As Ryan mention I have been working on engagement announcements that will also serve as save the date for the wedding. I thought that I would actually give you a bit of a sneak peak. I am designing them myself and printing them myself all very DIY and saving us heaps of money. So here you go the front of the engagement announcement!
So I am completely in every way trying to not be a complete bridezilla, difficult, indecisive or over dramatic. In many ways I like to think that I am succeeding in this task I guess you would really have to talk to Ryan or some of my friends about that. Since the first moment that I started planning the big day(about 6 minutes after I said yes to Ryan) there were many things I knew that I wanted for sure. My colours were set nearly 27 years ago. :-p Flowers I wanted gardenia’s and lilacs even if they don’t perfectly fit in with my colours. Bridal party small just one attendant each and flower girl and ring bearer. Hair in a simple elegant low ponytail to the left side with gardenias bunched at the base. The reception a relaxed feel with a community/familial twist to it, including a potluck dinner. There is one thing that interrupts this harmonious plan, the dress!
It’s not about money or which designer or finding one that is prefect cause I am making my own. It’s all about which way to go, Contemporary or Victorian. I really want a dress that is dramatic and says something and makes people go “WOW” and I know I can do this either style. Really what it comes down to is what do I want my wedding dress to mean to me. Is it just something glamorous and over the top to be stored away until I get sick of it then punted over to some op shop for some artist to buy it and do something with it. Or do I want something more “classic” looking that I might be able to save for my own daughter one day to wear, maybe with a few adjustments and such but still passed down maybe even down to my granddaughter. It is this that has me fractured, while I know that I would love the Victorian gown no one else is likely to want to wear it after me, and I think that is what puts me off. I really want a dress that has the potential to become a heirloom for the generations to come after me, I can still take inspiration from the Victorian era but in a much more modern and contemporary style that also has a look of classic and undateable elegance.
When Ryan asked me to marry him after yes thousand of thought whirled through my mind at a thousand kilometers per second. When? Where? What will I wear? How will I style my hair? Who should I choose for bridesmaids? Why will it cost so much? But there was at least one thing I was sure of what colours I wanted for the wedding. I have known that years before I even knew I was going to get married because I knew what two colours I liked together. The problem is I’m no good at the names of the colours and cause I am a web geek I only know the hexadecimal colour codes for them. Adding to this is the complication that you can’t just say pretty blue and grey because people need the specific shades, is the grey silver? Steel? Platinum? Pewter? I dunno it’s grey okay!
2293e1 918f8f
So you tell me what colours would YOU call those?
Meg over at A Practical Wedding, had a great post today about making your own wedding dress. It’s a really great article for the DIY minded bride about some realistic challenges of making your own wedding dress. The reason it caught my eye is I plan on making my own wedding dress, although I think I have a foot up on Meg that I am a fashion designer. For me there was never a doubt in my mind that I would make my wedding dress, after all as I have said I am a fashion designer and I specifically design evening gowns. The more I thought about what I want for my actual dress and how I want it to look the feel of it etc. I realized that I had no other choice.
I have often envisioned my perfect wedding look, really girls which one of hasn’t spent a few hours or so doodling our dress? I knew since I went to college for a pursued a degree in Victorian costume, I knew it was going to be largely inspired by that era. I have since then sat down and really sculpted the look. Change the neck line to be much more modern, decrease the bustle volume by 50%, keep train length, decide to ad some colours to it, remove 8 tons of the traditional lace and that gives you a very modern looking but dramatic dress.
I think that there are two camps when it comes to the dress and look, there are the women that go for more sublime and subdued look simple elegant dresses moderate train. Then there are the girls who are dramatic they want the long train the perfectly coiffed like a princess hair and by god they better have a tiara preferably a big one. I definitely fall into the second category. I plan on having a 6-10 meter train (detachable of course you think I’m crazy?) depending on the aisle length (which I still need to have measure memo to self). While I want a dramatic bordering on royal look I want a simple wedding, which is good because this leaves me to focus mostly on my dress.
I haven’t yet started it but I figure I have time enough. If I start panicing and screaming about the dress in two months time please direct me back to this post.
When getting engaged there were a few things I wasn’t aware would happen. As much as I wanted to get married I really wasn’t prepared with the fact that I basically had to start planning yesterday! I wasn’t prepared for the fact that I would actually enjoy the organizing and planning the scheduling and calling. As much as I am an artist I am also a Virgo and my analytical brain can easily sort that kind of a thing out. I Think it also helps that I have done a lot of event planning. I also wasn’t ready to be bombarded with never ending questions. How did he propose? Have you set the date? Where is it going to be held? What are you serving for dinner? What flowers? What colours?
Jeez people it’s only been a week since I said yes to a question that came with a ring. I have noticed already there will be somethings that are a bit harder to get done. Like convincing your fiancé that music from the Doctor Who soundtrack would be wonderful to walk down the aisle to. Or finding comfortable cute white shoes in my size. Making my own dress and invites without going insane. And most of all not to natter on about it incessantly until you all leave for more interesting blogs. These are my challenges and I fully accept them.
Ryan and I also thank you whole heartedly for all of your well wishes and congratulations I will still try to thank each one of you individually(this last week has been a real headspinner) but in the mean while Thank You!!
**This post has been copied from my main blog which you can find here**
