The Dress

When you pay the bucks for a custom wedding gown, you not only get a work of art, you get a masterful piece of construction. The dress saga started last October, as MoBster fans may recall, as we searched for just the right one. The final fitting was three days before the wedding.

While the gown is utterly gorgeous (just check out the beading on the waistband and sash), the way it works is completely amazing. No, you don't just put it on. The internal foundation can be adjusted to ensure a perfect fit, in case Bride either puts on or takes off a few pounds over the final days. And those little button loops need a crochet hook to close over those lovely covered buttons down the back.

The bottom of the sash hooks together in a couple of places so that it lays just right on the train. And three practically invisible snaps hold the edge of the veil on the train - one of the last-minute additions, which worked beautifully.

But getting Bride down the aisle and through the ceremony is only stage 1 of the dress adjustments. I mean, the veil and long train have to go away so that Bride can party at the reception, right? So after carefully unlatching the veil from the train (and Bride's head), MoB and a couple of bridesmaids begin the bustling process.

First, the long sashes are looped and snapped into place. Then, we have to climb under the back of the dress and find five little buttons and ribbons (color-coded, by the way) to bustle up the train and make the dress the same length all the way around. This process takes a few minutes (and three people) to make the dress look just as beautiful bustled as it looked with train and veil.

Every centimeter of the wedding gown was beautifully constructed, inside and out. Anne Barge did a most splendid job, creating wearable art and a keepsake to be cherished forever.