier 7
Heyday
Ivory Isle

Some designers and brands I really liked were:

Cortana
Rue de Seine
Rembo Styling

I started off by doing a lot of research on Pinterest, then I went to try on some dresses to see what cuts and details I liked.
I wanted it to have an Edwardian Era does ancient Greece- feel to it (very specific, I know) with some olive leaf embroidery or lace.
For the shape and cut, I was limited in that I have a large chest. So backless was out of the question because I can’t go without a bra.
V-Cut necklines work very well for me, but I also wanted it to be slightly off-shoulder.

So I went ahead and made the first sketch and then ordered some fabric.

I used two different types of fabrics:

• A light viscose satin for the corset and skirt
• A super light, sheer viscose crépe georgette

Both have a very luxurious, silky feel to it while still being vegan. Plus, it’s more breathable than silk!

Next, I draped on a mannequin and made a mock-up out of cotton batiste. I then traced the batiste on paper to create a pattern. After that, I started working on a corset style undergarment.

I made some adjustments to the pattern and then, after some procrastination, came the part I dreaded the most: Cutting the ACTUAL fabric.
And lo and behold, I DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH FABRIC!
Absolute worst-case scenario.

So I first ordered some more of the fabric and then altered the pattern a little more so that the fabric I had was just enough material to finish the dress. The extra I ordered would only be for emergencies and to soothe my nerves.

I again draped the individual pieces on the mannequin, trying it on every now and then to check if it fits (I had some help from friends with that).

I then added the loops and buttons hand stitched everything to the corset.

Then nightmare number two came along: the fabric-covered buttons I had made were coming apart. Thankfully one of my bridesmaids came to the rescue and got me some new ones asap.

Next came the very tedious but rewarding act of hand-stitching on the embroidery.

I added some more details such as light blue ribbons as hangtags (my something blue), a detachable back ribbon, so the sleeves wouldn’t constantly fall off my shoulders and a hook and loop underneath my skirt, to shorten the train for dancing and a light moss green satin sash.

You can’t imagine how happy I was when it was finally all finished and ready to go a few days before the wedding!

It was, by far, the most stressful thing I had ever done.
Every single weekend leading up to the wedding all I could think of was my dress and all the work I’d still have to do.
Even with all the anxiety it induced, I was so happy with the outcome and answering compliments with a proud “Thanks, I made it myself!” really is something very special.

Bonus: The Rings and Accessoires

Our wedding bands are from a Grecian goldsmith on Etsy (sadly the exact shop doesn’t exist anymore).
They are Moebius strips and are a nod to my husband’s other great love: Mathematics. Apart from the one twist, they are very simple and dainty.
I found these that are similar to ours.

My choker was from Regal Rose, however, I was not happy with the quality, so I can’t fully endorse it.
The earrings I made myself.
I got the tiara from a webshop that also no longer exists, but I found one that is almost identical to mine on Etsy.

The shoes actually weren’t new, I had bought them the year before at TK Maxx and I actually already wore them to a wedding as a guest.
The fact that I had already spent a wedding in them, was a great sign, I could wear them to my own wedding.
I did, however, change into some flats later in the night to dance.

In conclusion:
Was making my own wedding dress an absolute nightmare? Yes.
Would I do it again? Probably. 😀

Let me know if you’d enjoy a post with all my favorite vegan-friendly wedding dress options sometime in the future!

You can find lots more detailed posts about our vegan wedding by clicking here!

Professional photos by Freynoi

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If you choose to buy using one of the above links, I make a small cut and I’m forever grateful!

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