The Dress

This Flora & Lane (F&L) Meadow Ivory gown made me look like a forest goddess for our wedding in a national park. I hope someone else will have the opportunity to wear and love this dress - it was my favorite part of my wedding aside from marrying my partner! It’s a real show stopper - we overheard multiple visitors to the park being like “Oh my god look at her dress!” As a bonus, this dress was also very comfortable to wear and move in, and I did not wear shapewear on my wedding day.

Meadow Ivory has a deep V shape neckline with pleated details; sheer cut out at the sides filled with embroidered flowers (note: I wore waist-high skin colored shorts that did not show through this cut out); elongated flowy floral sleeves; and a wonderfully flattering floral vines that accentuate the waistline. The dress is ivory crinkle chiffon, and is lined with soft chiffon.

I ordered the dress in person at the Chicago store. While my chest and waist measurement more closely matches the F&L size 16, the shop assistant recommended I order a size 14 because the Meadow runs large. F&L makes their made-to-order gowns based on the size chart, not your measurements. For your reference, I usually wear a street size 14.

This dress is very forgiving - I gained 10 lbs between being measured at the store and my wedding day, which translated to 2 inches gained at my waist and 1 inch gained at my hips and the dress still fit comfortably. The way the dress is cut means there is a lot of grace for the hip measurements in particular. According to my tailor, the embroidery is an applique, which means a professional tailor should be able to move it to make adjustments.

This dress has been worn once (of course) - and unlike the sample gowns F&L offers, has not been stretched by repeated clipping and try-ons. I am listing all of the below information so you have as much info as possible in making your decision. Please reach out if any further detail would be helpful. If you are local to the Washington, D.C. Metro area, I am happy to coordinate a try on. Buyer pays for all shipping costs.

Note: While this dress may work for someone 5 foot 7 wearing shoes that are very flat, if you are taller than that, this dress is unlikely to work for you. That being said, I would encourage you to take your own hollow to hem measurement and use that as a reference instead of height as it is more accurate for dresses!

F&L Size chart for size 14:
Bust: 40.5 in
Waist: 34 in
Hip: 45 in

My measurements:

On wedding day
Bust: 41.5 in (38 in rib cage right below my bust)
Waist: 37 in
Hip: 45 in
Hollow to hem: 54 in (barefoot)
Waist to hem: 42 in
5 foot 6 inches tall with .75 in shoes

Taken by F&L when the dress was ordered:
Bust: 41.75 in
Waist: 35 in
Hips: 44 in

Additional costs:
Shorten train - $150
Hemming - $250
Shoulders taken in - $95
Professional dry cleaning - $150

Defects: There are a few spots where there is a small little pull in the fabric or a small dot (see last photo). I had to actively hunt for these, I'm fairly certain they were present on my wedding day, and they are not noticeable.

Every effort is made to detail any defects in the photos, but small defects may have been missed in the intricate detail of this gown. This dress is sold as-is. I am not a tailor and can only repeat what I’ve been told regarding the applique. Please consult the F&L sizing chart for more information.

Professional photos by Tall & Small (Harrisonburg, VA).

Alterations

Train was shortened by F&L when it was made to order. Basically, all the blank white space in the train of the original design was removed. There is still a train. F&L made it to be 60 inches from the waist to the end of the train.
Bustle added by F&L

Hemmed by a tailor to fit .75 inch shoes (I wore sandals without a distinct heel - this is .75 inch across the front & back of my feet).
Shoulders taken in by a tailor.
The tailor also pinned down a few of the pleats to ensure they laid flat.