The Dress

This. Dress. Is. Absolutely. Incredible. Our guests couldn't stop raving about it. This dress really stole the show.

https://www.galialahav.com/bridal/gala/darling/holly
Color Family: Ivory + Nude

HOLLY | A LINE SIDE SLIT CORSET WEDDING GOWN
Whimsical A line dress showing off a side slit and a corset top made of a delicate embroidered lace emphasized by a shimmering organza lining.

Press Release - Galia Lahav Debuts Darling, GALA’s FW23 Collection
Galia Lahav’s GALA bridal line premieres their new collection, Darling. Inspired by the bold, young actresses—coined Hollywood darlings—who became icons we still love today like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, the collection is full of glamour with a fun and flirty touch.

DARLING
The newest GALA collection, Darling, was designed for the free-spirited bride, inspired by young professionals and joys of the city living with a glamorous twist. Every dress in the collection speaks to our authentic approach to creating gorgeous gowns for our beautiful brides.

I could also sell the Galia Lahav - Cathedral Raw Edge Veil.

I can also include the pink Galia Lahav garment bag and original Galia Lahav hanger that the dress was delivered in.

Notes:
I am 5'4.75" tall.
I wore the Ryder 95 Platform Sandal by Stuart Weitzman - chunky platform towering block heels, which are 5.5 inches. This is why "Height with Shoes" = 5'10"
For reference, and because you see him in the photos, my husband is 6'2" and his shoe likely gave him a 1-2 inch lift beyond 6'2".

I am normally a size US 0/2 in dresses/gowns, so I was surprised when I saw that this dress size (EU 38) correlates to a US size 6.

I would be willing to FaceTime and show the dress or send video for any specific questions.

The dress has been professionally cleaned (It cost $650 to clean, at the well known Bay Area establishment, Crystal Cleaning Center -www.crystalcleaningcenter.com) and it looks even better than BRAND new. The only part that ever touched the ground is the very bottom of the dress/the train, and they did an impeccable job cleaning it, you'd really have no idea that this dress was ever worn. See the attached video from the cleaners, where we zoom into the bottom of the dress. I also have a photo of the receipt from Crystal Cleaning Center, which I can share upon request.

I purchased this dress in early 2023 directly from the Flagship LA Galia Lahav store. It took them about 6 months to build/produce and deliver to me from the day I ordered it. Our wedding date was September 3rd, 2023. The dress needed VERY minimal alterations in terms of the fit. It was mostly about the length. (see alterations description below).

Because the HOLLY is from the 2023 line, the dress is still in the Galia Lahav retailer locations/showrooms to try on. You'll see that the corset is INCREDIBLY flattering. It is also comfortable. Nothing was ever digging in, and I never felt like I wanted to take the dress off! I also wanted to include the photos of me sitting on the blue couch - the slit makes it incredibly easy and comfortable to sit and dance in. I tried on some mermaid style dresses, and I was thinking about how hard it would be to navigate the day with such physical restriction. Not only that, the slit kept me from ever getting too warm. I also loved seeing some leg in the photos, instead of sort of forgetting you have legs at all when you're in a gown without a slit.

The flagship locations are Los Angeles, NYC, Miami, and Tel Aviv. I double checked, and each of these flagship Galia Lahav retailers will have this dress for you to try on right now.

There are other boutiques that carry GL and could potentially carry this dress, but you'd need to call to make sure they have this exact dress: www.galialahav.com/boutiques

Something I wanted to share - The woman who did my alterations has been doing this for her entire career (40+ years) - she has worked on hundreds of gorgeous wedding gowns throughout her life. She said that she has never come across a wedding dress that is better quality or was as well made as this one. The attention to detail and handmade craftsmanship truly WOWed her, and I could tell she wasn't just saying this for my benefit. She was truly speaking as a professional who was blown away. I asked her to estimate how much she thought this dress cost, and she estimated over $25,000.00 - simply due to the immaculate hand-made quality. This felt worth mentioning, in case you were on the fence. I also think this will help the dress retain value so that if you wanted to resell after your wedding, I think you could likely sell for most of what you purchased for.

You will feel like a million bucks on your wedding day in this gorgeous gown :)

Alterations

Altered by Galia Lahav in production:
-Closed slit by 5cm - I felt the slit was slightly too revealing. This can be opened up again very easily, but I thought this was a very good adjustment
- Removing the "Bra Fabric" from the center of the corset top / removed built in bra from bodice - I didn't like that the two cups were connected by what looked like a bra. I had Galia Lahav professionally remove the connecting piece between the cups in production, and then add back the cups individually
Note: this is a change that the Galia Lahav specialist in the store told me is commonly requested. Without the change, it really looks like a regular bra. With the change, it looks like intentional design. It makes a big difference in the elegance. See attached photos vs what you see on the website.

Altered by an absolutely incredible tailor in San Francisco:
-bra push up cups sewn in (easily removable but I think most people would appreciate this being kept in!)
-waist very slightly pinched in
-gown length: floor length hem in front, longer for the train in the back. This is the biggest change made to the dress, as the original has a very large train in case someone wanted the full drama effect. See photos for length for me in my 5.5 inch heels
-cathedral veil: floor length hem