Week 40: Joan’s NDAD Creation

May 1, 2011 | 26 Comments

To tie up Royals Week, I thought it fitting to end with a wedding dress!  I received an email from Joan, a most fabulous Mrs., with photos of her gorgeous dress she created for…wait for it…$100!!  I know, it’s amazing!!

The dress started off looking like this…a gorgeous embroidered satin and chiffon base to start off with and just $21 on Ebay!

Joan - Before

Joan - Before

“I’d found a red petticoat at a garage sale for $5 that inspired the design immensely.  I knew it had to be a focus point of the entire look, so the dress was designed with that in mind.

Red Crinoline!!

Red Crinoline!!

I achieved my goal by using lace and pom pom trims found at thrift stores and made hand dyed blush nylon chiffon ruffles as well as using hemmed remnants from the dress.

Pom Poms & Lace!!

Pom Poms & Lace!!

I also think there were some subconscious Cinderella musings happening as evidenced in the big double faced satin bows that cinched the sleeves.  I totally adored the Disney scene where the birds are getting her all decked out with the curtains.  Being from very humble beginnings, I could definitely relate!

Cinderelly, Cinderelly!

Cinderelly, Cinderelly!

The upcycled garment of my dreams…”

I now pronounce you husband and wife!

I now pronounce you husband and wife!

Loved the hints of red from the petticoat, to the shoes, to the roses!!

The cutest!!

Joan - After (The absolute cutest!!)

Blushing bride, most definitely!!  Joan, I only hope to be as full of joy as you are on my wedding day!  Thanks so much for sharing!

Check out Joan’s fab upcycled vintage slip line Lollycopter and more shots from her fabulous wedding day!!

In all · Reader Creations
  • Magnificentmariah

    It really came out neat, and there is so much detail.
    Ad seriously no wedding is complete without people in stilts..in fact i couldn’t believe the royal wedding didn’t have any.

    • Anonymous

      Agreed!! Can’t wait to see all the party pics…Harry and those late night bacon sandwiches!

  • Jenni

    WOW…Love this! Very retro.

  • Lisa

    This dress is so unique. I love the whole wedding theme and Joan can honestly say this was a one of a kind wedding all her own. Beautiful redo!

  • LucyMarie

    Thanks for sharing Joan (and Marissa). Blessings and a long *happy* marriage to the couple. LucyMarie

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MJPB445UOWNOS5UILEAOY6LWDY Odile

    Woah… that’s a unique dress! Kudos for having the guts to make/wear it! :D

  • Sistermidget

    I bought a long, white, lovely made-in-India dress at a thrift store, for $4.99 and added faux pearls around the neckline, tied satin ribbons to cinch the sleeves and waist…and wore it on my wedding day. A friend asked how much I paid for the gown, since she was going to get married soon, I said Four Ninety-nine and she excitedly said, wow, Five HUNDRED BUCKS, THAT’S AMAZING! I laughed and said Four DOLLARS, ninety-nine CENTS. :-)

    • Anonymous

      Amazing!! Send in a pic :)

  • Sue W

    SO adorable! In love with the added color, too. Plain white is just so boring!

  • http://lifeoflovely.blogspot.com Elizabeth M

    Oh, wow! The end result is so cute! You certainly couldn’t have gotten a more unique wedding dress.

  • Duchess

    So cute! Definitely can’t even recognize it from the beginning! :)

  • http://thatuncomfortableitch.blogspot.com/ That Uncomfortable Itch

    So fabulous! I love red in a wedding dress. This was really a great transformation.

  • Bekyip

    This is absolutely gorgeous i love it !

  • Judy B.

    I am just amazed. Brilliant idea, brilliant execution.

  • Micki

    That is a super-fun wedding dress! I also really like how she inset the “before” dress with her completed outfit.

  • http://profiles.google.com/ddgreenberg Denise Greenberg

    Oh, this is just adorable!

  • Indigone

    omg. that was a perfectly acceptable dress ruined beyond repair.
    it looks like so trashy and gaudy. YUCK.

    • Lollycopter

      Actually there were some really bad stains at the bottom of the dress that could not be removed which was why it was so inexpensive. It was unwearable in it’s previous condition. Sorry you dislike it. Thanks to everyone for your comments and especially to NDAD for sharing my dress on this blog! :)

  • Indigone

    omg. that was a perfectly acceptable dress ruined beyond repair.
    it looks like so trashy and gaudy. YUCK.

  • Christie

    oh my goodness, such imagination, who knew your dress was hiding in that gown! love it!

  • Christie

    oh my goodness, such imagination, who knew your dress was hiding in that gown! love it!

  • Lorian

    So original and fun! Creative, too. Why be a carbon copy bride when you can be a stand-out? Well done! And congratulations.

  • kim

    Love the dress! What creativity and you look absolutely beautiful! Best wishes.

  • http://www.lazy-saturdays.com LazyKrista

    What a darling dress!!! And the photos of her wedding are amazing! What a creative wedding.

  • http://recycletteetpetitecouture.over-blog.com/ recyclette

    I love it ! really beautiful and creative !!

  • http://twitter.com/luxultima Rachel

    oh, too too adorable!  it honestly makes me feel happy just to look at this dress.