Gem Of A Gown: The Most Expensive Ever Worn In The United States

When his little girl asked her dad for her dream wedding gown one Brooklyn father just could not say no. Even when the price tag for the schemata was a whopping $300,000! Anthony La Bate of Francesca Couture has been charged with the task to design what is most likely the most expensive wedding gown ever worn in the U.S.

The bride (whose name remains a mystery) has commissioned a dress encrusted with 1,100 diamonds totaling 300 carats and 3,000 Swarovski crystals all combined with 50 yards of silk organza. The wedding, scheduled to take place in New York in late summer, will definitely be one in which no guest will out sparkle this bejeweled 23 year old bride.

When the bride - whose father paid for the dress - called La Bate, she asked for an "over-the-top magnificent wedding dress."

"I've never heard of a gown at this price before in the U.S.," said La Bate. "I've designed gowns with semi-precious stones before, but never diamonds." And so when La Bate suggested using diamonds, "She said no problem... when I told her the value came out to $300,000, she was cool with it."

But the bride isn't cool with the world knowing who she is just yet. "She's a little shy and doesn't want to deal with any of this at the moment," said La Bate. "She comes from a great family."

The silk gown (pictured here) is in two pieces, with a diamond-adorned bodice that flares out like two leaves. The bottom of the dress is a detachable ball gown, which contains 50 yards of bias-cut petals in six tiers of scalloping, that the bride can take off at the end of the ceremony - so she isn't weighed down.

Each diamond was individually hand-stitched on the fabric. If they were to be replaced by crystals, the value of the dress would drop to $30,000, said La Bate.

On average, brides will spend anywhere from $500 to $12,000 on a gown. Further establishing this gown as one of the most expensive ever made in the US a rep at Saks Fifth Avenue bridal, which carries top bridal gowns priced from $3,000 said, "I've never heard of a gown of that price, not even from the highest couturier in the world."

Some source material reprinted with permission from IDEX Magazine (http://www.idexonline.com).