And so it begins...

I took December off from both writing and working on Emily's wedding dress. A week-long trip to Germany to watch my son compete in the World Show Dance Championships put all the wedding planning on hold. Between that and Christmas, December was a bust. But now that Emily has booked a venue and set a definite date (December 27, 2014), the planning has begun in earnest.

So, to begin this journey, I have been reading everything I can find about dress construction. I haven't spent much time sewing in the last couple of years, so I need to brush up on my skills...and this project is going to require that I develop new skills as well. Here are two that I purchased which have been very helpful. I also visited my local library and found many books explaining construction and couture techniques which should come in very handy.

I have also looked everywhere for patterns that even remotely resemble the dress of my daughter's dreams. So far, it can not be found. After trying on several dresses and looking through many, many bridal magazines, Emily came up with this sketch.

So now it is up to me to figure out how to make it. Most wedding dress patterns you can buy have fairly simple lines. Several were two pieces, a bodice or corset and a skirt. As you can see in the sketch above, Emily does not want two separate pieces. The patterns I found with boning tend to have the boning attached to the outer layer or the lining, instead of using a separate corselette, which I am not sure will provide enough support for the many layers of dress Emily wants to have.

I did look at the Marfy catalog. This is a pattern book from Italy. It had the widest selection of anyone, including patterns for petticoats, undergarments, and coats. But again, many of them were two pieces--a corset and a skirt, or had a definite seam at the waistline (which Emily does not want). The Marfy patterns are a little pricey, but I would gladly pay the cost if they had one that closely matched my daughter's dream dress.

So for now I am torn between finding and buying several patterns and trying to figure out how to put them together, or creating my own pattern from scratch. I think I'll do a little more reading while I focus on converting the extra bedroom into a sewing room. Next up, adventures with dress forms!

The Proposal

Will You Marry Me?

My daughter is engaged to a true romantic! Almost two weeks before he proposed, my future son-in-law called to ask if he could come talk to us. Being that he has been dating my daughter for upwards of 7 years, we suspected the reason for his visit.

He was a nervous wreck-though we've known him since he was twelve-and proceeded to tell us how much he loves for our daughter and can't imagine his life without her. Then, very formally, asked for our blessing (we gladly said, "Yes.").

A little over a week later, he brought our daughter on a picnic by the ocean, said he had a present for her, and handed her one of her favorite books (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). She was a little confused since she already owns the book, but he prompted her to open it. Inside he has written, "Will You Marry Me?" and tied an engagement ring into the pages. She immediately burst into tears and sent me a picture of the ring on her finger. Then she called to tell us (though if I hadn't known what was going on I don't think I would have understood her). I was thoroughly impressed that he was able to surprise her (I haven't surprised her with a Christmas present since she was about 12).  And of course I am thrilled for them.

Now the planning begins. It's been 25 years since I planned my own wedding-and things have changed a lot since then. Though there is at least one tradition in my family that my daughter aims to continue. She wants me to sew her wedding dress. My mother made my sister's and my wedding dresses-and my oldest sister made her own. I enjoy sewing-and have made my children many Halloween and dance costumes over the years. But I admit I am nervous about making THE DRESS for THE DAY. The one she has dreamed about since she was a little girl. But I also think it may be one of the most rewarding, special experiences of my life-and I wouldn't want to miss it for the world.

I've decided to keep a blog to document this experience for three reasons. First, to reach out to others who have made a wedding dress for someone they love. Second, to give me a way to reflect on the experience and hopefully keep perspective throughout what I am sure will be both wondrous and extremely stressful. And most importantly, to create a keepsake of my part in the most important day of my daughter's life. If you've ever experienced the wonder and stress of creating something special for someone you love-feel free to join me on my journey!