The Dress

Original Designer Bridal Dress by Ronald Joyce in gorgeous Duchess Silk.

This full A-line dress has an elegant train and subtle button detailing all the way down the back. The bodice is properly constructed with an inbuilt adjustable corset offering full support and comfort (no need for a bra etc). The flattering ruched bodice and built-in belt detail offers a timeless, classic style with an elegant 'V' cut neckline and low-mid 'V' back.

This dress felt luxurious and beautiful to wear but also, genuinely comfortable. The lovely flowy movement in the skirt was a joy to experience and certainly elevated the special feeling you have in a bridal gown!

Shape and Sizing: I think this is a great dress style for women with curves (I have something between an 'hourglass' and 'pear' body shape). I am also tall (5'10, 179cm) so provided you are my height or less you will have no trouble adjusting the length to suit you to a perfect sweeping train or full floor length. It is also a style that does allow for a bit of weight change I think. When I tried it on it fit me fine at close to a size 16 by the time of the wedding, the same dress unaltered, was also perfect for my then size 12-14. The bodice/ corset of the dress is unaltered from the original, so taking it in or out by a size or two will likely be possible if needed also.

The Dress has been fully and professionally dry cleaned by a wedding dress specialist and is in excellent condition.

The dress has only been worn once for my wedding day in summer 2023 and I hope it finds its next happy bride soon as it deserves to be seen and admired once more! Please feel free to ask me any questions or for additional videos or close-ups. I'm happy to help, as I know what a big decision this can feel like! Open to fair offers.

Thank you

Alterations

The dress originally had 3/4 length sleeves but I had this altered to make it more suitable for a summer wedding (removed the sleeves, but I kept hold of them so can provide these for you if desired).

My seamstress also suggested that I separate the underskirt from the dress for better comfort, lightness and movement in the dress, which was an excellent idea. She did it beautifully adding an adjustable, elasticated waistband to the underskirt (see image 6). The added benefit of this is that the underskirt can be entirely detached if desired allowing for both a full 'A-line' look and something a little sleeker, if desired (you could mix it up at certain points of your big day)? I opted to keep it in all day and I loved the way it swooshed on the dance floor (see image 4!). The seamstress added a simple white ribbon hoop to easily allow you to hook up the back of the skirt onto any of the buttons to sweep it up off the floor which I found helpful for moving between venues and on the dancefloor.

The bodice/ corset of the dress is unaltered from the original, I was advised that taking it in or out by a size or two will not be a problem, if needed. As an aside, my seamstress said that the dress was very well made with proper seam allowances and a nice material for making alterations, adding embellishments etc. as desired.