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Hi JoSaBi Family, how are you guys today? Well I hope you’re doing stellar, and I hope you’re sitting down; I have a pretty incredible dress story coming your way today. Indeed… we completed Lydie’s lace mermaid wedding dress in 24 days. YES, 24. Let’s jump into this incredible adventure, and please remember- the stars REALLY aligned for this to happen; we always suggest having at the very least 45 days to spare.
Background information
On Sunday June 23rd , we got a frantic message from the lovely Dorcas (head baker at Mercy Pastry in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso). She was coming to us as a referral from our JoSaBi Aïcha. After saying hi, she dropped a bombshell: her sister Lydie was getting married on August 3rd, and had previously placed an order for a lace mermaid wedding dress with another designer (who shall remain unnamed). However… that designer had disappeared, and 39 days away from the wedding, there was no dress to be seen. To add to the complexity of an already stressful situation, the bride was studying in France; she was due to fly home only 2 weeks before the wedding, which left a minuscule window for alterations. (*Cue dramatic music*)
Design
After the initial shock, there was no time to waste! On the bright side, since this was a re-do, Dorcas knew exactly what her sister wanted; within an hour and a half of frantic texting, we were able to finalize the design of the dress, go over the length of the train, nail down a tentative color and get a final quote together. Mind you, it was like 3 AM in France, and Lydie was sleeping during all of this 
Lydie wanted a classic lace mermaid wedding dress, with gorgeous lace, beading accents and crystals. She wanted a medium length train (we settled on 1m), as well as 3/4 sleeves with some lace detailing, as well as a semi sheer back. The whole look was very simple, timeless yet detailed. For color, Dorcas suggested off white. Due to the unique circumstances, we opted for a super simple white elbow length veil to finish the look.
By the time she woke up on Monday though, she legit only had a few more things to approve– Dorcas had worked HARD 
. She immediately went to get her measurements taken somewhere in Compiègne; meanwhile, poor Dorcas had the tall task to convince their Mom and Dad to give a random internet company a chance (AFTER A FIRST DESIGNER HAD DISAPPEARED WITH THEIR DAUGHTER’S DRESS). I am still grateful they even entertained the idea.
She *somehow* succeeded; Lydie sent me her measurements as planned, and we were OFF TO THE RACES.
Creation
We thank the heavens for our customers every day; they really are amazing people 😂. Indeed, we could not stop the production for our usual mini photos and videos ( because NO TIME) and just asked Lydie and Dorcas to trust our team. They did, and that was honestly the biggest reward ever. We worked as fast as we could. Thank God, we had delivered most of our summer wedding dresses already; also, a classic mermaid wedding dress is something we can execute super fast. Lo and behold, 24 days later, Lydie’s custom lace mermaid wedding dress was ready. WE HAD 14 DAYS TO SPARE AT THAT POINT. FOURTEEN. 🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️
After Lydie approved the final video (she was ecstatic), we shipped her dress as fast as possible. Lydie was also headed to Burkina Faso at that point, and the plan was for her to arrive at the same time as her dress. (We didn’t quite make it, the dress arrived a couple of days after she did.)
As soon as the dress touched down, we went straight for her fitting… and it fit perfectly! (Ok no, one of the sleeves needed to be let out by half an inch- we always plan for that by adding fabric into the seams, so it was super easy). However, a week before the wedding, the dress was all ready, and we were just waiting for the big day. Time from order to final delivery : 31 days. Phew!!!
Time from order to final delivery: 31 days.
The Wedding
The wedding was awesome!!! On that day, Lydie was so happy! Dorcas (who made her sister’s 16 tier cake) was tired but super excited, and everything was just perfect. We were so gleeful- it was just a beautiful day, and we were just so excited we has contributed to end Lydie and Dorcas’ dress nightmare, as well as so grateful they had chosen JoSaBi.
Lydie and Dorcas: thank you, thank you and thanks again. We appreciate you so much, and in spite of the incredible amount of pressure, we still managed to have a blast making this dress. You guys are the living example of teamwork, and your love for each other is so visible- please always remain that close!!! Our whole team wishes JoSaBi Lydie all the happiness in the world in her married life!!!
If you read this far- you are the best, and we love you too! Thanks so much, and see you next time for another dress adventure.
