- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
short answer- did it- loved it.
long answer- yes, it did take 2 weeks of backwards & forwards emails. yes, the dress is not 100% of what the original was. but it was worth it.
Meggles, if I may ask how did you find one? Is there a website/process to it? I have no idea where to begin :) Thanks!
I wish I'd known about this before buying my gown! Does anyone know any shops that will do MOB gowns? My mom fell in LOVE with one that costs more than my gown at original price, but I'd love to be able to surprise her with a well made copy, if I could get it at a discount.
Meggles, where did you have your gown made?
I found (3) on ebay- i emailed them all and asked for a quote to make Augusta Jones Isola dress. The dress has (4) layers- the top (2) being english net. I wanted to be 100% sure that they were using english net, not tuelle or chiffon. (2) of the (3) I contacted weren't able to do that- so that left me with jeff liu- his email is jeffliu8800@yahoo.com.cn
We had about (3) weeks of back forth. I sent him photos of the dress on the designer's website, as well as me in it. He sent an ordering form with all sorts of measurements. I went to my local tailor and got measured- but I purposely added 1/2 inch to all measurements (except height- where I added 2 inches- b/c I wasn't sure of the height of the shoes).
4 weeks later, my dress arrived. it was 85% perfect. There were (2) things I didn't like:1- The waistband/cummerbund part of the dress was much less wide than the original. Hence, the skirt flared at the absolute worst part for me- making me look like I had big bertha birthing hips.
2- They made the V-neckline sort of sweethearty;- instead of straight down.
I emailed Jeff- explaining both issues and he agreed to change for free. I sent him the dress back.
3 weeks later- I got the dress back - now 95% perfect. It's still big on me- and I'll need to get it altered.
Financials-
UK Bridal Shop - GBP 1200 (would have needed extra length)
NJ Local “Full Service” Bridal Shop - USD1800
RK Bridal in the US - USD1200 (again, would have needed extra length)
Chinese Copy - $180 + $30 (to send back) + about $50 alterations = $260
Sure- I could have found a basic white dress for less money, and sure I could have gone with the original and saved a bit of headache- but all in all - I'm thrilled with the process.
Attached is a picture of me in the original dress- I'll post a pic of me in the copy as soon as its altered.
IMG_4154.JPG (199.5 KB, 560 downloads) 2 years old moto_0148_resize_0.jpg (50.5 KB, 514 downloads) 3 years old moto_0147_resize_0.jpg (49.3 KB, 390 downloads) 3 years old 
I ordered a custom gown through Milly Bridal and I was thrilled with the result. I had found a photo of an Essense of Australia gown that was close to what I wanted, but not quite. My mom and I e-mailed the photo to Milly and asked for some adjustments, including buttons/loops instead of a corset back and a straight neckline instead of a sweetheart. We also asked them to add a built-in slip, bra cups and bustle. My mom took my measurements and we submitted them through the website, with some additional back-and-forth via e-mail.
The great thing about Milly is that they e-mail you digital photos for each stage of the process, and you OK everything before they move on to the next step. My mom and I were able to see the basic dress form on the mannequin, then the bodice, then an example of the lace applique, etc etc. We had some problems with the cap sleeves during the final stage and they fixed them within hours - literally hours, with new photos and everything.
The gown took about one month to complete and turned out beautifully - high-quality fabric and flawless fit, no alterations necessary. And it only cost $350 including shipping!
If you use Milly, be prepared for some occasionally awkward e-mail interaction because English is not their first language. I had the added benefit of having my mom, a fluent Mandarin speaker, call the office and speak to someone in person. But overall, I couldn't be happier with the process.
logo_-_lydianagaiphotography.jpg (100.7 KB, 752 downloads) 2 years old 
Like Meggles I did used jeffliu on Ebay, he had a dress in his Ebay store April Bridal that was almost identical to the dress I tried on, only the one is his store was the much more expensive version of mine (the one I tried on had a flimsy overlay and this one says it has the satin overlay. I paid 230 total and they are altering it based on my measurements before they ship it. I should get it next week, but maybe the week after. He has already said that if it doesn't fit I can send it back and he will fix it.
He was very easy to deal with, but I'm not sure about the final product yet, but based on what other people have said before I ordered, I'm optimistic.
I'm also thinking about ordering a dress from Milly Bridal. I've researched the Chinese dress factories quite a bit, and it seems that Milly Bridal has the most consistently high reviews. I'm going dress shopping here first to find what I like the best.
I didn't use ebay, but I bought my dress from this website. They make custom made wedding dresses too. http://www.mybigfatbeautifulwedding.com
I was prompted to buy my dress here because my cousin actually worked with their designer and got this gorgeous wedding gown that was a combination of several designer dresses and her own ideas.
Her dress cost $459 and it totally looks like a $4,000 or more dress. She has quite a bit of ancelon lace with Swarovsky Crystals on her gown and it truly was gorgeous.
They don't send pictures of the progress, but the owner and their designer is really clear about custom alterations and she even sketches things if you want the dress designed from your ideas.
I ordered my ceremony dress from them last week here it is http://www.mybigfatbeautifulwedding.com/234-chandler I ordered it in Ivory and I should have it in about 5 weeks.
Today, I ordered my reception dress from them as well http://www.mybigfatbeautifulwedding.com/376.htm even though I went back and forth with 2 dresses, my fiance insisted that I get a mermaid for my second dress because he wants something totally sexy and contemporary for our garden reception. I ordered this dress in a very pale pink. Both of my dresses combined cost me $768 which was a little over half of my dress budget. I feel like I really am getting a good deal and since I am certain of the quality, I had no problem ordering online.
These are such good resources for brides on a budget! I'd love to give my MOB dress a try through one of these companies! Now I just have to choose...
Thanks SOOO much everyone, I really want to order my dress this way! Thanks again for all the recommendations!!!!
@driftslikesmoke I should add a caveat to my glowing recommendation of Milly Bridal. I'm not sure if they would be the best choice for a MOB dress. My mom was thinking of ordering her dress through Milly, but they didn't seem to carry much fabric apart from the white and ivory material used in bridal gowns. I'm sure the quality of the dress and customer service would have been superb, but I don't think Milly is equipped to produce a wide variety of other types of formal gowns. Perhaps the other Chinese dressmakers are bigger and have more choices. Good luck!
Thanks for the followup info, Panda! I'm sure these companies would still be wonderful for anyone looking to have their gown made for them!
I'm curious to know how the final dresses look from JeffLiu8800. I'm planning on having him make my dress and I'm afraid... ha ha. BUT his cost is WAY less expensive and that's what I'm looking for. Feedback with pictures, if possible, please....!
Thanks!
I have to say as someone who's had to alter one of them: DONT DO IT.
It's not worth the money since it will probably need work in order to fit you once you receive it, so add another $200-500. on top of the alluring price tag. And honestly, the fabric quality is really really bad (think Walmart curtain lace), pieces not cut carefully or off-grain so they don't lay flat, they're thrown together so fast piecemeal in factories by unskilled workers. It makes them very very hard to work on and fix!
If I ever see one cross my threshold again, I'm doubling the Alterations fees to cover my headache!
As someone who thinks paying over $1000 for a garment you'll wear once is ridiculous, I too am ordering a gown from a Chinese manufacturer. (that, and I love being thrifty and finding deals). My method was to go on ebay and search for 'wedding dress', then go through each ebay store's reviews to see what customers were saying - I ended up going with ebridalstore because they were the ones who were most prompt in emailing me back when I had questions. I ordered fabric samples which arrived on time and I have since ordered my gown (its a copy of Jasmine Collection '07 F979, a taffeta dress with a wrap bodice, and minimal details). Their way of doing it is that you pay a $60 deposit to have them make it, then they send you photos along the way and if you like the finished product you pay $60 for the finished dress + shipping (in my case $59 to ship to Texas). I was very specific with how the dress could be put together and what I wanted customized (I made sketches and emailed those). Their understanding of English seems to be very good, which helps. I'm expecting the dress to be completed around the end of March/beginning of April. I figure for $60 I can afford to take a chance, especially since I'm not concerned about couture gowns, name brands, or any of that - so long as I like how I look, I'm good to go! (Note, I did not try on the original dress, so I have no comparison - I just knew I liked the style from the photos and it is discontinued - Jasmine will re-cut it for 15%, but thats still almost $1,000 for the dress.) I gave them exact measurements so hopefully alterations wont be needed - I also had them add an inner corset to help with waist adjustments. I'll post again with final results!
A friend of mine ordered 2 dresses through a Chinese dressmaker on Ebay and both turned out horribly. One was 4 inches too short (and she's a little less than 5 feet) and the other didn't fit well in the bust area. She tried to get it professionally altered but nothing helped.
I would recommend going with a seller that you've heard good things about like JeffLiu if you are going to take this route.
Is it just me or does it seem somewhat "unethical" to anyone else to take someone else's design without their permission and have a Chinese dressmaker copy it? I realize not everyone wants to spend thousands of dollars for a wedding gown. But then why not find a dress that's an original design in your price range? I don't understand how that's an OK thing to do to have a dressmaker copy a known designer's gown.
Mauve_overlays.jpg (29 KB, 197 downloads) 2 years old 09e0648_small.jpg (791.4 KB, 93 downloads) 2 years old
As I am going through a dispute of charges from ordering from a Chinese dressmaker, I want to put out a few words of warning, written from a bad experience:
If the company you choose does not have a liason here in the US that has a phone number to a real person, DO NOT WORK WITH THEM. I know this seems obvious, but in today's web enabled world, I didn't really think twice about just corresponding through email. I have been working with Kaersen.com, and they have not answered an email from me in around 2 months about my dress.
Use a credit card (not debit) and go through PayPal. Research their policies on how to dispute a charge before ordering, just in case something goes wrong.
Keep all correspondence between you and the dressmaker so you have proof of what you ask for and what has been promised.
Just to give you a run-down of what happened with my dress, I ordered from Kaersen.com in October, with a dress promised in December. I researched the company, making sure they were part of the Better Business Bureau online and had good reviews, as far as I could find. A dress did arrive, 3 weeks late, the week of Christmas. Unfortunately, they sent me someone else's dress! When confronted with this, they gave me the name of five other customers who "may" have my dress. Once I did track my dress down, the bride who received my dress had already sent it back. Two months later, my dress is still "lost" somewhere between New York and Shanghai, and no one at the company will answer my emails.
Argh...there's enough stress that comes along with wedding planning. We don't need more to save a few bucks!
1005130014.JPG (71.9 KB, 188 downloads) 2 years old 1005130013.JPG (107.3 KB, 65 downloads) 2 years old
Pixieduster! That is awful! I hope you get your dress!! Now I will know to avoid Kaersen!! I'm still on the fence about this, but if I do decide I will prob go through Jeffliu, other then that, I am going to do excatly what you suggested and make sure there is a liason here in the US.
Good Luck and I hope everything works out for you!!
Thanks for the support, and good luck to you! If Jeffliu works out, please let me know! I'm still in the market for a dress :)
As far as ethics go - I think you should do what you think is right. Legally speaking, I've read that there are no copyrights - or rights attached to - clothing designs. In my personal case, I actually sketched an idea for a dress I had and then a week later, I found the dress I had drawn - who knew that it already existed, and I happened to stumble across it! A few of the details were different, but it was literally the same dress I had sketched out for fun while thinking 'wouldn't this be a neat wedding dress'. I never tried on the 'real' one, so I'm not copying it exactly (because I don't know what it actually feels like on me, or how it is put together or what the details look like up close). The Chinese dressmakers do not make it 100% the same, probably partially because its hard to make an exact replica and partially because they want a bit of difference between the original and the copy. If it was an illegal practice, I wouldn't participate, but since there are no laws protecting the designs and in my case, I came up with it on my own anyway, I feel no reservations about having the dress made at cost instead of paying for it to change hands 5 times and paying for the word "wedding". (because no piece of fabric is actually as expensive to make as they charge). If dressmakers would get the hint that not all brides want a plain or boring 'affordable' dress, then maybe we'd shop a little more at the stores. Supply and demand will even it out in the end. Supply brides with good choices for cheap and we'll bite - force us into choosing plain or otherwise 'boring' designs and we'll go straight to the source. It's actually a good business strategy when you think about it - cut out the middle man and get a better price.
080.jpg (75.3 KB, 108 downloads) 2 years old
I'm so surprised that you all live in areas of the country without ANY local talented Designers or Dressmakers, Houston and Dallas in particular! They're just as easy to find on the Internet as an overseas company if you know where to look. There are almost always Independent Designers in major cities who deliberately design pieces that are different from the cookie cutter pieces in the typical Bridal Shops that sell 'Lines'... do any of you watch Project Runway and notice where the Designers are located??? All over the US!
Why risk Pixieduster's long distance nightmare or yes, pay a million middlemen for a retail gown when you can be a part of the process of making your gown from scratch? Find someone in your area through Etsy.com's Location Finder, Yelp.com, or the nearest Art College/Theatre Department/Ballet Company to make your gown instead? Chances are, they're feeling the economy bite in a big way and would LOVE to work with you within your budget just to be busy! Nothing can replace a personal fitting where you have immediate input in things like hem length, and measurements get lost in translation within the same workroom let alone long distance.
Going into any Vendor transaction assuming you're going to get ripped off isn't a good way to start.... and make sure you have Contracts or a Paper Trail from each Vendor you work with!
I'm glad I searched for this before I started a new thread about it. You guys gave me some great ideas because I was considering going with Milly bridal since I heard so many great things about it.
I would use a local dressmaker but even with the bad economy they are still quoting me way more than Milly.
I live next to Hong Kong and fell in love with several couture gowns, all of them out of my budget of course. I feel lucky enough to live here so that I can meet with the seamstress in person. If everything turns out legit, I'll post the info.
gable-kraft.jpg (27.6 KB, 177 downloads) 2 years old 
Meggles and Bsustala: I can't wait to see your dresses!!! Please keep us updated with the outcome of your gowns!
Meggles- that dress is stunning on you! You look like a goddess, it's exquisite!
Make sure if you use Jeff Liu that you ask him to make you a listing on ebay to protect yourself. I lost more than half my money and now have a dress that I can't use. He refused to let me return it.
Dressilyme has wonderful customer service and I would recommend them to anyone.
Hi, i've personally used KAERSEN BRIDAL for my wedding dress and i'm veryyyyyyy satisfied! At first i was a bit skeptical about that company cuz i had read 2-3 bad reviews about them but i'm a doctor and with my busy schedule, time went by so fast and i hadn't planned anything at all. Almost all stores ask to order your dress a minimum of 6 months in advance and i couldn't use any store cuz at that time i was 4 months away from my wedding date. My wedding is in september, i ordered my dress in may. They are fast, they made the dress in exactly one month, shipped in 5 business days, and i was amazed how the dress came out exactly as i wanted it, with the color modification i had asked, same material and it fit perfectly, no alterations needed. I'm so satisfied that i'm considering ordering my bridesmaids dresses with them also. I definitely recommend them. The only bad thing is that the only way to keep in touch with them is via email but i can tell you that they answer every emails very quickly. I made a half payment and asked to see pictures of the dress before making the other half payment, that way if i didn't like their work, i wouldn't lose a lot of money. They sent the pictures, i liked what i saw, made the other payment and they shipped the dress right away! My advice to you is that if you're gonna go chinese dressmaker, it should be for a dress with an easy fabric such as chiffon or tulle cuz satin is a complicated fabric and when bought cheap it will look cheap! I've attached pictures of the original model and of my actual "made in china" dress for you to see and have an idea of their work. Hope i could help! Best of luck!
Man your dress is gorgeous. I love the softness and the flow of it. The detail is extrodinary. Thanks for adding a new review to the plate. I like KAERSEN BRIDAL work.
I had my dress design and made by a local company, Binzario. They are in the Arts District, Dallas. They did an amazing job on my dress. I got so many compliments and I flip through wedding photos and smile. They were profession, yet personable and they worked with my budget. I high reccomnnd them.
I pasted a link to their reviews. WOW. Everyone seems to have the story and experience I had.
http://www.insiderpages.com/b/15250651458/binzario-dallas
I 
@Pegie: If only I lived closer I would have them make my dress :(
I've researched getting my dress made in china alot!
This is what I've come up with:
- look on the website of the company and see if they have images of actual dresses they have made. You and I know they didn't take those beautiful model pictures.
make sure:
- the company will respond to you by phone.
- they will send you image updates of your dress.
- you have contact person you can call with issues.
- they will send you actual live pieces of material from china so you know what your dress will be made of!
- PAY EXTRA for strong zippers! The zippers break off all the time because the zippers are so cheap!
- PAY EXTRA if you want better satin or softer lace so the dress to have better shape and movement!
- KNOW the dresses will not be lined because they cut corners.
- have dress custom made do not buy pre made sized garments cuz they run small.
- be safe and choose simple cuts without alot of bead work or fancy shaped flowers, etc.
- bead work goes wrong more times than not.
- buy through e-bay so you have time to fight it if dress comes out bad.
- be aware of e-bay policy before you buy so if things go wrong you are ready!
@chica95110: you should probably also add that people need to remember the limitations of $200-400. A lot of the complaints that I have seen about replicas/custom made dresses are about tiny differences between the replica and the original. If you buy from Shades of Pale http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shades-of-Pale-Bridal-The-Little-Velvet-Box/196879553692866 or Jasmines http://jasminesbridalshop.com/ their dresses are very very close to the orignals but they cost more than the ebay sellers. It seems like some people have very very high expectations for $200 dresses. I think its better to pay just a little more and get a better quality dress, its still going to be way cheaper than the designer dress.
I used Jeff Lui and couldnt be happier. Keep in mind im older and wider than the model in the dress i chose to have made but here is theres and mine. The quality was beautiful and i was actually stunned when i opened the parcel when it arrived. It was far better than i expected.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Lyndzo | 26 |
| his chippymunk | 18 |
| Ms. Salamander | 18 |
| LammChop | 17 |
| fivemonthsnotice | 17 |
| beargoose | 15 |
| kat2014 | 15 |
| mypinkshoes | 15 |
| aussiebee | 15 |
| Mrs. Chai | 14 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| vreelans | 5 |
| janetsnakehole | 5 |
| princesswedding | 4 |
| couawilou | 3 |
| countrygirl62312 | 3 |
| Lyndzo | 3 |
| aussiebee | 3 |
 jen 42713 |
3 |
| lila2012 | 3 |
| emily.denovan | 3 |
I have read a few blogs about brides hiring a dressmaker in Hong Kong to sew their wedding dresses, (you can get excatly what you want for a VERY affordable price.) I am curious if anyone on here has had experiecne with hiring a Chinese dressmaker? How does it work?
Thanks!