Rehearsal & Reception Gowns
Starting at $600, priced per project
A fresh take on your mom’s wedding dress, made to match your own style.
These gowns are one of our most popular transformations. Brides bring us their mother’s dress, and we rework it into something fresh and modern. Perfect for a rehearsal dinner, reception, or post-ceremony change. From removing sleeves to raising hemlines or reducing volume, we turn vintage dresses into flirty, elegant cocktail gowns that feel uniquely you.
You still get to wear your mom’s dress, just in a way that fits your personality and celebration.
Features:
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Made entirely from your mother’s wedding dress
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Fully custom, each gown is one of a kind and designed in collaboration with you
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Common changes include removing sleeves, shortening, adjusting fit, or reshaping silhouette
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Designed for events like rehearsal dinners, receptions, or after-parties
Sizing:
These gowns require in-person fittings at our St. Louis studio. Due to this fitting process, they cannot be ordered as a surprise or gift. We’ll work closely with you throughout the process to ensure the perfect fit and style.
How It Works:
Ready to reimagine your mom’s dress? Schedule a complimentary consult (virtual or in person) where we'll talk through what you love, what you want to change, and how to make it your own. From there, we’ll sketch ideas, take measurements, and schedule fittings throughout the process.
When your new gown is finished, it will be carefully pressed, packaged, and sent home with a Polaroid showing the original dress before its transformation.
Your Investment Guide in Gown Redesign
Every heirloom gown is different, and every redesign is custom. Pricing is based on the design we create together, the construction and condition of the original gown, and the amount of hands-on work required to transform it.
Alterations on a vintage gown are typically comparable to, and sometimes more than, alterations on a modern wedding dress. Rather than simply perfecting the fit, we’re often making more impactful design changes to transform Mom’s dress into something that feels like yours.
Most importantly, we want you to walk into your consultation with a realistic idea of what a custom redesign may cost.
Simple Refresh
Typical Investment: $600-$1200+
Mom’s dress already has a great foundation. It fits fairly well, you like the overall silhouette, and we’re making thoughtful updates to make it feel more like you.
These redesigns typically keep the original construction and skirt shape largely intact.
We may:
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Adjust the fit within about an inch
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Remove sleeves or a high neckline
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Reshape or lower an existing neckline
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Hem the original skirt shape
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Add support or push up bust cups
A New Take on Her Dress
Typical Investment: $1000-$1900+
We love Mom’s dress, but we’re ready to make some bigger moves or need to create more room to make it fit.
At this level, we’re changing significant elements of the original gown while still using its existing construction as the foundation for the new design.
This may include:
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Changing the skirt silhouette
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Significantly reshaping the bodice
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Expanding the gown more than an inch with panels or a lace-up back
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Rebuilding the neckline or back
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Creating enough internal structure to support a new strapless design
A Complete Reinvention
Typical Investment: $1600-$2800+
At this level, Mom’s dress becomes our fabric and inspiration rather than our existing pattern.
We’re approaching the project much like designing a custom wedding gown from the beginning, carefully harvesting the meaningful materials and details from the original dress and using them to create something entirely new.
This may include:
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Custom designing and constructing a new bodice
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Creating a new skirt or completely different silhouette
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Extensive patternmaking and structural work.
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Combining heirloom materials with new fabrics when needed
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Extensive deconstruction and reconstruction of the original gown
Not sure where your idea falls? That’s exactly what the consultation is for.
We’ll evaluate the gown together, talk through what’s possible, and build an estimate as we develop your design.
