This post is a description of how I upcycled the dress that is 2nd from the left.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I had so much fun doing these dresses.  They were super quick with the emphasis being on the general overall color-effect of the wedding, versus worrying about style, time period, etc.  As the final song began to play, the Knights and the chorus members in neutrals came on stage, followed by the main characters in their wedding wear.  Once Topher and Ella came out, then the rest of the chorus filled in the sides wearing their Villager outfits.

Even doing inexpensive, quick costumes, the wedding scene still did add a fair amount of cost to the show.  All the main characters had an additional costume, as well as all of the Knights, and then 7 or 8 female chorus members, and two flower girls.  It was my own personal indulgence, because, well, I wanted to do it!  As with the other girls in these costumes, this dress was also worn for the shoe-trying on scene.

To create this costume I began with a base dress:

This was a simple ivory satin wedding dress.  It featured a scooped neck, short sleeves, zipper back with decorative buttons and a front wrapped detailing with pearls.

The first thing I did was to add an overskirt.  I used a large oval damask tablecloth.  I measured the desired back length and then cut a slit in the tablecloth down to that point.  I gathered the cut edge to the base dress under the decorative wrap.  (It has been awhile since I did this dress–I think once it was on the base dress, I lengthened the slit to accommodate the zipper opening, finishing the raw edges, but I can’t really remember).

I added some metallic gold braid to the edge of the tablecloth.  Karma was with me that day as I had just  barely enough to finish!

Here is the overskirt attached to the base dress:

The back of the overskirt is very full!

I used a pillow sham for additional fabric:

I didn’t reuse the trim as it hadn’t enjoyed going through the washer. pillow sham and used the striped fabric.  I didn’t reuse the trim as it hadn’t enjoyed going through the washer.  I pinned it to the front of the bodice, and then stitched along the curved front seams from the back.  It isn’t perfect as I should have pinned the wedding dress layers together better, but, it was “good enough”.

Then I used a pinking shears to cut along the stitching line, and finished the top edge with an additional piece of trim.

Finished dress:

On stage:

I do sometimes wonder what the next costume volunteer will think of some of these crazy costumes when they come across them years from now.

Cost:  base dress–I don’t know, but I am guessing $5-10.  Tablecloth:  $2.38, pillow sham:  $2.38, trims:  donated.