hi ling,
wah...very long post leh hehehe.
i'm the one tat had been thru the 'whole process'...can advise u on the embroidery part as i hv it on my WG(on skirt only) too
yes, i did the tracing paper part with my then designer Miah. basically is the seamstress will cut out n sew only the skirt first, then i wrap the skirt around me while the designer pin up several cut pcs of tracing paper (wif the patterns) on the skirt. during the session i'm free to adjust the position of the patterns and number of the patterns on the WG. as for the pattern designs, i had a separate session with Miah to confirm the design b4 the tracing paper pinning session.
on my first fitting, the gown is 80% sewn wif all the embro done already...other detailings like embellishments eg. beads, crytals or lace appliques will be up only on 2nd fitting. if u wld like a longer train, u shld hightlight tat to ur designer during ur designing stage...coz the length can be shorten but can't be lengthen on ur first fitting..although the seamstress will always make the skirt/train longer n cut to the right length later when u confirm the actual length wearing ur actual wedding shoes, its still juz slightly longer only.
it shouldn't be a problem for u if u prefer to do ur gown fitting n man suit fitting together...i did my fittings together wif my hubby
but his designing session is after mine (when the seamstress already started working on my gowns). i only did my trial makeup during my 2nd fitting though..
as for hw long is needed to confirm the designs of the gowns...it greatly depends on the bride herself leh..do u already hv a very firm idea of wat u wanted? like wat style/cut/type of neckline, wat materials to use, wat color u want, wat embellishments to use etc. etc. if u r more or less firm on wat u wanted then maybe 2-3 sessions for each gown will surfice(like me). if u r not, then it will take many sessions..many many many sessions if u r fickle minded
at Sil, u can go thru as many sessions as u want to confirm ur designs(provided u hv enuf time tat is) so u shouldn't be too stress about it..do talk to minda about ur concerns n clear all doubts during ur sessions ya.
enjoy