George Boyle
The Corpse Bride, the main character from Tim Burton's famous animated film, has become a popular costume choice for Halloween. To make a Corpse Bride wedding dress, you can start with a long white dress, preferably a second-hand wedding dress with some visible flaws such as loose stitching, holes, or rips to make the costume look more authentic. The dress should have a narrow top half and a wider skirt that flares out a little. To distress the dress further, you can fray the edges, use walnut ink or tea to age the fabric, or spray paint to give it a dirty tinge. Don't forget to add rips and tears to the fabric, and on the right side of the dress, include a rip below the chest with ribs showing, using a square piece of black cloth with white adhesive paper to create the rib cage shape.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Base | Long white dress with a narrow top half and a wider skirt |
| Fabric colour | Blue or purple |
| Fabric type | Synthetic fibres |
| Fabric condition | Torn, with rips and dirt in some areas |
| Accessories | Crown, veil, black bouquet of withered roses, tiara with blue flowers |
| Hair | Blue, long with mid-length waves |
| Makeup | Blue face paint, white face paint, red lipstick, defined white eyes |
| Shoes | White ballet flats or heels |
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What You'll Learn
Find a white wedding dress
To make a Corpse Bride wedding dress, you'll need to start with a long white dress, preferably a wedding dress, with a narrow top half and a wider skirt that flares out. You can buy a new or used wedding dress from bridal shops, online marketplaces, or thrift stores.
If you're on a budget, it's worth checking out thrift stores or second-hand wedding dress marketplaces to find a cheap used wedding dress that can serve as the base for your costume. Don't worry if the dress has visible flaws, such as loose stitching, holes, or rips, as these will only add to the authenticity of your Corpse Bride look. Alternatively, if you can't find a used wedding dress, you can purchase any style of pre-loved white dress and accessorize it accordingly.
If you're feeling creative and want to make your own wedding dress from scratch, you can use a white sheet or duct tape to create the base structure of the dress. You can then add tulle or lace to create a veil and incorporate rips and dirt to achieve the resurrected bride look.
Remember, the Corpse Bride costume should appear somewhat torn and dirty, so don't be afraid to get creative with your chosen materials and distress the dress to perfection.
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Add rips and dirt
To make a Corpse Bride wedding dress, you'll need to start with a long white dress with a narrow top half and a wider skirt. The dress should appear torn and dirty, with rips and stains, to reflect the character's burial and resurrection.
- Start by identifying the areas of the dress that you want to distress. Clothing worn in daily life tends to get dirty faster around the cuffs, hems, and collar, and wears out faster at the knees and elbows. There might also be stains on the chest and top of the thighs from spilling food, leaning against tables, etc. Identify the areas of the dress that would show wear and tear based on the character's environment and lifestyle.
- To create rips and tears, use a pair of scissors or a seam ripper to make small cuts in the fabric. Make sure the cuts are parallel to the hem, not perpendicular. Hold the fabric on either side of the cut and pull it apart, continuing to pull until the entire hem separates from the garment.
- To make the dress look dirty and stained, you can use various techniques:
- Tea staining: Soak a cotton ball or sponge in strong black tea and apply it to the fabric. Alternatively, you can soak the entire dress in tea for an overall aged look.
- Coffee staining: Rub coffee grounds or a strong coffee solution onto the fabric for a dingy appearance.
- Dirt staining: Apply real dirt or character powder to the fabric for a realistic, dirty appearance. However, note that real dirt may not stick as well and might wash out.
- Paint staining: Use brown or dark eyeshadow and a blush brush to apply "dirt" to specific areas of the dress.
- Sanding: Use sandpaper to roughen the surface of the fabric without tearing it. This technique is ideal for heavier fabrics like canvas.
- To create a more uniform weathered look, you can use a bleach solution or dye remover to fade the fabric. Note that concentrated bleach will break down the fabric with repeated use, so consider running the fabric through several bleach cycles before constructing the dress.
- Finally, if you want to add a darker element, include a rip below the chest area to reveal the ribs, as seen in the movie. Cut a square piece of black cloth and sew it into the right side of the dress, with white adhesive paper shaped like bones attached.
By following these steps and getting creative with distressing techniques, you can create an authentic and eerie Corpse Bride wedding dress for your Halloween costume or themed event.
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Wear a blue wig
The Corpse Bride's hair in the original film is bright blue with loose curls, so wearing a blue wig is an important part of the costume. You can buy a long blue wig and comb it to create mid-length waves, or use a temporary wash-out blue hair dye if you'd prefer not to wear a wig. If you are making a costume for a child, you can spray their hair with blue hairspray, or use a wig if you don't want to use dye.
To complete the look, you can add a tiara with blue flowers and a veil. You can make the tiara by using a headband and adding flowers made from crumpled blue and grey paper. The veil can be made from tulle, with some rips in the fabric to add to the costume's authenticity. You can also add blue flowers to your hair or wig using bobby pins, or wear a floral crown.
The blue wig will stand out against the white wedding dress, which should be long with a narrow top half and a wider skirt. The dress should also be somewhat torn and dirty, with rips in the fabric, to emphasise that the Corpse Bride has been resurrected. You can find a suitable dress at a thrift store, and don't worry if it has visible flaws as these will add to the authenticity of your costume.
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Create a veil and tiara
To create a Corpse Bride-inspired veil and tiara, you can follow these steps:
Veil
For the veil, you can use cheap lace or tulle fabric. If you opt for lace, you can simply drape it over your head, allowing it to fall gracefully behind you. If you prefer tulle, you can create a more structured veil by following these steps:
- Cut the tulle to your desired width. The standard width is 1 yard, but you can cut it narrower if you prefer.
- Create a neat edge by folding the top of the tulle by about half an inch and sewing a simple hem or using a hot glue gun to secure it.
- Attach the veil to the tiara by applying dabs of hot glue to the inside corners of the tiara and pressing the hemmed edge of the veil onto it. You can also stitch the veil to the tiara using small, tight stitches and invisible thread.
- Trim the bottom of the veil to your desired length, rounding the edges slightly to soften them or cutting off the straight edge to form a curve.
Tiara
For the tiara, you can use a simple headband and decorate it with blue and grey paper flowers. Here's how to create it:
- Find a plain headband that suits your head size and will be comfortable to wear.
- Create paper flowers in blue and grey colours by crumpling the paper to give it texture.
- Attach the paper flowers to the headband using hot glue or by stitching them securely.
By following these steps, you can create a veil and tiara that capture the unique style of the Corpse Bride while adding your own creative touches.
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Use face paint
To achieve the Corpse Bride's distinctive look, you'll need to use face paint. The Corpse Bride has skin that is blue with a ghostly tinge of white, so these two colours are essential.
Start by painting your face, neck, hands, chest, and arms with blue face paint. You can use a moisturizer as a base to protect your skin and help the paint go on smoothly. Then, use a slightly damp sponge to lightly dab white face paint onto your exposed skin. This will create a ghostly, otherworldly effect.
For added detail, you can use black makeup to create a skeletal effect on your arms and hands. Draw on the bones of the arm, hand, and fingers for a truly spooky look.
Don't forget to complete the look with red lipstick and defined white eyes. You can also add some blue flowers to your hair or a floral crown to really embrace the Corpse Bride's iconic style.
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Frequently asked questions
The Corpse Bride's dress is long and white, with a narrow top half and a wider skirt that flares out. It should also appear old and worn, with rips and dirt in some areas.
You can find a cheap used wedding dress at your local thrift store. Don't worry if it has visible flaws, as they will make your costume look more authentic.
You can use walnut ink, tea, coffee, or a weak solution of bleach to age the fabric and give it a dirty tinge. You can also use thinned acrylic paints to stain the dress with dirty, mossy shades.
Before distressing the dress, make sure the seam allowances are well finished. Experiment with different techniques on fabric scraps before applying them to the dress. Use a straight or zig-zag stitch on the edges you will cut and fray.
The Corpse Bride wears a tiara with blue flowers and a veil, which can be made with white tulle. She also carries a black bouquet of withered roses and wears blue face paint with a ghostly tinge of white.
