Wedding dress
Photo: Ryan Segedi

Since 2012, Milk Handmade in Andersonville has been known for stocking sustainable, indie-made clothes and accessories, so it’s no surprise you’ll find that same sensibility next door at its sibling shop, Honey Bridal. Hallie Borden and Dana Karlov, the sisters who opened the boutique in 2017 to cater to brides with unexpected, socially conscious tastes, built up a cadre of designers, from Chicago to Australia, who (mostly) hand-sew each gown in their ateliers, though they continued sewing from home during the COVID-19 closures. Their creations are untraditional, says Borden, “which can mean sleek and minimal, but it can also mean a bunch of fringe and studs.” Expect classic styles updated with geometric cuts and zero frills, but also frocks with capes that function as veil alternatives. Says Karlov of one recent arrival, swathed in pastel blue, violet, and gray tie-dyed lace: “It looks like watercolor.” Most gowns cost between $2,000 and $3,000 — not too bad for something so painstakingly crafted. (Your average wedding dress in the Midwest goes for $1,500.) For those willing to splurge a bit more, there’s a Georgia Young gown featuring crisp laser-cut lace (pictured, $5,600). “That dress is what made us carry this collection,” Borden says. It encapsulates the current planning-for-after-COVID bridal mood: delicate, pretty — and with a little bit of edge. 5135 N. Clark St.