Gretchen Pichay will dress me up (no to shirt and jeans for a day)

Being a girl who is only comfortable wearing jeans and shirts, finding the perfect wedding gown was tedious. I probably wore a dress less than ten times in my 27 years of existence so I am not sure if I can nail wearing a wedding gown. Being dumb in fashion, the only designers I know are those who dress up celebrities and it means that I can’t afford them. So the first thing I did was to go to w@w and research. I found out that there are brides who really splurge on their gowns. I know that it is a once in a lifetime event but I don’t want to wear something with a price tag that would probably make my groom leave me. Haha! Some gowns even cost up to a hundred thousand pesos. If I can wear that to sleep or use my dress at work, then I’ll probably consider. So with a budget in my mind, I continued with my search. And I needed to remind myself to stick to my budget. :p

I only have two things in mind for my wedding gown. I want it to be one-shouldered and the skirt to have the “balloon style” (I don’t even know how to call it). I sent inquiries to two designers for quotations of my peg. I was still in the US at that time and the first designer told me that I need to visit their shop before giving me a sketch.

But Gretchen accommodated my request and made not 1 but 6 sketches for me. She just asked me to send her my pictures and I got the sketches in days. She first sent me four sketches. I was supposed to choose Design B but I changed my mind because my office mate Zel chose Gretchen's design for her with the same style of the strap.


Gretchen then told me that she liked the other design and I just couldn’t agree more! I actually forgot the peg I gave her after seeing her sketch. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t the gown I visualized myself wearing. But I know that the design she conceptualized is something that will suit my personality.

I am really tempted to upload the sketch of my gown but I really want it to be a surprise. I don’t think Boyet even remembers how it looks like. I only showed it to a few (and privileged) friends. My bridesmaid Joie agreed that it is really awesome. The design is elegant enough for a formal occasion. But I really feel that the personality of a childlike-shirt-jeans-type-of-girl will definitely reflect in that dress.

Meeting Gretchen for the first time was a delight. I remember reading her blog and how she managed to shift from one career to another (I actually envy her hahaha). For someone with such courage to make a decision as bold as that, I know that what she’s doing right now is born out of her passion and dedication. And I know that these reflect in her works.

More than being talented, she is really a nice person. We didn’t have a car the first time we met last October so she asked her helper to get us a cab. While waiting, we talked and she even gave us suggestions on wedding suppliers. She told me to go back on January for the measurement. And I got a word from her a few days ago that my mock dress is now ready for first fitting.

So in less than four months, Gretchen will get to transform a childlike-shirt-jeans-type-of-girl to a sophisticated bride. :)