A Green Sari Wedding Dress for Erin

Friends Erin + Jay were married in the summer of 2011, the weekend after we moved from Brooklyn to Philadelphia. Almost all of their wedding elements were contributions from friends- (I sewed the dress!) The photography was no exception: Syd London took all of the photos in this post (since we were in the midst of moving, we foolishly forgot to bring a camera!) Recently, their wedding was featured on Offbeat Bride, which showcases unique and non-traditional weddings.

The wedding was one of the best I've been to- completely honoring them as people and as a couple. They are really great at bringing people together, and although I only knew a few people beforehand, I met so many lovely guests- the community they had built was so welcoming.

On to the dress: Erin had a vision, and I helped her create it. We went sourcing in the Little India section of Jackson Heights, Queens for the beautiful lime green cotton gauze sari, (or saree) with lovely purple and blue woven inlay dots throughout the pallu. She wanted a party dress that she could wear again if she wanted, so we settled on a fitted bodice and pleated skirt. The pallu was used to create the gathered bustle. The sari edge was sewn into a sash, with gold zigzag motif on one side and the grape purple/blue and pink stripes on the other. She wore a white crinoline under the skirt for a perfect vintage A-line shape. And she found beautiful gold jewelry and amazing graphic grape and pink heels that pulled everything together.