Quest for the perfect dress
Any bride-to-be will tell you that you have to find ‘the one’ twice – first the guy, then the dress.
Finding your dream gown can be stressful; after all it’s probably the first time you’ve ever shopped for one and it may be the most expensive garment you’ve ever owned.
Wedding dresses come with a whole different language to decode, with the trumpets and the fit and flares. Oh, and brace yourself for bridal sizing, which is tiny and strange and may give you a complex.
Designer Anna McMillan in Midleton has been dressmaking for years, but it was her time working in a bridal shop that opened her eyes to the need for a bespoke service.
She said: “I could see brides adding and changing bits to dresses, trying to create the look they had in their head. They were dreaming of their perfect dress, and for every woman it’s different. That’s when I decided I was going to design wedding dresses with a difference at McMillan’s Atelier.”
McMillan’s Atelier offer a selection of core dress shapes, which can be completely customised for every bride. Her workshop is a glittering treasure trove of diamanté, crystals, lace, sequins and gems, with tulle, organza, silks and satins waiting for adornment.
“My passion is creating and sewing the perfect creation for every bride. Our unique selling point is that we can work with you to custom-make your own personalised dress and capture the elusive idea you have in the back of your head to make it a reality,” she added.
You may have bought a dress that’s not quite right, but don’t panic – “we can also take a dress you have already purchased and completely customise it to match your vision,” explained Anna.
“I want to make it easy for my customers from day one,” she says. “No more disappointment after trying on a dress that looked great on the hanger and discovering it’s too tight or too loose or too plain or the neckline doesn’t sit right. Women know what suits them, which features they’d like to accentuate, and we can do that for them. You don’t have to compromise!”
She also offers online consultations so you can design your dress while sitting at home, and once you're measured, you can create your dream dress with the ideal sleeve and dress length, embellishments, veil, train – whatever you wish.
She will painstakingly hand-sew the exact right thing in the exact right spot, from whimsical touches to tiny azure flowers for the ‘something blue’.
As well as customised wedding and evening gowns, McMillan’s Atelier offer a range of skilled alterations. Anna’s new website will soon offer all her dress prototypes and customisation options, but until it’s ready you can have one-on-one online or in person appointments with her.
“When we finish a dress and the bride looks in the mirror with tears shining in her eyes, I know I’ve done my job,” she said.