My daughter Kit, Princess #1, has always wanted Marie Saint Pierre to make her wedding dress. With three fittings to go, the dress that she and Marie are creating will surpass expectations and be ready for Kit's early Fall 2025 nuptials.
Our recent visit started half a lifetime ago. When Kit was about 14, she stated emphatically that Marie Saint Pierre was the goat. I was taken aback until Kit spelled it out: GOAT means Greatest of All Time.
Thirteen years later, Kit, Jacey, who is Princess #2, and I arrived at the Atelier in Montreal nervously regretting not spending even a minute at a real bridal store. Rudimentary online research had yielded just two dresses Kit liked, but what if Marie didn’t have anything either? Would her signature scuba be too hot for an Eastern Shore ceremony? What would the process be like? Would it be possible to flee?
Like every visit to the MSP studio/production/warehouse facility, we started by going to the wrong floor, a ritual ensured by the building’s occupancy list. When we arrived at the right door a few minutes early, Marie provided a quick tour and introduced us to her team: cutters, seamstresses, shippers, and the sales and marketers. By the time we were back at the beginning, a rack and chairs awaited with sample dresses and dozens of components including slips, bustiers, skirts, belts, and tulle petticoats.
Marie began by asking Kit all about the wedding, from location and service to reception, weather and timing. Our fears melted as Marie’s expertise and the range of possibilities unfolded. Marie explained that the purpose of this first meeting was to find the right structure for the wedding look and to choose some components, lace or netting, for example, to provide direction and feel. All was on offer, from minimalist folded shapes to elaborately detailed fabrics and trims.
Marie considers comfort and ease of movement equally essential, and the suggestion of a Dri Fit top was instantly accepted as an antidote to high humidity. Given the length of time the bride spends in the dress, minimizing and distributing the weight of the pieces gets factored in as well.
After trying on most of what was on the rack, as well as what Marie pulled in from both future and archived collections, the overall shape and direction were decided. Because so many options appealed, Kit also found what she will wear to the rehearsal dinner.
Because so many options appealed, a super rehearsal dinner look is under discussion . . . a second dress is the true peril of a meeting with Marie!
The process will continue with a double fitting over two days. Kit and Marie will meet early one morning to try the finished base, make decisions about outer layers, and meet again at the end of the next day to evaluate their incorporation. Because of the small size of the production team, the time devoted to creating the dress must be carefully scheduled. A fourth fitting may or may not be necessary.
Thank you to Marie Saint Pierre for her generosity with time and talent and to her skilled team. We left dazed and happy, crossing the city on foot and by metro, thrilled with our visit and ready for the remaining Montreal adventure.
Marie offers the same approach to custom dresses for any purpose. If four of you have a need, or simply a desire, to have Marie make your special occasion dress, please contact me and we’ll see if Marie will come to us in the DMV for the first meeting. A custom dress will entail at least one trip to Montreal for fittings 2 and 3, and I am happy to arrange and shepherd a staggered visit and provide a taste of what Montreal offers!
