...to alter mom's wedding gown. What do I want to do with it again?
1. cut off the sleeves
2. make into strapless with sweetheart shape
3. get the back to go lower revealing some back (skin, that is)
4. make the first and third tiers real (right now, there is lace sewn onto the two tiers to make it appear as if there were more tiers)
Some info. on my mom's dress:
- it is 26 years old; when I wear it for my wedding, it will be 28 years old
- materials: mostly polyester which has helped the dress last this long, but hoping to get some silk in there
- the lace goes over a bodice, which makes the dress look like a strapless gown if the lace were not there. so the shape is essentially already there.
Why am I searching so early?? Because I'm going to showcase this baby. I have decided that the theme of our wedding will be based on the dress. Modern-vintage: lace and pleats. I would also like to take pictures in the dress before the wedding, and have pictures of my mom in the dress to show. How fun would that be!!
How's the search going so far?? Not so good. I've met with 2 seamstresses already, and am planning to meet with two more in the upcoming months.
1st seamstress: I first spoke with her on the phone. She sounded so excited for me. I really liked that! She made an appointment with me for the following week in the morning. So I went and brought two coworkers with me (the seamstress was down the street from my work). When we got there, she was already working with two other brides, and a third one was waiting outside. She barely looked at my dress and gave me a quote. I was not too happy with this; however, we were able to see her work on the two brides that were already there. I didn't get a very good look because I was more concerned with my dress, but my coworkers say that the dresses appeared to fit very well...and the two dresses were totally different styles. She is highly recommended by the bridal dress shop below, which sells couture and vintage wedding gowns.
2nd seamstress: Another early morning appointment. Highly recommended by ladies on my local The Knot forums. She just looked at my dress too and gave me a quote. I asked her if I could try it on for her so that she could get a better feel of what I wanted. She reluctantly said okay. Her attitude was probably so because my wedding is so far ahead. 
Anyways, so far, no good. The two other seamstresses I'm supposed to meet later on are so busy that I have appointments with them 2 months from now, which is good, because you should want someone who has a lot of business.
So here's some close-ups of my dress: