Cascading Goddess Gown
4.6
5
24
24
I wore this dress for my beach wedding.
I picked this dress for my beach wedding because I knew that it would look beautiful blowing in the wind. Even though it has many layers, it was very comfortable even in the heat of the Riviera Maya. I had no alterations done and the size 2 fit me perfectly. I am 5'7" and a 34B. I wore 4 inch heels and the dress just touched the ground in the front.
March 6, 2013
~ Meant to Be ~
This dress was simply meant to be. Nothing else compared, once I laid eyes on it. I was engaged early in 2011, only a couple of months after BHLDN's launch. I started looking at wedding dresses right away, tried a couple on at a local salon, had a picture in my head of what I was looking for, and wasn't finding a dress that matched my mind's eye. I came across BHLDN by accident in an internet search for "vintage wedding dresses", ..vintage, romantic, flowy, ethereal being key words in my search. Catherine Deane's Cascading Goddess Gown was one of the first few dresses I saw on this site and I couldn't believe someone actually made a dress that completely fit every detail I could have dreamed of in a dress. I am totally not the 'wedding dress' type, and am not easily impressed by them, but this one was so breathtakingly gorgeous, unique, feminine. Nothing else even came close to comparing once I saw this one. I went with my faith and ordered it in a size 0, following the size chart provided. I've never been so excited to get a package than when it arrived the very next day. I have to say that this dress is even more breathtakingly beautiful in person. It is the perfect creamy ivory color, and hand stitched..I mean the detail in this dress is incredible. The roping on the bodice, and the long chiffon layers, there's a softness to the dress and even a shimmery sheen. I tried it on, and it fit PERFECTLY, like a glove. I only needed to alter the length and that was it! The seamstress who did my alterations told me that she'd never seen a dress so gorgeous in her whole career and that mine was her most favorite to have worked on. She said that it was pretty easy to alter the length, she was able to take it apart at the waist and pull it up a few inches, so as not to disturb the chiffon layers. She also put a simple hook and eye bustle into the back which was gorgeous and billowy as well.
When my wedding day finally came, on December 15th, 2012, the week before Christmas, I could not wait to show everyone, especially my husband. He was dumbfounded when we had our 'first look' shoot, told me that I looked like an angel, and that it was perfect and completely nothing he'd ever seen before. The entire night was filled with gasps and asking me where I got my dress, and how unique and gorgeous it was. I literally want to wear this dress every single day! It is so comfortable, there is a layer of silk that touches your skin first, so soft. The next layer of tulle gives the dress just the right amount of volume, and lots of warmth (I was married on the Delaware River in December and was completely warm outside taking pictures), and the strands of chiffon do actually float when you move, walk, and dance. Very angelic and ethereal feeling. I danced all night in this dress, very easy to move in! The bodice has boning inside so you don't need to wear a bra if you don't want to, however, it is comfortable if you want to wear one, like I did. It's true waisted, so the bodice starts at just the right spot at your waist and the layers begin at just the right spot, so your slimmest area is accentuated. I wore the Beaming Blossoms Sash, as shown in the model's picture, and also the Auroral Vapor Heels, and got just as many compliments on them as well. The entire ensemble together was beyond perfection, and helped to create the "vintage, ethereal, feminine, romantic" vision for my wedding into reality. I wouldn't change a thing, and could not recommend this dress, or BHLDN more. So many thanks BHLDN! You gave me my dream wedding vision come true! My new favorite store!! :*)
March 2, 2013
A lovely Dress
I ordered this dress for my wedding after seeing it online and falling in love. It's the only dress I even tried on.
I ordered a size 2, I have a large ribcage on a small frame, and I am small busted. It was roomy, but I had my seamstress take it in. I'm short waisted and the bodice ended right at the bottom of my ribcage. I wasn't surprised by this after reading online reviews. A wide sash helped delineate my waist. If you have an athletic build I would recommend adding a belt or sash to soften the straight up and down look.
I was able to bustle the dress. My seamstress added individual hook and eyes to each fabric strip that was too long and she shortened the underskirt by pleating it upwards. Think of how Belle's dress in Beauty and the Beast is scalloped along the bottom. With the fabric panels laying over the shortened skirt you couldn't see the pleating and it helped keep the fabric wisps flowing.
I absolutely loved this dress, even though it needed quite a bit of altering on the skirt for me to wear it with flip flops. I assume that any wedding dress would benefit from altering to bring it to a proper fitting through the bust and waist area.
I'm 5'6", 115lbs and 32",24",30". I really like that the skirt was full enough to soften my angular frame.
January 30, 2013
Gorgeous but not for all
I ordered a size 6. I am 36-28-37. It was a bit lose but I think 4 would have been small. It's a gorgeous dress in terms of fabric, especially the lower half. Something about the bust though, and lines make you look a bit wide (as if you have a wide rib cage). I didn't look right on the chest area too, it didn't set tight, it stood out a bit. So I think it's best on smaller sizes, or taller girls so that proportionally the bust looks smaller.
January 7, 2013
