Embellish Design

Terri created the absolute perfect wedding dress for me using a couple of my own favorite dresses as style guides. She is extremely knowledgable about every type of material you could imagine, and an incredibly skilled seamstress. She quickly grasped what I wanted, then scoured Portland’s fabric stores to find the fabric that would work for my dream dress. Her correspondence is prompt, and her communication around educating me about possibilities was very helpful.
My dress is a floor length deep-​v body hugging sheath with a very low back and a halter neck. Terri made a silk organza elbow length high neck cape to wear over the dress, but still see the gorgeous sleek design since my wedding is in December.
I couldn’t be happier with the result. Thanks again Terri.

I worked with Terri to create a custom wedding dress and I could not have been happier with my experience. Not only is Terri an incredibly talented seamstress, she is also prompt in communication, was patient with me as I honed in on my design concept and was an overall joy to work with. She worked within my budget to create a unique design that was not only beautiful but comfortable as well. She has extraordinary attention to detail and truly went above and beyond; not only did she create a fabulous dress for me, she also crafted a custom sash, veil and hair jewelry piece all from scratch, all unique and stunningly gorgeous. I cannot recommend Terri highly enough!

Terri made my beautiful wedding dress. She worked within my budget to create a dress that I felt amazing in. Her workmanship is impeccable and the whole experience exceeded my expectations!

I don’t write reviews very often, but Terri at Embellish Design really deserves your business and the five star review. Just like everyone is saying here, she guided me to help me stay within my price range, she is professional, and she is a *top notch seamstress* — my dress was everything I dreamed and more and everyone at the wedding loved it. I also appreciate her knowledge of eco-​friendly materials — you can ask her about these. What motivated me to write this review however, is that she went out of her way to help me find, last minute, a steam and press establishment in Bend that could handle a wedding dress also last minute when I by accident got the dress all wrinkled on the transport to the wedding site. So reassuring on a last minute emergency! Thank you Terri.

AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING!
I needed a special occasion dress for a party I was attending in New York. Not just any dress, but one that I could actually sit in, would not need to suck in my stomach all night, wear torturous undergarments, or need to don a wrap to cover the fact that I’ve done too few push ups lately. A dress that would cover the my least favorite body parts, and enhance my best. After looking at local departments stores, boutiques, and online, not finding anything I loved (at a price I could afford), I went custom, which you might think more expensive. Teri was very respectful of staying within my budget parameters. She created my ideal vision. Actually, improved on it. Recommended fabrics that would work with my body, and that would be forgiving. She really made it all work. Got it done on time, and on budget! I now have a stunning dress that was custom made for me, that is comfortable, makes me feel beautiful, and that will be a classic. Can it get better then that? I think not.

I just had my dress custom designed by Terri, it was exactly what I was looking for and was the best experience I could have asked for. I struggled to find anything I liked and Terri was able to deliver more than I could have ever imagined. The dress fit perfectly. I flew in from Denver to have my dress made, she was so efficient with my time and made the process so simple. I would highly recommend Embellish to anyone looking for their dream dress!

My experience with Teri creating my one of a kind wedding dress was better than I ever could have expected. I have a body type that doesn’t fit into a lot of off the rack dresses and the idea of finding a dress was one of the most stressful parts of planning my wedding. Teri helped me through any fears I might have had and also helped me to create the perfect dress for my big day. On top of all of that that she was able to use the lace off of my mom and grandma’s dress, which was special for all of us.
Teri is fantastic and I would recommend her to anyone and everyone!
Ali

We just spent the last 8 months designing a gorgeous dress for my daughter’s wedding. Not only is it unlike any other, but far more reasonable than a salon, by half! She does gorgeous, detailed, work, available, easy to work with– When it was all finished, I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend. The process was great. thanks Terri!

I loved my wedding dress made by Terri of Embellish Design in 2009. It was gorgeous, reasonably priced, and Terri was really professional to work with. I highly recommend her.

I have wondered how to write a prolifically adequate review to properly communicate how amazing Terri, my experience with her, and the end result dress were. I am sure this will not give it all proper justice, but… I tried on dresses in some of the most «exclusive» shops in Chicago and Austin, and met with several other designers here in PDX. All I can say is, for much less than what I would have paid elsewhere, I ended up with the most amazing and uniquely beautiful dress I could have ever hoped for. Her design skills, focus on my priorities, detailed attention and what I know was endless hours of work resulted in the most gorgeous and fabulously fitting dress, of any kind, I have ever seen. The dress was a true reflection of my personality and style and was the star of the show at my wedding. Highest recommend.

I can’t say enough good things about Terri at Embellish Design! I just recently got married and the dress was better than I could have imagined!
I thought I had found a dress off the rack, but then realized it wasn’t going to work for a number of reasons. I found Terri, showed her a picture of the dress and explained what I liked and what I didn’t like about it, and we started from there. She payed very close attention to what I was saying and asked lots of questions along the way. Terri was very professional throughout the entire process and took her work very seriously. This was important to me since it can be a little scary not knowing exactly what the end result is going to be!
Another thing to note about Terri is how she not only stuck to my budget that I laid out for her in the beginning, but she helped me save along the way when she found a cheaper lace that was actually more beautiful than the original one we thought we would use. I ended up spending less than I would’ve for that off-​the-​rack dress. Terri was also able to whip up a veil for me in no time for a great price.
The dress was completed ahead of schedule and about a week before I was scheduled to fly out to my wedding destination, I realized I wanted a bustle added. I also realized that there was a slight issue with how the sleeves were hanging, and I needed the dress steamed. I emailed Terri and she fit me in right away and took care of all of those things for me without charging extra.
Thank you Terri!

so many thanks to terri for her perfect tailoring of my complicated corseted second hand couture gown. thank you so much! /​/​cheers SJH Wedding Oct 2012

I can’t possibly put into words how lucky I am to have found Terri. I already knew I was up for a challenge when my search for a mid-​century cocktail gown turned into a search for a very specific Givenchy gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in classic film. I began searching for local dress makers, (doubtful that if it could be made, whether I could even afford it) and felt most impressed with the range of designs on Embellish’s site. I didn’t see anything particularly similar to the dress I wanted, but what I did see was the quality of her craftsmanship, and her amazing ability to design equally beautiful gowns from completely different ends of the spectrum. So, with that, I made the call, and wow, and I glad I did. The woman gets it. In fact, don’t be surprised if she knows what you want more than you do! She was very upfront with me about all of my fabric and construction options, and how they would effect pricing. She also made a point to add period-​specific detailing, which really reflects just how knowledgeable she is about her craft. Ever have a hair stylist can only give you THEIR favorite cut? Not Terri. She always made sure that the dress was what I wanted, and a reflection of my personal style. After copious amounts of photos, and a handful of fittings, I literally had my dream dress. No one could shut up about the dress at the wedding, and now neither can I, which is why I think if I say one more positive thing about this woman then Unilocal will think we’re in cahoots:) Just go see her.

I discovered Olivia Luca through The Knot website, the owner who runs Embellish Design also runs
, and I am so, so, glad I found her.
I had been drawing out the wedding dress of my dreams for months (and I’m so glad my professors didnt complain about drawing during class!), but no bridal magazine or store had anything like it.
I wanted to design my own dress. I know what works for my body shape and style, and I wanted something elegant, timeless, and actually comfortable so that I could feel like myself and look beautiful on our wedding day.
I didn’t want to spend a huge amount of money on the dress I would wear for just one day.
I wanted natural fabrics — I dreamed of a real silk dress, not polyester satin.
So imagine my joy when I found the olivia luca website — a design your own dress program that is so much fun! You can design the shape, choose the fabric, pick embellishments, and then get a price quote for your design. I played around with this website program a lot.
My dream dress: v neckline with crossover fabric, sleeveless, princess seams, a-​line skirt.
Once I was ready, I emailed the owner, Terri. She replied promptly, and we soon set a phone appointment to discuss what I wanted and what options to consider. I described what I wanted — silk, shiny without clinginess, soft to the touch. She recommended a gorgeous fabric which is a silk and hemp combination. It has a gorgeous ivory color (called silk white) and sheen, and soft to the touch, and the hemp gives it a bit of weight so that it drapes perfectly without clinging. It was the perfect choice. She sent quite a few fabric samples, and that made the choice easy.
She sent me pictures of similar dresses, and those were helpful in deciding the shape of the neckline and other details. (her website and blog also have very helpful pictures).
She had a winter sale, I think 25−30% off if I ordered by December, her slow season, and I did. The dress of my dreams cost $ 425 including shipping! It was ready in about 3 months.
The only downside was that the dress was large, but I knew I would need to get it fitted by a local tailor, so it’s best for the dress to be a bit large. (alterations from Margene’s Bridal were affordable — the women there loved my dress).
Then I had a bit of a crazy bride moment, where I considered having an elaborate sheer overcoat with train, and Terri was fabulous with this creative project. I sent her drawings, we discussed fabrics, we looked at pictures for inspiration, and oh my gosh, had I done it, it would have been exactly what I wanted because she was so good at understanding my unique vision. It was a joy to work with her creatively.
But I ended up calming down and seeing the light of day, and realizing it wasn’t what I really wanted. Largely because once I saw my dress fitted to my body, it was just gorgeous, and covering it up seemed wrong. I wanted the dress to shine.
Terri and I ended up designing a gorgeous silk chiffon shawl with French floral lace that I found at Britex Fabrics and shipped to her. She charged me far too little for this gorgeous work, I think under $ 80. She sewed along the curves of the lace so perfectly, it was beautiful. It was so soft and pretty, and exactly what I needed on the day of my wedding (a foggy January morning).
I highly recommend Terri, she was so easy to work with, had great recommendations, was incredibly engaging and fun to discuss design with, and I ended up with the dress and shawl of my dreams, for far less than I thought I’d have to pay. Thank you, Terri!

My husband and I got married after dating for seven years. By the time our wedding came around, we already had bought a house and cars together, were on each others’ life insurance policies, etc. So, the idea of the traditional wedding did not appeal to us… instead, we wanted to throw a chic, modern party.
After trying on dresses at many stores in the Portland area, I never found something that was exactly what I was looking for. There were elements to several dresses that I loved but none of them combined into one. Here’s where Terri at Embellish Design comes in.
I decided that having my dress custom-​made was the way to go. I contacted Terri and went to her studio in her house in NE Portland. Let’s just say that the woman is AMAZINGLY talented. She went to Parsons School of Design in LA and her abilities are incredible. We sat down and discussed different dresses and styles, fabrics and details. She brought out fabric samples and talked about the pros and cons of each.
The experience was incredibly fun… we built a dress that was exactly what I had wanted on all fronts (fabric, shape, detail). Her work was incredibly gorgeous AND the cost of the dress when all was said and done was cheaper than any of the dresses I had tried on in the shops. She also has a party dress business called Olivia Luca.