Couture by Kristine

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Oxford, MI
Couture by Kristine

Custom Dressmaking
Bridal and Formalwear Alterations I've been sewing since I was 13, and made just about everything from pajamas to prom dresses!

Click on the link tree to view photo albums of my work.

09/08/2026

The final version of Brianne’s gown didn’t look exactly like the dress she bought. Here’s the “Before and After” rundown…

Bri bought the “Kimora” gown by EVIE YOUNG BRIDAL | Wedding Dresses at THE BRIDAL STUDIO and asked for 3 modifications…
Can you make the skirt meet in a V in the front and close the gap? Yes…

She ordered a couple yards of the exact crinkly chiffon fabric from the bridal store and I created a gathered panel and stitched it in a V at the waist and attached it to the chiffon sides.

Can you add straps? Absolutely, yes, 100%.
Can you change the back? Sure!
There was a different dress that she really liked the back of, it had lace and was sheer.

So, I texted her different lace options and used the extra chiffon from the skirt (or scarf?), removing the original back, using it to cut new pieces in the right size and reapplied the sheer ruffle that ran along the top edge. I used the same lace cut into smaller pieces and applied them to the new straps.

So sweet and delicate. I love how they turned out!

The gown was pretty to begin with, but the changes that Brianne wanted just made the gown one of a kind and fit her style and personality just perfectly.

Bri’s other request was for a cathedral length veil edged with the same floral lace as the bodice back and straps. It came as a set of 10 appliqués but we decided that splitting each into two covered the edges more nicely. She has such a good eye!!!

When all was said and done, I’m so honored to have made her bridal vision a reality. Brianne looked so perfectly beautiful!
In May she flew in with the dress on a Tuesday, I worked on the gown Wednesday-Saturday, and she flew out Sunday. Talk about a whirlwind!

Her choices fit the venue and the settings so perfectly, too. The Notch House has the prettiest gardens and all the sites (ceremony, cocktail party, reception) looked fabulous!!!

The love these two share is so beautiful, warm, balanced, and whole. Welcome to the family, Luke Fortune !

The train didn’t get in the way of a dip…

And the bustle did it’s job on the dance floor! I love this picture!!! K&E Photography did a fabulous job capturing the beauty and warmth of the entire day. Brianne Fortune I love

09/03/2026

Who is coming to Craft Night on Wednesday???
I need to confirm headcount for table set up, please.
I’ll have an iron and ironing board there, too!
Whether it’s knitting, sewing, crochet, needle felting or just coloring… it’s a good thing to take a few hours and just create! And if you have a sewing machine but don’t know how to use it, I’m happy to show you how to use it!!!
Uocoming: Tue Sept 22, 6-9p at Oxford Library

08/31/2026

Brianne & Luke (my niece and new nephew) were married in Vermont this weekend! Yes, I did alter her gown. It started as a strapless gown entirely made of crinkle chiffon with an open front basque waist. We changed it up… I replaced the back bodice making the chiffon sheet embellished with lace that matched her veil. We also closed the front of the skirt adding a gathered chiffon panel to the center front skirt and added straps to the bodice.

Brianne and Luke Fortune
8.29.26
They had the most beautiful ceremony and exchange of vows I’ve ever witnessed. Love you both so much!
You can see here how the front of her basque waist skirt is now closed and complete.

My beautiful sister Diane with her daughter the bride!

I made my dress for the wedding using a silky floral and Vogue 1944 (a Vera Wang pattern). I added the leg slit and finished it the day before we flew out!

It featured a low back and cowl drape with a slightly flared skirt back. I removed the train of the dress, though.

This is my family… but not even all of them! 14 of us flew from Detroit and 4 more made it a road trip! Thursday - Sunday, we stayed at the WilloughVale Inn and cottages and had the most spectacular view of the Green Mountains and Lake Willoughby!

I made my niece Jenna a dress, too… long distance from San Francisco! She chose a beautiful Liberty of London cotton lawn, texted me her measurements and an indoor pic. I put it together in January and mailed it to California. It just needed a quick alteration before the rehearsal dinner! Seamstresses travel with needles and thread!!!

Here we are all cleaned up and enjoying the welcome party! I made my dress for this night, too. It’s cotton sateen and New Look 6800.

My daughter and I enjoyed the 4-day “girls weekend” together between her completion of college and the start of her career in a couple weeks. I think this is the first event that I did NOT make anything she wore! 😂 We laughed at the road signs (scarified? Moose!) and the picturesque Vermont countryside. I thoroughly enjoyed our blended playlist that she created and hope we can make little getaways like this a tradition. ♥️

The back of my dress… and the gardens at

08/16/2026

Julia & Guilherme 8.2.26
What a beautiful gown and a gorgeous bride!
Made by Lillian West, #66376 is an A-Line Gown features all over embroidered lace with a strapless scoop neckline. Julia ordered her gown from Norah’s Bridal, and it needed a few slight adjustments. I took in the side seams, added cups, shortened the 5 layers of skirting and created a 3-point over bustle. The scalloped lace trimming the hemline needed to be delicately removed and restitched at the new hemline. Julia said “it fit like a glove and was so stunning”! Goal achieved!!!
Thank you for trusting me with your wedding gown alterations, Julia! Best wishes for a long, happy & healthy marriage! 🥂 To the new Mr. & Mrs. Miqueletti!
Photography by Samantha Leigh Sutton | Detroit Wedding Photographer
Venue: Meadow Brook Hall Rochester, Michigan
Gown #66376 Lillian West Wedding Dresses from NORAH’S BRIDAL | Bridal Boutique in Metro Detroit

08/11/2026

Who is interested in a monthly gathering of “ladies night in” casual energy? Weeknight, 3 hours, BYOP (project)? I’m looking at reserving a community room at the Oxford or Orion library on a monthly or biweekly basis.
If you’re interested, please let me know by sending me a private message with your email address. ♥️🧵🧶🪡

07/23/2026

Sarah & Tim 6.6.26
I love a great “mom gown redesign”! Sarah’s mom Judy wore this gown nearly 40 years ago in August 1988. Made of silk dupioni with an asymmetrical drop skirt and peplum, Sarah was hoping to achieve a “historical princess” redesign. When she said it was “everything that I dreamed of” at delivery, it became a trophy moment of 2026!
For starters we were fortunate that the gown fit (nearly perfectly) and the layer beneath the lace too was the exact same silk as the rest of the gown. Sarah knew she wanted a basque waistline, so I completely disassembled the gown, reattached the skirt at the new higher level, and used the peplum to add the needed length to the skirt now that it was raised up and too short. I had just enough silk left to grant Sarah’s other wish… a straight and banded strapless neckline. Finishing touches were adding some gathered netting under the skirt at the sides of the waist to add volume at the basque waist and replace the buttons along the back.
Added to the challenging endeavor was scheduling fittings with a long distance bride… living in Colorado! Having a head start on the project (Oct 2025) was essential to planning the fittings when Sarah would be home for holidays. But working with Sarah and Judy was always a delight and I’m honored to have been trusted with the ultimate task. You can read her take on the partnership by scrolling to the end of the photos here!

Congratulations to Sarah & Tim, wishing you many wonderful memories and years! 🥂

Photography by michigan wedding photographer 📸
Venue: The Brady Backyard (excellent work Judy!!!)
Sarah Brady Carpenter

06/27/2026

Elizabeth & Ross 5.15.26
This stunning organza gown from Norah’s Bridal was so perfect for Elizabeth… but it was WAY too big! She was swimming in it at the first fitting but it fit like a glove at delivery. Taking in so much (6”) at the side seams meant reshaping the upper side edge. Taking it in extended down into the side seams of the skirt where I removed 5” total from around her waist! I hemmed all the skirt layers and created a 5-point over bustle where the attachments were hidden in the pleats at the back waist.

Absolutely gorgeous inside and out, I loved working with Elizabeth! Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Winston!
Photography by 📸
Venue: Detroit MI
Gown: from .bridal

06/10/2026

Sydney & Bradley 4.11.26
In the winter I turned Sydney’s mother’s@wedding gown into a beautiful “getting ready robe” and in the spring I altered her own gown, perfecting the fit!

From August 1989 to April 2026, the robe was designed to keep@as many details of her mother’s gown as possible, from the lace on the sleeves to the bow on the back! The robe featured a narrow shawl collar and the lace trim at the hem. The most fun feature is that the back of the robe was actually the front of the original gown’s skirt!

Sydney’s wedding gown was the “Skylar” by Maggie Sottero and was purchased at Becker’s Bridal.
I took in the sides of the bodice, created and added a waist stay, shortened the 6 layers of skirting and created a 3-point over bustle.

I’m always honored to be trusted with bridal alterations, but am especially flattered when I get the opportunity to redesign a mother’s gown for the next generation!
Thank you for trusting me Sydney! Wishing you and Bradley many years of happiness!!! 🥂

Photography by 📸
Gown:
Venue: The Treasury, Pontiac MI

06/05/2026

2027 Brides: Alteration reservations are now open!
Whether you’ve purchased or gown yet or not, you can now reserve my seamstress services. I only accept 3 brides per wedding weekend and the calendar will fill up.
Contact me via website, email, text, or phone 248-431-7613. FAQs are pinned on my IG, and I’m always happy to answer questions. I look forward to hearing from you!

05/19/2026

Aranda wanted to surprise her mom by redesigning her wedding gown and wearing it at her bridal shower. Mission accomplished! I removed the off the shoulders sleeves and created new straps. I removed the peplum from the back, shortened the skirt, added a lining layer, and reapplied the original decorative trim to the hemline. Aranda chose a tea length for this new version and it’s absolutely perfect! Thank you for trusting me with this very special project, Aranda!

Address

Hummer Lake Road
Oxford, MI

Telephone

+12484317613

Website

http://www.couturebykristine.com/

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