Wedding gown designer Cao Yuting has received widespread attention for making mini model dresses.

 

After she posted a video of her cutting lace and sewing beads to make doll-sized wedding dresses online last year, the 32-year-old received a large number of fans, millions of views and many "likes".

 

Netizens said just looking at the dresses made them feel relaxed.

 

"It is so beautiful, I can sense the happiness from the other side of the screen," one commenter posted.

 

Cao, a native of Hunan province, owns a studio in her hometown, Chenzhou city, where she designs full-size wedding gowns.

 

Before getting into gowns, Cao worked as a fashion designer in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. While attending a friend's wedding in Chenzhou one day in 2014, she was disappointed to see that the wedding dress was poorly designed and roughly made.

 

"Every girl deserves a fine, exquisite wedding gown," she said. "It is a woman's ultimate dream to look good at her wedding."

 

The thought led Cao to quit her job in Guangzhou. She returned to Chenzhou and later opened her studio.

 

Cao said she feels it's her responsibility to help make her customers' wedding dreams come true, and that she gets extremely happy when she sees how good women look in her gowns.

 

A collection of mini wedding gowns designed by Cao on display in her studio. [Photo/China Daily]

 

She said she began crafting the mini versions in 2018.

 

"I started making small replicas to see how they looked before making a proper wedding gown and to make adjustments," Cao said, adding that this method helps her save time making the full-size dresses.

 

Since receiving all the media attention, Cao has received many orders to make mini dresses for decorations and mementos.

 

Last year, a client from the United States contacted Cao and asked her to make mini copies of the wedding dress she wore at her ceremony as a souvenir.

 

Although it took three months for the client to receive the dresses because of delivery delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the customer was still very happy, Cao said.

 

Cao has made more than 200 mini wedding dresses, ranging from 35 to 87 centimeters in length.

 

Like making a full-size wedding gown, many steps are required to craft mini dresses, including sketching the design, fabric selection, platemaking, cutting and bead sewing.

 

Once Cao has an idea, she immediately begins to work. "It (inspiration) comes through thought and observation, as well as rich imagination," Cao said.

 

She hopes to be innovative and establish a personal style.

 

"I studied design at university and have worked as a fashion designer since then. Many girls may only dream about becoming a fashion designer, but I am lucky enough to have made my dream come true," she said.