Amy Jo Tatum’s design career started some twenty years back when she did a three-year stint as a bridal fabrics buyer. After that she opened Bridal Alternatives, a custom design studio and ever since has been working with brides who want that extraordinary one-of-a-kind dress on their wedding day.

Her best work has stemmed from translating the trends of fashion history into contemporary bridal fashion. Based on her esteem for Hollywood chic and fine-tuned dressmaking skills, a design philosophy evolved that has to do with seeing fabrics drape well and mold to the skin like sculpture. “A wedding gown should be comfortable and beautifully lined so the woman wears it like a second skin . . . the whole component moving with her as if it is part of her body.”