You've looked and looked for your wedding dress, and nothing is what you had in mind. Or perhaps you never had anything in mind, but what's in the stores definitely is not your style. Or perhaps you'd like to wear your grandmother's beaded dress, but she was not the svelte size 6 you are, and the beading is damaged.

So you've decided to have your dress made or the heirloom refurbished.

What you need now is a gifted couturiere to translate what is in your head or hanging in your heirloom closet into the wedding dress of your dreams. Unlike a dressmaker, a couturiere owns her atelier (her shop), designs the gowns and makes the dress herself. A gifted couturiere will help you in numerous ways, creating the special dress you'll wear on this very special day.

For those of you who had never considered having a dress designed and made, we have a few reasons you might choose a couturiere:

You can't find what you're looking for. Your couturiere should be able to listen to your desires and translate the conversations into sketches of what you want. She will then work with you to find the right fabrics for your design and shades of each fabric to be used. With a fine couturiere, you don't have to know a lot about fabrics. She knows and can show you about the best fabric choices for your needs. She should create a sample of the dress in muslin (a working version, so to speak), giving you a chance to make modifications to the overall design prior to working with the dress material.

We're not all models. (and even models have special design needs) An able couturiere will discuss with you what physical traits you wish to highlight and which you might prefer to hide. Wondrous design tricks can "accentuate the positive" and make you comfortable in your wedding dress. She will also make design modifications for any special needs you may have, from specific religious considerations to season and time-of-day needs.

Your heirloom needs an overhaul. A talented couturiere can repair and even redesign your heirloom articles. When choosing someone to work on these treasured pieces, be sure to inquire if she has experience in working with museum quality heirlooms and if she has the resources to match the condition of the original garment. She should be able to assess the condition of the fabric have an excellent knowledge of design and alterations in order to reconstruct the gown. With these qualities your couturiere will bring your heirloom back to life.

Don't let the French words scare you...a courtier dress can be surprisingly affordable. Depending on the fabrics, design and detail you choose, you can control the price as well as the look. When comparing to bridal salon couture dresses with equal workmanship - and then adding alterations- a truly quality dress won't be a bargain, but will be valued at much more than you paid for it.