Okay, I placed my reception dress order with Milly on July 12. So far, great communication from my representative (Lily) and the dress order has been sent to the factory. Now, I guess, I play the waiting game...

Here's the design (skirt from first picture, bodice from second picture):

I'm nervous since Lily told me I probably wouldn't receive a test dress image - only a photo before they shipped it. But she reassured me I could make changes and I think I might ask through the weeks if I can see photos of the fabric and beading as the process moves along. 

Any other advice for keeping in contact with Milly? Oh, and thankfully, I'm ordering this way, way ahead of schedule.

UPDATE:

I'm so thankful for these message boards because I feel so much more confident about getting a dress made from Milly Bridal. It's not easy to order a dress overseas, plus the language barrier and only communicating via e-mail/chat.

It's been a week since I placed the order & so far, so good. I realized I needed to be very specific with the dress design, in particular the layer of sheer fabric with beading that goes over the bodice. I didn't want the sheer fabric to start at the top of the bodice. I wanted it to start at the waist. I sent Milly tons of pictures which I thought clearly showed this, but I realized it was better to be "safe than sorry." I sent my representative new images where I outlined the satin skirt & bodice, as well as the chiffon and made certain notes. I also sent her two links to dresses Milly Bridal had made that explained the way I wanted the sheer fabric to lay over the bodice - I think that really helped.

Also, thanks to these boards, I knew I wanted silk organza. I did have to pay extra but I think it's worth it.

I think that including the outlines with notes was a great idea! It will definately help them to realize what you want.

The language barrier can be difficult at times, but I was SOO happy with the dress I received from them, and it was my actually wedding dress. I cried when I opened the package. I was sooo in love with it. Still am, and my wedding was over a year ago! LOL.

I love your inspiration dresses, and I think that it will be a gorgeous dress. Good luck. And if you want pictures, I would request that as soon as possible, it can take them a while to upload them. I got pictures throughout the entire process, so I would ask if you could get them as well if you're worried. Afterall, that is how you're going to know if you need ot make changes.

Congrats!

@JustCali Thanks! I stalked the Milly Bridal message boards for photos of the finished dresses and the quality was really amazing - so happy that you loved your dress!

Lily told me yesterday that they are making the dress right now, so I'm very excited! I know there were lots of complaints about how long Milly takes to make the dresses but Lily let me know they've changed the process, so maybe it takes less time now?

I'll keep updating this post for any brides out there that are considering Milly Bridal.

I just received images of the final dress! Milly Bridal did go over the 45-day production timeline they gave me and I did open a dispute with Paypal, just in case, but they were true to their word and got me the images of the dress promptly.

What do you think of the final dress? I LOVE IT!

I love it too.. they did an amazing job

So, here's my final update:

I received the dress right around Labor Day. I've been holding off on posting this because I wanted to see if Milly Bridal would fix the mistake they made. They won't. I took the dress out of the bag and immediately realized they ignored my explicit instructions about the organza. The organza starts at the top of the satin bodice. I wanted the organza to go OVER the bodice. Lily said the factory understood this, and it's hard to see in the photos they sent, but ultimately, they did not make the dress the way I wanted.

Still, it's a very pretty dress and I thought, "Well, close enough. I won't make a mountain out of a molehill." Except then I tried the dress on... and it didn't zip up. I thought, "Maybe I've gained some weight?" I whipped out the tape measure. Nope, my waist is still 28.5 inches. I submitted 29 inches as my waist measurement to Milly Bridal, just in case. Milly Bridal screwed up the measurement.

I immediately e-mail Lily, who told me the factory made the dress to 29 inches. She requested I send a picture of the dress, so I turned the dress inside out, wrapped a tape measure loosely around it: 28 inches. Lily said the measurement was inaccurate, could I please try the dress on to get the measurement. No, Lily, I can't. The dress doesn't zip up! It's glaringly obvious that a 29"-waist dress would zip up on my 28.5" waist, and since it does not, the dress does not measure 29".

So what am I left with? Milly Bridal will continue to make excuses, the dress will not be fixed and I have a dress I cannot wear. 

I'm sorry to hear that they're not willing to fix this mistake. I went through a very similar situation - only it was my wedding dress. I would cut your losses and move on. I'm sure you'll find another chic option that's close to your original reception dress!