When you are a bride, you have many feelings. At least I did. And to me, visiting Marie was among the most comforting and joyful experiences in all of my wedding planning.
Marie was recommended to me by a friend for a redesign of my mom's 198...1 wedding dress and veil into my second (dancing) dress and ceremony veil. It was an absolute pleasure working with her to bring our joint vision to life! The '81 dress started as a high-neck, full lace sleeves, a-line, with a cathedral train and we morphed it into a short cocktail dress with an illusion neck and back, and added a removable overskirt. We kept the original buttons as well. The dress turned out stunning and in the best sense, looked like a completely new, modern, and couture gown.
Marie was honest, patient, creative, and honestly, just such a welcomed source of energy during a CRAZY time (with lots of feelings). I felt like I was hanging out at a girlfriend's house who happened to be an amazing seamstress and gifted designer. She gracefully navigated differences of opinion and weighed in fairly when we needed her help! I literally showed Marie inspirational images as we chipped away at the design, often during a high-emotion time when I went down a rabbit hole of inspiration. She took EXTREME caution to not do major dress changes that too quickly, so that my mom and I were comfortable every step of the way.
She took every bit of usable vintage lace off of my mom's dress and we added it to my niece's flower girl dress and made a new ring bearer pillow. Marie also is the dedicated seamstress for Gilded, where I happened to get my first dress, so I got to work with her on fittings for this dress as well! Again, she made me feel absolutely beautiful and helped me make sure I was both comfortable and happy.
Marie is an example of someone who followed her passions and is exactly where she is meant to be - it is truly a couture experience to be in her shop and witness her impeccable skill and vision. I can't underscore enough how much joy I got out of working with her. She was sincerely a bright light in a crazy planning time and made me feel like a beautiful bride every time I was with her!
One piece of advice - err on the side of caution when mapping out how early you should go for a redesign appointment. Marie has some seasons that are busier than others, and it worked in our favor to have several months of buffer, since we ended up going in a different direction with additional customizations to my redesign dress about halfway through, and Marie wanted to make sure everything was perfect with time to spare (which it was!).
If you're considering working with Marie, DO IT. I now have several heirloom wedding garments that I can't wait to pass down to more generations, and a vendor turned friend!