Aug 294 min read

My First Crochet Wedding Dress: A Dream Come True

Updated: Sep 20

Ever since I attended Crochet Fashion Week, I’ve had a burning desire to design and create a gorgeous crochet dress. The only thing holding me back was finding a reason to have a fancy gown—crocheted or otherwise.

That changed when I heard my coworker was planning to propose to his now-fiancée. My first thought was, Oh my gosh, I wonder if she’d let me make her wedding gown. After the proposal, I offered to make her dress. I wasn’t sure how she would react, but I was thrilled when she was completely open to the idea. What really got me was when she said, “I didn’t even know you could make a dress out of crochet!”

Since it was a wedding gown, I wanted to give her a clear vision of what was possible. I sent her several photos from Pinterest showing different crochet designs, silhouettes, lace styles, and dress lengths. We talked through everything, and I asked her to bring over the undergarments she planned to wear so we could design the dress around them.

When she came over, I measured every inch of her petite frame. We went through all the photos I’d sent to decide on a concept that she’d love. I paid close attention to her reactions because sometimes words don’t fully capture whether something is truly loved or just liked. We also discussed the perfect shade of white for the dress.

After measuring, I sketched a few quick ideas, focusing on lines and shapes that would accentuate the parts of her body she liked while downplaying areas she wasn’t as confident about. I wanted to avoid any awkward shapes, like circles near her nipples or lines that would draw attention to her crotch (LOL). I researched different lace patterns that would create the desired lines, and knowing that crochet lace can have a lot of stretch, I decided to include a corset back. This would allow us to tighten or loosen the top as needed.

I began the dress by working on the bodice, pinning pieces of lace to my mannequin and connecting them as I went. My goal was to balance round shapes, squares, lines, triangles, and floral patterns. I used different-sized hooks for the lace, opting for smaller hooks when I needed tighter, more structured stitches. She loved the pineapple stitch, so I knew I wanted to incorporate it into the skirt and bring some of that pattern into the bodice as well.

I set up my mannequin to her exact measurements and frequently checked the fit by taking the dress on and off the form. I also hung the dress on the mannequin between working sessions to help the yarn stretch, ensuring it wouldn’t end up too long. I used a spray bottle with water, pins, and foam blocks to block the dress as I worked, focusing especially on the skirt. I tied in ends as I went, but left some loose where I thought I might need to adjust the fit later.

For the straps, I used Tunisian crochet because it has less stretch, and I reinforced the points where they attached to the front and back to ensure they’d hold the weight of the dress without stretching.

During the first fitting, I noticed that the bodice was too loose, so I frogged about three inches off each side where the corset would tie in the back. I also took photos of spots where the lace stretched or didn’t lay correctly, and then reinforced those areas to keep the shapes intact. By the second fitting, the bust area still needed some adjustment, so I brought it in about an inch on both sides under the armpits. Thankfully, the dress fit perfectly everywhere else, and the lace looked smooth and well-aligned. All that was left was to tie in the final ends on the straps and corset.

It took me about three months to hand-crochet the entire dress. I took long breaks between sessions to avoid burning out, making sure that I stayed focused on making the dress as beautiful as possible, rather than rushing to finish. To complete the look, we purchased a plain white mermaid dress and a tulle skirt to wear underneath, giving the dress a stunning flare at the bottom.

The bride loved the final result, and I’m so glad I could create a one-of-a-kind bridal gown for her special day.