New Pattern...

Well, everything was going so well with my dress... I bought my dupioni silk at a half off sale on Black Friday (still one of my prouder finds), and I have a perfectly nice trial wedding dress. But then I was wandering around JC Penney trying things on, and I found THE dress. Well not really, but I found the neckline for THE dress... and it looks nothing like the dress I have already made.

For those of you who don't know me in real life, or who haven't seen me in years, I have shoulders that could make an NFL football player envious. Ok, it may not be that bad, but "petite" has never been a word used to describe me, and I have a lot of trouble getting blazers and jackets to fit me because of my shoulders. I had been working on a simple halter top pattern, but then I tried on an off-the-shoulder, ruched bodice dress, and it makes my shoulders look smaller! It covers the fact that my arms are still a bit chubby! It is flattering in amazing ways... and DF is darn lucky I didn't buy the dress. I wonder if it is still there....

So now the search is on for a pattern that looks like the dress. I think I found one (I am getting remarkably adept at searching for out of print patterns), and it is pictured here. For those of you gagging about the fabrics they used, get over it. I have slightly better taste than that (and yes, I am talking to you BF and MH :-p) I love that this pattern is for a dress in two pieces, and that the neckline is almost exactly what I want in a dress.

On a different front, I got our confirmation for the honeymoon yesterday! We are officially confirmed for our dates, and the concierges have our information to try to get us the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's (more on that later, as there is no point in posting if we don't get it.) We should know more in April!

Weight loss- 6 pounds

Honeymoon progress

Well, today I got my reservation confirmed for our stay Disney for our honeymoon. We are staying five nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and we managed to get club level, thanks to a wonderful new friend we are renting DVC points from. I am really excited that we got the reservation that I wanted for the trip, and I am still hoping that after this trip, F will decide that he enjoys Disney as much as I do (or at least that he might not mind going back one day).

Not much else going on as far as the wedding; I may going a shopping trip over Christmas to look for fabric for the dress.

Weight loss- 2 pounds

Because I didn't have enough to do...

I decided to get a calligraphy kit to start learning how to do some very basic calligraphy. I thought it would be a nice thing to be able to do, and I need a cheap-ish hobby to keep me busy. I am also working on a stuffed toy for a friend with my sewing. Since people have seen the elephant I made for F's sister's baby, there have suddenly been a lot of adults informing me that they too need stuffed animals. I am currently getting ready to start on a Chicago Bears colored teddy bear for MH. Having sewing or whatnot to keep me busy means I am less likely to sit on the couch and eat because I have nothing else to do with my hands, so I think that a lot of people may get stuffed toys for Christmas! (get your orders in early :))

No real developments on the wedding front... we have made arrangements to meet with BF's friends who will read the service for us in October while we are home for Christmas, so that is mostly taken care of, and I am currently working getting room blocks for people in Chattanooga, since the wedding is in prime leaf time, and I know they book up early. We are getting excited about coming home for Christmas, but we should have a nice Thanksgiving at MH's house this year, and I am going to my very first Black Friday... should be fun!

Resolution

I signed up for Weight Watchers Online this week (Friday actually) and I am going to give it a try to see if I can get rid of the extra 20-25 pounds that I seem to have contracted. Right now I feel frustrated with the whole thing, as I now want to eat everything that I know I don't have the points for... but that is showing me the bad eating habits I have gotten into, and how I got in this shape to start with. The goal is to be able to fit into some old pairs of pants that I love, and then I will be happy. I will try to keep updating as I lose weight.

On another note, Michael's is the best thing ever for having a cheap wedding... I got my programs there for ten dollars (on last closeout) and they keep sending 40 percent off one item coupons, so for any budget minded brides out there, it is definitely worth getting on their email mailing list and stalking the store for deals. I have all the stationary for the wedding now... invites, programs, place cards, and thank you notes, and I got it all for about 60 dollars. I am glad that some parts of the wedding seem likely to stay in budget.

A little frustrated today

They say to worry when things are going too smoothly... and I have been finding out why. Now, it is not a major snafu, and nothing that we can't overcome, but the chair rentals etc that we are having to do for the wedding are now going to cost basically twice what I was expecting, partially due to a 275 dollar set up fee. I know that this will make life simpler on the day of the wedding, as all we will have to do is decorate the tables for the reception, and put up some decorations outside, but when I am in the budgeting stage, that just looks like a lot of money I wasn't planning on. But at least I know now, and I should have the contract for the caterer signed by Halloween, which is basically all I need to do as far as outside vendors.

On the dress, I think I have decided to go simple, and make the dress out of a silk dupoini (a rough, textured silk) and embellish the bodice and the hem. Cheaper, more classic, and I think more fall-like. I am looking forward to Christmas when I can show people the run through dress and get some opinions. Not to mention going home for Christmas... this has been one rough semester!

The Dress (part 1 of many)

I was never a wedding sort of person, and while I am a little crafty, I never thought about making my own wedding dress. Last March, MH and I went on a trip to David's Bridal to try on dresses. I should preface this by saying that I am not the tiny person I used to be in high school (I am about a size 14 right now, and while, like every other bride ever, I plan on being smaller by the wedding, it may not happen). So I am certainly not the size that the wedding industry is planning on, though I am definitely not huge...

We went, and had a wonderful attendant who helped MH and me try on probably ten different dresses. I learned a lot from trying on these dresses, and they are in order: 1) The mirrors at the bridal store LIE (but in a good way). I really need one of those fun house mirrors in my house! 2) I like very simple, halter style dresses. 3) Accessories for a wedding dress can really add up to a lot!

After this busy day, I went home and thought things over, and a few weeks later, my long-suffering MH and I went to the fabric store to look at some patterns. I mean really, how hard could making my own dress be? (In retrospect, I should have known anytime I think something like that it is going to end badly.)

We found a few patterns, and the one I have pictured at the right is the one I am going to use for the final wedding dress. I have made a run through of it in a periwinkle crepe back satin, and I hope to get some pictures of it to post tonight when MH comes over.

On a related note, I have had extraordinary luck with my undergarments for the dress. This is going to be a fairly simple A-line halter top dress, and I found a long line bra at the local bridal store for twenty five dollars (instead of 60 or 70), and find of all finds, a full slip (in my exact size) at the local thrift store for fifteen dollars (instead of another 60 or 70).

The final dress is going to be in a cream color, with a detailed overlay to give it some formality and style. No train on this dress, and I am undecided about a veil, but I have a McCall's pattern for some different options. There is a big fabric and sewing expo in St. Charles in a few weeks, and the HUGE fabric store I love in Chicago is offering 20 percent off one item, so who knows what goodies I will find!

The Game Plan (for now)

So now that you know who the main characters are going to be, let me fill you in on the game plan for the wedding.

Where and when: We are planning on getting married at the Tennessee Aquarium on October 16, 2009. The wedding is at 7pm EST, which ought to be right around sunset. The ceremony will be in the pavilion behind the River Journey building, and which overlooks the Tennessee River, and the reception will be in the River Journey of the Aquarium.

The Theme: We are going with a fall colors theme for the wedding, and everything is going to be done in fall foliage (hence the centerpiece in the first post.) Pretty much everything I wanted for decorations was gotten at Michael's when they marked things down for the winter transition, so now I have a huge tupperware box full of fall leaves, garland, centerpieces, and of course my invitations.

The Vibe: We want our wedding to be a chance to celebrate our relationship, where our friends and family can gather and have a good time. We are have a low key wedding, and Tennessee bar be que for dinner! One of the things Chris and I miss when we are up here in Illinois is bar be que and sweet tea, so we wanted to have some of the food we love when we are back home!

The Mission: To have our wedding with roughly 75 guests at the aquarium, a nice reception, and a honeymoon at Disney World for 5 nights, all for around five thousand dollars. To this end, I am making the decorations, and the dress, which will make everything both more personal and much more affordable.

The Challenges: The timeline. We are getting married on Friday night... during the middle of the fall semester of school. While we have great friends who are going to watch our classes for us during the honeymoon, we are still going to have to drive down from Illinois late Wednesday or early Thursday, arrange last minute things on Friday (as well as do hair and makeup, and a lunch for families), get married Friday night, and drive to Florida Saturday morning. Will we manage? Who knows!

Coming next... the saga of the dress!