time completed: Beginning of February 2002
hours spent: 99+
worn at: Katsucon 2002, A-kon 2002, Cyberotika 2004 Fashion Show
Awards: Best Workmanship, Craftsman Level

Why I chose to make this costume:
I thought this was a very elegant and beautiful wedding dress, worthy of being made :) The wings and feathers especially called out to me, so I took on the project.

How I made this costume:
This costume was far more time-consuming and expensive than I had originally planned, mostly because I added details and elements to original design. The dress is fully lined, serged, topstitched, and has a patterned silvery sheer layer over multiple panels, to break up the monotone mass of white bridal satin. I used well over 20 yards of quality fabric on it. The front panel has scattered rhinestones attached for extra glamour, and every feather used for the wings and trim (over 600) individually clipped and shaped by me. I poured over a hundred hours into this dress, making everything from scratch and not taking any shortcuts, not even with the bouquet. I wanted this costume to be an actual usable wedding dress, and I think I succeeded. Aside from adding details to parts of the outfit, I put lighting into the wings and the entire perimeter of the feather-trim. Thanks to my friend Brian this was possible, he taught me a lot about electronic and wiring. The dress glows in the dark, and the wings have multicolored lighting installed.

Thoughts on this costume:
This was quite a challenging project, this time on the technical side, and I am incredibly proud of the end product. A few disadvantages were the cost of the project (well over $500), the cumbersome nature of the dress, and the lack of location around town where I could do a photoshoot.