2016 Flower Girl Dress of the Year | Pegeen

When Morgan, a California native now residing in Italy, approached me about designing dresses for her Tuscany wedding, I was immediately captivated by her vision. She shared her excitement for a celebration featuring nine girls with varying sizes, and the intriguing challenge of incorporating elements from her intricately embroidered wedding gown. Morgan's humility initially obscured the fact that she was the mastermind behind her own breathtaking wedding dress, a creation that took skilled seamstresses months to embroider. In our Skype conversations, I marveled at the beauty of her gown, even surpassing my own wedding dress designed by Elizabeth Emanuel, renowned for creating Princess Diana's iconic attire. Determined to capture the essence of Morgan's exquisite gown while navigating the constraints of time and cost, I carefully curated a design that would reflect the allure of Tuscany, reminiscent of a 15th-century painting.

The task at hand involved replicating the floral embroidery from Morgan's gown without the extensive manual labor and expense. Embracing the Tuscany aesthetic, I selected a medley of my favorite flowers and sent swatches to Italy for Morgan's approval. Once the colors were chosen, Swarovski crystals in the AB combination were ordered to infuse an iridescent quality to the center of each hydrangea petal, adorning each of the nine dresses in colors such as Baby Pink, Peach, Periwinkle, Sage Green, Canyon Pink, Autumn Rust, Eggplant, Raisin, and the unique Steel Blue. As we delved into the creative process, we played with layers of multiple tulle colors, ensuring that the skirts exhibited a captivating interplay of hues with every movement. The standard ballet length was employed for most dresses, with the exception of the Jr. Bridesmaids whose floor-length dresses doubled as veil holders. To add a charming touch, we also crafted matching American Doll dresses for six of the girls, creating a whimsical harmony between the bridal party and their miniature counterparts.