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!

MY DIY wedding

I am overhauling this blog to be a place where I am going to post about my fiance's and my upcoming wedding in Chattanooga, TN on Oct 16, 2009. A lot of our friends and family have been interested in what we are up to, since we are currently living in the frozen cornfields of Northern Illinois. This blog will chronicle the success or failures of my ideas for the wedding, the process of making my dress, and all of the little road bumps along the way. The picture in this post is of the centerpieces I have made for our wedding.

First things first, here are a cast of characters who will appear in this blog with some frequency, pseudonyms used to protect the guilty:

Me: The Stress-fest. I am a 27 year old English graduate student working toward her PhD in English with a specialization in American literature, especially American gothic lit. I worry about everything, am subject to stressing out over unimportant things, and taking on workloads that would make most people run away crying. I am very detail oriented, and I generally choose to do things myself rather than try to explain what I want to others. In addition to the wedding, I have to pass my language exams, and be ready to take my field exams by next December, teach two classes a semester, take three of my own, and occasionally I present at conferences just to keep me busy!

My Fiance (hereafter referred to as "F"): Mr. Laid back. He is also working on his PhD in English, but specializes in linguistics and rhetoric, so at least one of us will get a job when we graduate. Very few things get F upset, and his amazing luck sees him through most rough spots. He has some input on the wedding, but like most wise men, his favorite response is "whatever you want dear."

My Maid of Honor (hereafter referred to as MH): The Enforcer. MH makes sure that everything is going to go as planned at my polite southern wedding, as anyone from Chicago will be treated as a rude yankee anyway. Another fellow PhD student at Northern, MH is the assertive, practical one in the group, and the one who has to critique my wedding dress as it comes along.

My Best Friend (hereafter referred to as BF): The Style Guy. BF has known me since the seventh grade, and as my mother mentioned a few months ago, has much better taste than I do. BF lives in Chattanooga, and is in charge of all of the arrangements that have to made down there while I am at school here, since I can only come home about twice a year due to finances.

Also appearing in this production are assorted friends, family members, hangers on, and critics who will be introduced and disposed of as needed.


My next post will detail the plans for the wedding as it stands now... stay tuned y'all!