Maria's Wedding Gown is a Carole Hai design for the Moonlight Bridal, Victorian-Rose collection. She found her fairy-tale, dream-wedding gown in 1999 when it first appeared in the bridal magazines and carried the picture with her until it was time to go shopping – two years later.

The gown is purely magical and delivers the designer’s adage that "the true beauty of a wedding gown is not in the gown itself, but in the way it brings out the pure vision of love of the bride wearing it." Maria says, "There really could not have been a more perfect gown for me; it was my fairy-tale dream come true that transformed me into a Princess Bride! It made me feel radiant on my wedding day."

The gown features a plunging front and back sweetheart neckline and short sleeves, with a full princess A-line skirt of double layer Italian matte satin with an overlay of the softest sheer silk-chiffon. On the bodice, the overlay is inlaid with re-embroidered Battenburg lace with pearl beading in the shape of flowers. The beading spreads down the front and back of the skirt, ending about 6 inches from the fine finished seamed hem. The gown has a cathedral length train which bustles up like a Victorian hanky reminiscent of gowns worn during the Civil War Era. This gave the gown a dramatic, flowy appearance of one floating on clouds.

The most remarkable and sentimental detail of the gown was the hand-embroidered initials Maria's seamstress sewed into the satin lining. Maria's initials were her "something blue".


Maria's Dress

The Ad Photo of Maria's Dress
The Ad Photo of Maria's Dress

Dress of the Month Contest

[Dress of the Month Honors Circle]
See Maria's Entry!