The Dress

I adored this dress. It was everything I wanted in a wedding dress. It made me feel absolutely beautiful and still like myself, not like a dressed up doll.

Pros:
- it's very flattering and you can eat in it as it doesn't hug your stomach
- it makes your boobs look great without making them the centre of attention
- has many beautiful small details, from the pattern in the lace to the buttons at the back.
- isn't itchy because the lining is good
- you don't need a bra
- swirls and moves around you
- the lace is sparkly without being ostentatious or looking like Grandma's curtains
- a truly beautiful gown

Cons:
- it is moderately heavy, though not nearly as heavy as some of the ones I tried on, but with all the beautiful fabric in the skirt, it's not the lightest dress you could buy

BEST OF ALL: even though it's basically strapless, I didn't have to keep pulling it up or adjusting it because there's enough structural integrity in how they've made the waist and hips area that it holds itself (and your boobs) up

Veil included for free, which has been professionally dry cleaned and boxed up with the dress. Veil purchased for $335 from Adelaide Bridal Emporium (as was the dress).

It has been boxed up and cleaned by the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists Museum Care Preservations and has received an Excellent rating for all categories (Overall, Hemline, Neckline, Underarm and Beading). Photo proof available - just ask me. Also happy to share more photos and videos privately.

Alterations

I ordered the dress a size up from my measurements (US6) in case I put weight on before the wedding. I didn't, and Olga Koloskova Couture altered it by taking it in to fit my waist and bust measurements, making it a wearable size 6US. No length was taken off the bottom as the length was right. The ability to bustle it was added. The sleeves were adjusted with sticky dressmaking tape on the inside so that they sit just off the point of the shoulder (or wherever you put them) rather than being oversized and falling off the shoulder fully. The bustling is still in perfect condition - I had Olga check it for me before I had it dry-cleaned and boxed up.