Sleek lines reflect the sparkle of her big day
Second in an occasional series about a couple enamored with each other - and with good design.
For her June 21 wedding, Gabrielle Deifik doesn't want to wear a traditional white gown.
Her ceremony is to be in the MIT Chapel, the windowless round sanctuary designed by Eero Saarinen and decorated by a metal sculpture that cascades from a skylight above the altar.
Surely, a dress with metallic fabric is in order.
"I want something that really pops and reflects light," said Deifik, a 27-year-old Cambridge resident.
Deifik and her fiance, Brad Schuller, got engaged last April and were quickly turned off by the slickness of a wedding industry that seemed to offer the same old choices on everything from flower arrangements to bridesmaids' dresses. They wanted more creative options. Deifik is an architect at Payette Associates Inc. in Boston. Schuller, 27, is a medical physicist at Boston Medical Center.
So the couple is pulling together a wedding that reflects their love of modern design, and the Globe Style section is tracking their progress. Readers can also follow the wedding preparations on the couple's blog, thedesignmuse.blogspot.com.
Laura Coulter was the only local dress designer that Deifik considered for her gown's creation. Coulter, who's based in Allston, designs couture womenswear and bridal gowns for the public, as well as costumes for clients such as the New England Conservatory of Music and Boston Lyric Opera. She was a menswear designer for
Deifik met Coulter four years ago, when both women were working in adjacent studios in Allston. "I used to leave work in the evening, and I could see through the window a gown on a dress form that Laura was just starting to make," said Deifik. "I would return in the morning and see a gorgeous almost-finished product. Laura had worked on it all night. It was amazing."
Deifik asked Coulter to visit the MIT chapel with her last August for inspiration. "I thought we should definitely pick up some metallic elements in the fabric because of the chapel's skylight and the sculpture," said Coulter. "Initially, we were thinking a liquid silver looking fabric, like silk charmeuse. It has more drape and is very reflective."
After meeting more than a dozen times and looking at samples of various silver fabrics, some dark, some shiny, the pair decided on more of a golden tone: champagne organza with gold metallic threads throughout.
Since Deifik is 5 feet tall, a voluminous skirt was out of the question. Coulter, instead, put the volume in the back of the dress with pleats in an A-line skirt. The gown will be sleeveless, with a bateau neckline. Pintucks will start at the waist and go up to the neck and continue in the back.
"The pintucks have sort of an architectural feeling to them," said Deifik. "They are very sculptural. The fabric has metallic threads in it and so it holds the creases really well."
Deifik's shoes, from Aldo, are 4 1/2-inch platform peep toe sandals. They're a metallic gold and silver color with a mock crocodile texture.
Deifik plans to make a small headdress with iridescent blue peacock feathers and antique white netting. "It's definitely retro," Deifik said. "Peacock feathers symbolize fidelity and longevity and blue is good luck for weddings."
Next up: The invitations.
Suzanne Ryan can be reached at sryan@globe.com
