Dressarte Paris: Custom Gowns and Destination Planning in One Place

The Short Version: Getting married is the seventh most stressful life event a person can go through. Your wedding day should be among the happiest of your life, but the road there rarely feels that way. From budget headaches to hunting down the perfect dress and venue, planning a wedding is a massive job. Fortunately, that’s where Dressarte Paris comes in. Whether it’s a custom dress or a destination wedding, founder Nathalie Neuilly lifts the weight off your shoulders and makes sure nothing gets overlooked.

Iconic wedding dresses are everywhere in cinema. When I first heard about Dressarte Paris, those images came rushing back, from the countless gowns in “27 Dresses,” to the picture-perfect Scottish castle wedding in “Made of Honor,” and the affectionate take on an overbearing Greek family in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

Romcoms like these seemed to pour out of the mid-2000s, and I understand why: With their witty banter, cheesy meet-cutes, and iconic soundtracks, they practically bleed romanticism.

Nathalie Neuilly of Dressarte Paris aims to give her clients exactly that feeling. The business is a sustainable atelier taking a personal approach to destination planning and wedding dresses, and you can meet in person or handle everything by video call.

With Dressarte Paris, you can watch your gown go from concept to celebration.

Nathalie and her seasoned team have shipped over 500 dresses around the world, crafting one-of-a-kind, made-to-order gowns you can see take shape with every sketch and fabric sample.

You can also go for the full package and have Nathalie help you plan the destination wedding of your dreams, be it in Italy, Dubai, or anywhere in between.

“We see so often when people try to plan a wedding themselves, they get so stressed and don’t know where to start,” says Nathalie. “I think couples forget that they are already juggling so much in life with work and family, so we remind them that we’re here to plan for them rather than pleasing others.” 

Many of us need the clarifying wake-up call of remembering to put ourselves first. Whatever Dressarte service you choose, Nathalie stresses, you won’t be facing this sometimes exhausting journey alone.

She’s there as a shoulder for you to rest your weary head on.

Get to Know Dressarte, the Wedding Atelier

As one of the few wedding ateliers in the world that operates virtually, Dressarte does a bit of everything. Nathalie’s creative team can guide you through the whole process, from custom dresses to the ceremony itself.

Before we go further, it might help to know that “atelier” comes from the French word meaning “workshop.” It’s a creative studio where working artists paint, sculpt, or design fashion.

And as with most origin stories, this side of Dressarte began with a personal love of making things.

“I love traveling and already had my diploma in wedding planning, so I was already familiar and in love with the wedding industry,” Nathalie recalls. “I started contacting suppliers to build my network, but eventually, it took me in a different direction, and I realized there may be a way to merge the services we offer and our expertise.” 

Whether you want her wedding planning, her dress services, or both, you’ll talk through your preferences with Nathalie directly.

That’s the point when Dressarte went virtual.

“We wanted to make this experience accessible to people worldwide. So, we decided to embrace the couture online approach. This involves virtual measurements and online consultations. We’ve taken the entire process, which traditionally exists in tailoring, and adapted it for the online world,” Nathalie notes.

“Clients can try on mock-up dresses or design their wedding dresses with us. They can see the fit, explore different styles, and even have Zoom calls with friends or family if needed. This convenience is especially valuable for clients with diverse cultural backgrounds or families in different locations.”

Destination wedding planning, the other half of what Dressarte offers, is also something you won’t find anywhere else. For now, Dressarte Paris mostly handles destination weddings in Dubai, France, Italy, and the Maldives.

In the end, though, Nathalie feels the destination depends on what the couple wants and what reflects who they are.

“Before we start working with a couple, we always ask them to reflect on their personal story and give more detail on their background to see if there are any ways to incorporate both sides,” she says. “For example, we get couples from very different backgrounds who want to stay within certain cultural traditions. If we know that right from the beginning, it’s a great way to make a wedding personal.”

You can use the two services on their own or together. Either way, Nathalie’s Dressarte team stands ready to turn each couple’s vision into reality.

When the Time Comes to Start Planning

People planning a wedding tend to land in one of two camps: excited to jump into the process, or overwhelmed just thinking about the logistics. If you’re in the second group, that sense of dread will no doubt grow if you’re thinking about a destination wedding.

Still, Nathalie stresses that destination weddings needn’t be as stressful as they look, though every couple should weigh a few caveats.

“Destination weddings usually don’t have to be complex in terms of logistics,” she says. “But even so, they are still a sensitive topic for many couples because not so many people are willing to travel to these locations, which is tough for any couple wanting a blended wedding.”

Naturally, every problem has a solution. By this stage of her career, Nathalie has seen it all.

Her advice? If decisions get made quickly, there’s usually plenty of time to send save-the-dates to people who live farther away and still hope to attend.

Keeping an open mind on the guest list helps too.

“Before we start working with a couple, we always ask them to reflect on their personal story and give more detail on their background to see if there are any ways to incorporate both sides.”

— Nathalie, Founder of Dressarte Paris

It’s understandable for couples to want every relative and friend there, but sometimes compromise is necessary. Nathalie has helped couples who came up with creative fixes, like holding two ceremonies.

The first ceremony happens in the couple’s home country, where the guest list can be as long as they want. The second, abroad, is a chance for a smaller, more intimate, but still unique celebration.

When a couple has no idea where to go, it’s always best to pick a place they have a connection to.

“If they’ve traveled to Ireland when they were students in college or got engaged by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, we want to link the destination to that story somehow,” Nathalie notes. “At the end of the day, we want to make it about the couple.” 

Nathalie recommends a wedding destination with personal meaning. If your proposal happened near the Eiffel Tower, for instance, she might suggest Paris for the wedding.

Truer words have never been spoken: Brides and couples often struggle to remember that the wedding is meant to be for them, and piling on extra stress is something they should always steer clear of.

“I think couples forget that they have jobs and other obligations, and adding the stress of wedding planning is a lot. So we always remind them that the wedding is about them, and they’re allowed to delegate tasks to friends and family,” Nathalie says.

Money is another big source of stress, so Nathalie encourages couples to be upfront about their budgets. Dressarte then puts together several options that fit the budget.

“We never encourage them to spend more money on something they don’t need. It’s just not our philosophy or vision, which is why we work with any budget without too much compromise,” said Nathalie. 

Nathalie might propose a French wedding in late fall or winter, for example, when it costs far less than in the high seasons of spring and summer.

Or she might suggest skipping a celebrity photographer in favor of skilled pros who lack the Instagram fame but still produce stunning results.

It helps, too, that Nathalie can draw on her own network of vendors and services, which makes it easy to browse the people she’s worked with before and get costs up front.

Whatever the result, Nathalie approaches every experience with a single piece of advice top of mind: “Managing your stress is so important, so I just want to remind all couples to be mindful of their health and well-being; otherwise, it can be easily forgotten.”

Gowns Designed Around Your Vision

If you’ve ever been part of a wedding, you’ve probably been through a tailor fitting: You stand on a little pedestal, surrounded by mirrors, while the tailor carefully takes your measurements with colorful tapes.

That step may feel quick, but reaching it took a lot of work, from researching tailors in your area and booking appointments to burning a precious Saturday afternoon, or using time off work, to match the tailor’s availability.

Every part of the wedding gown is carefully crafted by Nathalie and her team.

Dressarte stands out because the whole experience is virtual. Using a measuring tape, you can send Nathalie your measurements, then jump on a video call to talk through what you’d like. Whatever you have in mind, Nathalie tailors the design to your specs, and you never have to leave home.

Sustainability and ethical sourcing are priorities at Dressarte as well. In a world dominated by fast fashion, landfills are overflowing with cheap clothes because quality keeps slipping and production never slows.

Dressarte, however, does things differently.

“We work with surplus fabric suppliers from France and Italy whose materials would otherwise end up in the landfill because we want to repurpose what’s already created,” Nathalie explains. “It’s important for us to contribute to reducing waste because there is already so much waste in the fashion industry.” 

The process goes like this:

1. Take your measurements and talk through your preferences with Nathalie
2. Get a personalized sketch built around your input
3. Pick from luxurious fabrics from Italy or France
4. Attend fittings in person or remotely
5. Have your dress shipped anywhere on the globe

“We’re one of their few wedding planners that offer this level of customization, just because we understand all this experience of having something unique,” Nathalie said. “We try to make it a whole process, so every aspect of fitting and choosing your design and materials can be done online, and once completed, we can deliver the dress to your home or where the wedding is held.”

Ask for a free quote on a made-to-order dress today, and follow Dressarte Paris on Instagram for every update. While you wait, try Dressarte’s wedding venue quiz to find out where your dream destination wedding is waiting.