Wedding Gowns & Bridal Fashion

Jeany Li is an urban planner’s dream. Actually, Li has a master’s degree in urban planning, so when she describes her life in one of Orenco Station’s live-work units as making her “feel like I’m living a dream right now,” her opinion carries some weight.

After three years in her home, Li came up with an idea for a business that would fit perfectly with the commercial space integrated into her home’s ground floor. And it would allow her to use another skill she’d practiced almost her entire life: clothing design and fine sewing.

The result is Jeany’s Bridal Couture, and Li is now spreading the word that brides have a source for one-of-a-kind, locally designed and crafted wedding dresses.

Li is working on expanding the sample gowns displayed in her downstairs shop. With four complete, she wants to add four more by January.

However, she emphasizes these dresses are just to give her clients ideas to draw on. When designing a gown, Li inquires about the future bride’s interests and asks, “What do you want to be on your special day? What would you like to feel?”

From this information, she starts the process of designing for that individual. Everything is handcrafted. Li even has a machine for making her own lace, so she’s not limited to what’s available in the retail trade.

All of this takes infinite patience. Li says she first learned to sew from her grandmother as a child in her home in Tianjin, China. Li was the only granddaughter in the family, and her grandmother wanted to pass her skills to a new generation. At age 5, Li was too young to use a machine, so her first lessons were all in hand sewing, including embroidery.

Li says her parents were surprised a child so young could sit still and do one step at a time. Her grandmother, though, had told her, “You have to love it, if you want to learn it well,” a message she took to heart.

Along with patience comes flexibility. Li says she will work with a bride to ensure she gets a couture gown that still fits her budget. She said the cost of a simple elegant wedding gown might be as low as $900, compared to the cost of an original by designer Vera Wang, which might cost as much as $15,000.

Li does not outsource, choosing instead to do every step herself. She even plans to offer brides souvenir photo packages, capturing the steps during creation of their gowns and documenting they are a one-of-a-kind original.

Jeany’s Bridal Couture is at 1460 Orenco Station Parkway. For more information or to make an appointment, call 503-848-8303. A Web site at orencobridal.com is under development.