5 Reasons Anomalie is the Best Way to Create Your Dream Wedding Dress

I was planning to save this post for closer to my wedding date, but so much is up in the air with the coronavirus crisis! My heart goes out to 2020 brides that have had to cancel or postpone their weddings due to COVID-19. I wanted to take some time to post about something that has made me so happy in the wedding planning process, and that can maybe come in handy for brides that are just starting to shop for wedding dresses.

Finding your dream dress is one of the most important aspects of wedding planning, and every bride knows what it’s like to struggle in search of the perfect dress. If you haven’t heard of Anomalie, they are a direct to consumer wedding dress start up that is seriously shaking up the bridal industry. In short, you work with one of their stylists to design your wedding dress online, they send you a sketch and fabric samples, and boom! A few months later you get your dress, fully customized and made to your measurements. It probably sounds crazy to make your own dress on the internet without ever seeing it in person, so I’m diving into more about the process, and all the reasons why every bride should be an Anomalie Bride!

Traditional Bridal Retail is Broken

There is so much wrong with traditional bridal retail I don’t even know where to begin.  I went on about 5 different bridal appointments before deciding to work with Anomalie. In each instance, I tried on a series of pretty dresses that just weren’t quite right. Whether they were too expensive, too generic, too over-the-top and gaudy, or were styles that had been completely overexposed on Instagram, I just couldn’t say yes to a dress. I am pretty petite, so in each case was easily able to fit into the sample sizes. However, anyone bigger than a size 6 to 8 is going to have even more challenges trying on bridal gowns. While most gowns can be ordered in different sizes, bridal boutiques are often not size inclusive in what they stock for in-store try ons. And if you don’t live in a major city, your options may be even more limited.

We all know wedding dresses are expensive, but pricing was one of the biggest challenges I had with wedding dress shopping. Most boutiques will give you a quote on the average starting price of their dresses, but they don’t exactly say how limited the selection is at that price point. And even the slightest change or customization can come with an astronomical upcharge. I was willing to be flexible on my budget, but still didn’t find anything that I thought was worth the asking price. There is also a mark-up on bridal alterations!

Designing a Custom Wedding Dress Online Isn’t as Scary as it Sounds

Imagine walking into a bridal salon with an unlimited selection of gowns, all of which could be perfectly made to fit any type of body, and all of them affordably priced? Welcome to Anomalie! Sounds like a dream, right? I know may seem insane to design the most important dress you’ll ever wear online, but I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. The process starts with their Dress Builder quiz to start laying the groundwork for your dream dress. From there you have a phone consultation with one of their designers, and you can start uploading dresses you love to your online lookbook. The team will create a custom sketch of your dress, send you a curated box of fabric swatches and detailed imagery of lace and embellishments, and you submit your measurements online.

Before your dress goes into production, you also get a more technical design call. This step is super important since it details all the things about your dress that may not be clear on the sketch – stuff like zipper placement, whether the buttons will be functional or decorative, details about the cups that will be included, etc. Once you approve your dress goes into production and you get regular updates about the progress. They don’t send you images of your actual dress, but you do get a step by step update on how it’s coming along. My dress came in 2 months early, and a lot of brides on Instagram report getting their dresses ahead of schedule as well.

Unlike traditional bridal salons, Anomalie actually has a money back guarantee! It’s unheard of for almost anything wedding-related to be refundable. That’s how much they stand by their product and the design process. My dress arrived more perfect than I could have imagined, but even if it would have turned out to be a disaster, I still would have had time to get my money back and find a new dress before my wedding.

You Really Can Design Your Dream Dress

In my adventures in bridal shopping, I found that I would often love one element of each dress, but never found one that really fit my vision. I was inspired by some of my favorite high-end designers like Galia Lahav, Berta Bridal, and Pronovias, but also loved the whimsical, bohemian spirit of designs from Hayley Paige and One Day Bridal. My Anomalie designers pretty magically translated my descriptions and references in my lookbook into a drop-dead gorgeous sketch. I was terrified that the various design elements would make absolutely no sense when put together, but they made it work beautifully.  When I eventually share my dress, I will deep dive into all the inspo pics and how they came together, so stay tuned for that!

Just note – Anomalie designs custom dresses, but they are not in the designer knockoff business. You can definitely use your imagination and pull elements and inspiration from designers you love, but the point is to create something one of a kind and perfect for you, not ripped from someone else’s collection.

A Custom Wedding Dress with Anomalie is Affordable

Wedding dresses are a huge investment, and can take up a good chunk of your wedding budget. Anomalie makes it possible to get the dress of your dreams at an affordable price. Their website quotes the average cost of a fully custom dress between $1350-2000, depending on the design, fabric, beading, and accessories included. I’m not giving away too many details, but my dress has a fair amount of lace and beadwork, as well as a pretty impressive veil. The total came in right around $1500, including tax! Take a look at their Instagram and some of the incredible dresses they create and you will immediately understand why that price point is so impressive!

 You Can Still Include Your Friends and Family in the Process

Trying on wedding dresses with your friends and family is a big part of the bridal experience, but you can still find ways to include your squad in the online experience. Make your design calls a Zoom so your bridal party can join. Host an unboxing party when your dress arrives so everyone can see the big reveal. You will also need to schedule fittings/alterations so invite your friends to join! And yes, even though it is a custom dress, Anomalie still recommends alterations to perfect the fit. What you need done will vary greatly, and I haven’t been able to do a fitting due to COVID-19. I don’t think my dress needs much, but I will say that I’m adding a bustle, sewing in bra cups, and maybe adding a few more appliques (they sent me extra lace and embroidery just in case).

I will say that I recommend having a few in-salon appointments, if possible and your timeline allows. Trying on dresses in person helped me really understand and visualize what I liked and didn’t like, so I was able to clearly communicate my vision with my Anomalie stylist. I did a few appointments before fully committing to Anomalie, but I also did one or two more while I was in the design process. Some (particularly those in bridal retail) will say that’s a little controversial, but remember - as a bride (or potential customer of any store for that matter) you are never obligated to make a purchase. Make an appointment during an off-peak time, follow the salons rules and guidelines, pay an appointment fee if asked, and feel no guilt.

Anomalie Is a Company Worth Supporting

One of the things I love most about Anomalie is how inspiring they are! They are a female focused startup that is committed to serving brides. During these difficult times, they used their resources to produce and deliver CDC-certified masks for healthcare workers . They’ve even begin offering officiant services to better seve the brides they are working with. I absolutely loved my experience working with my stylist, from the initial consultation to the day my dress was delivered.

 If you are still on the fence, check out their Dress Builder and play around with some sketches! They have a new and improved version since I started my design process, and it’s totally free to use. You can also start a lookbook and save some design inspiration, and even have a call with one of their designers before fully committing. And if you have been unable to start wedding dress shopping because of all the coronavirus related closures, Anomalie is definitely an option you should consider!

And after my wedding I’ll be sharing more about my dress, from the sketch to the real thing, and all the inspo that went into making it come to life!