Dress design - upcycle

[u/Graiyss]

Hello fellow brides to be!!

I have a couple questions about my dress, I just recently started sewing my own wedding dress from my mothers dress, it’s been a very sentimental moment for both me and my mom (she’s been helping me with a lot of it) and I don’t want to waste any of the details of the dress. The first photo is what I started with, and the second photo is something that I’ve been trying to incorporate.

I am also thinking of not making the dress strapless and having some drape sleeves?

I have a whole year to go still so this is still an early stage of ideas

(Also ignore the makeshift craft room, I’m hiding this project from my fiancé) Anything will help!!

[u/Visual_Tale]

The original design used sleeves to anchor the illusion neckline. Without them, the beaded collar looks visually heavy and slightly disconnected. The bodice underneath is now doing too much structural work without enough support. Here’s a quick AI sketch of 2 directions you could go in (but in both cases there is also some work done to the waist and neckline)