Wedding Dress

When were you first inspired to design the Astra gown, and where did the inspiration for this bridal gown come from?

“The Astra gown was inspired by a wedding dress design I had been thinking of for years. I wanted a long sleeve wedding gown that looked both sexy and modern, but sophisticated in its cut and style. A dress that portrayed smoldering French glamour, with a slight organic feel to the fabric while also maintaining a luxury aesthetic. It was a very specific look I was designing around, and the ELIKA bride has very good taste. I wanted to offer a gown with a couture touch. The illusion nude tulle allowed me to create a plunging square low back while also providing support to the structure of the gown and long sleeves, and in that beaded lace, I was just so excited when I tried it on for the first time and it looked THAT GOOD. I almost cried, I was so happy.”

 

 

What kind of ELIKA bride is the Astra gown made for? 

“This gown is made for a modern woman with discerning taste. She has a je n'ais se quoi quality that radiates from within and she’s looking for a wedding dress that reflects that. The Astra gown, with its long sleeves and sexy low back showcases the detailed beadwork and silhouette perfectly."

What is the most important design element of this gown to you? Did you design around this feature or did it come organically?

"I really wanted to showcase an open back without the classic V that most backless wedding dresses feature. It was difficult to find the right materials to create a ‘nude’ illusion that provided support, so I think that’s one of the reasons why this dress took so long to be created. It really needed to have all the elements perfectly together in order to work. Good things take time!"

 

 

How did you decide on the fabric?

"The moment I saw this beaded, curvy, organic looking lace fabric I was instantly in love. I knew exactly what I would make this fabric into; it was just so obvious to me. I ordered it right away and this gown was the first dress we sampled out of the entire collection. I was so excited! It just came together perfectly, even though the fabric came late and we were on a tight deadline. I even shed a few tears dealing with sewing a beaded wedding gown! It was my first beaded fabric that I had worked with and I may have broken at least 5 needles due to accidentally sewing over a few beads that I had forgotten to remove. Again, it was worth the extra hours to cut and sew and, more importantly, the result is amazing!"

 

Why did you name her Astra?

"The entire collection was named after the Full Moon, and each wedding dress was named for a Greek Goddess. I usually wait to name each dress until after we do the photo shoot; sometimes you just have to see it all come together. The moment our model was posing on the black sand beach, with this gorgeous beaded lace fabric circled around her, sparkling against the sun. In that moment the gown looked like waves crashing up onto the black beach, but also, stars in the night sky. Astra is the Goddess of the Stars, so it was the perfect name for this stunning backless wedding gown. She is most definitely a shining star in this collection!"