Amy Segal, co-founder of Together Segal, in her custom designed petite wedding dress for her wedding ceremony in Tulum

Is 2022 the year for all the brides and grooms? 

Here's my story as a petite designer and a bride-to-be…

Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum

Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum

 
What do you do when you decide to seize the moment and set a wedding date about two months out?!? Take a deep breath, then another. A pandemic can be a reminder of how precious is the time we have to love and live on this earth. As a dear friend said to me recently, we’re all on the bullet train living life and we don’t know when our time is up, so make the most of every moment, right?!? 

So that’s what my partner of six years, David, and I did. We set our wedding date two months out based on a trip we had already planned to one of our favorite places, Casa Xixim, near Tulum, Mexico. We had two months to plan our wedding in a foreign country and for me to design and produce my own petite wedding dress for my special day. Looking back, this was such an exciting time! But in the midst of the process, it was dauntingly complex; I was thrown into making so many decisions in such a short amount of time and many of those decisions were not easy. 

Inspired by the Together Segal brand

As with all Together Segal designs, I wanted a wedding dress that represented timelessness and minimalism with a little bit of sexy and, of course, comfort. As a petite woman, 5’1, I also didn’t want the dress or fabric to overwhelm my petite stature. I wanted to show my figure while still feeling elegant, confident and beautiful. It was important to me to design my own wedding dress, so I looked at my twin sister, Melissa, co-founder of Together Segal, and said “we can do this!”  As co-founders and designers of a clothing brand, we felt we should consider no other options, so we took off from there. And what a special few months it was, as our small Together Segal team made my wedding dress dream come true. 

The wedding dress inspiration

My wedding dress design inspiration came from many places, including natural elements such as the beach and ocean, and my love for Argentine tango dancing and swimming! I am an avid swimmer, want to feel confident and carefree while being in my swimwear and in the water, and have been drawn to low back swimsuits which are functional if they fit properly (for an efficient swim).  And who doesn’t agree that a low back is sexy?! So, the sketching began with the backside, including the placement of the sweet wedding buttons below the low back. Inspired by my tango dancing and tango dresses, another design element that I wanted was a high slit. And I went very high, adding more of the sexiness I desired for my wedding dress. From there, we designed a low V front with detailed vertical seams (which can add visual stature for petites), and my vision was nearly complete. 

The fabric

The beach setting for our wedding was an inspiration in itself. I wanted a dress that would work well barefoot in the sand with a beautiful drape and flow just like the ocean waves that would be in our presence. Staying true to our Together Segal values, I knew I wanted to choose an eco-friendly, natural woven fabric that offered beautiful texture. The Cupro Linen fabric from our textile partner, FabricSight, was really the fabric that leapt to mind for my dress. Already having the experience of working with this sustainable fabric for a recent Together Segal design, I knew how beautiful the drape and feel was. The luxurious and lightweight natural feel, elegance, and comfort were exactly what I wanted, and really made everything in the design fall into place. Thank goodness, as we were on a tight timeline!

The making of my wedding dress 

About many things it is said that “it takes a village,” and in our case it was a very small and special village making my wedding dress vision a reality. We have the most talented independent pattern maker, Charlotte, and main seamstress, Margaret, both in Austin, who have become like family to us. They’ve been with us through the challenges of running a small business during a pandemic and they were more than onboard to help create my dream wedding dress. In fact, the pandemic encouraged us to gain more control and create our own small team in Austin, moving into a new direction for development and a small batch production process, which is also the only way we could have made my wedding dress in such a short period of time. 

After taking key measurements, discussing my vision and reviewing my sketch, Charlotte went to work developing the pattern and sewing up my first raw sample in a muslin fabric (always best for determining the fit). Melissa was with me at every fitting, noticing every detail of the dress and fit to help with minor adjustments. I could not have done this without my sister and our whole Together Segal team by my side.

The first fitting: The fit was almost perfect! I knew right then that we could do this in such a short amount of time. I also knew that this wedding dress design I created was the perfect dress for me and my beach wedding. The fit and design for my 5’1” petite stature felt ideal! With excitement and momentum, minor changes were made to the pattern, then given to Margaret to sew up the 2nd sample in a beautiful 100% linen in white with a drape and weight similar to the final fabric. 

The second fitting: The second sample was so beautiful that it could have been the final wedding dress, but we had time to work on a few minor sewing details to then begin with the third (and final) wedding dress in the chosen off-white Cupro Linen fabric. 

The third and final fitting: Completed with just a week before flying out to Mexico! What a sweet and beautiful moment in our studio with Charlotte, Margaret and Melissa watching and helping me as I tried on my petite wedding dress. We made it happen in less than two months! The combination of the love and joy that went into the making of my dress, along with a true sense of teamwork that seamlessly brought my vision to life was more than I could have ever wished for. 

At this moment, I couldn’t help but think about all the soon-to-be brides that had their last wedding dress fitting, only to have to cancel or postpone their special day at the last minute, due to the pandemic over the last two years. So the excitement I felt was mixed with a bit of anxiety, and the sad reminder of how much suffering has occurred during this time, even with regard to weddings, which should be so joyful. 

Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum
Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum


The wedding day

As it happened, Covid did not intervene, and the day was more beautiful than I could have imagined. We had four days of relaxing and enjoying the scenery and the serenity of one of our favorite spots, Casa Xixm, leading up to our wedding day. David and I had a good swim in the ocean the morning of our wedding day and then lounged and enjoyed being with our family and close friends. It was 3pm before we even thought about getting ready (ceremony was at 5pm btw).   

It was a surreal day to say the least. I felt a bit disembodied, which was making it a little difficult to get ready! Ha! But I managed, and stepping into my dress felt so natural and comfortable, a feeling which continued throughout the day and evening. Being comfortable in my wedding dress was so important, and sometimes that is overlooked by a focus on the visual beauty of the dress by so many women. Why be uncomfortable on your most special day!? You can have both: beauty and comfort. There was no need for a different dress for the party that followed. We celebrated over a feast of delicious lobster and all enjoyed dancing to the beautiful music of Magalum Music with the ocean and sunset in the background. It was absolutely magical. I was my best self…feeling relaxed and radiant! And so happy and grateful to have family and friends present to witness our commitment to one another. All the planning, compressed into a very short time, came to fruition.  

There are many choices for brides and grooms to make: to elope, to have a destination wedding or not, to have a big wedding with all friends and family, or choose something smaller and more intimate. I had those choices too, and thought about all of them! It wasn’t easy-breezy, and to be honest, it was a bit stressful and pulled at my heartstrings when making these kinds of decisions. Just know that whichever way you decide to go, decide together with your partner and embrace it! It will all work out and will be beautiful and special. 

Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum
Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum


A petite clothing designer and now a wife

So this is the story I wanted to share with you, seizing the moment, making the decision to get married and design my petite wedding dress in the midst of a pandemic in a very short period of time! It’s now almost 3 months since my wedding day and the memories of my magical day, in my wedding dress, surrounded by loved ones, will be with me forever.  

I am now a wife, and I couldn’t be happier for making that decision while staying true to myself and deciding what I really wanted for my special day. Choosing to make this kind of commitment later in life to my partner of 6 years was one of the best decisions I have made. I’m choosing the life and story I want to live and am forever grateful to still be on this bullet train.

This is my story, what’s yours?

We are dedicating this blog to all the patient brides and grooms of the pandemic and hoping they all have their turn down the aisle.  

Contact us for wedding dress inquiries.

Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum
Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum
Detail from Amy Segal's petite wedding dress and a wedding ceremony in Tulum

Photography by: Tulumweddings

Destination: Casa Xixim

Customer Wedding Bands by: Shaesby

Custom Earrings by: Zahavah

Music by: Magalum Music