- A TikToker told Insider her wedding reception look was inspired by Galia Lahav's "Fabianna" dress.
- She re-created the dress using a $68 SKIMS bodysuit and lace fabric she bought off Etsy.
- Julia said adding the lace fabric brought the cost of the dress to $1,300.
Wedding outfits can be expensive, but one bride found a way to bring her dream look to life without going over budget.
Julia, who requested that Insider publish her first name only for privacy reasons, had her eyes set on the Galia Lahav "Fabianna" dress when planning what to wear for her June wedding reception. However, she couldn't justify the $7,000 price tag.
Instead, Julia decided to make her own version of the gown using a $68 bodysuit from Kim Kardashian's SKIMS line, as well as some lace fabric that she purchased off Etsy.
"The SKIMS bodysuit had a similar neckline to the dress I wanted to re-create," she said of the Power Mesh bodysuit, which she purchased last summer in a marble color.
According to a SKIMS representative, the bodysuit, which debuted in 2020, has been discontinued. The SKIMS Sheer Sculpt bodysuit is meant to be similar, the representative told Insider.
"As I was hand-sewing each piece of lace onto the bodysuit, I thought there was no way it would hold up, but I was so happy it did," Julia said.
Julia used the rest of the lace fabric to make the skirt and the straps, and then she used an old bra hook for the closure of the skirt. She said the dress cost $1,300 to make and took her about four days to complete.
In May, Julia shared a TikTok video showing the process of making her reception dress. It had over 701,000 views as of Saturday. Because she didn't have a mannequin, she said she used a weight plate to re-create her measurements, so the dress was made to fit her exact body shape.
Julia said seeing her handmade reception dress on was "nice while it lasted," but she got pizza all over the gown after only wearing it for about five minutes. However, she said she plans to get the dress cleaned so she can take more pictures.
"I want to go to the beach with the dress on because I think it would look really pretty in the sunshine," she said. "The way the dress sparkles thanks to the lace fabric is breathtaking."
