I had my first wedding related “freak out” this past week – it’s crazy how time just sneaks up on you. The Knot has a wedding countdown calendar, and when I logged in to update our budget tracker for our invitation expenses, I noticed that we were getting close to the 100 day mark and I didn’t really have much of my wedding dress sewn yet…kind of an important detail. On top of the fact that I haven’t been able to land on a plan for how to decorate the venue with our small budget (flowers aren’t really an option), there definitely were some tears of frustration and stress last week.
The most obvious thing to do last weekend was to sit down and get that damn dress sewn together! And I must say, I’m feeling a lot better about my dress now…the decorating, however, is another story (hello, Pinterest overload/paralysis). The above picture is a quick little snap I posted on Instagram of how everything is coming together – all of the skirt layers are attached to the bodice and the bodice is now lined. Next step is to install the zipper and sew up the center back seam, and then it’s on to the hems. I also have a trip to NYC coming up in about two weeks, so the plan is to find some sort of embellishment for the pleating at the waist. Now that everything is sewn together, I have a better idea of the size of the embellishment I need.
Funny enough, this skirt is heavy! I didn’t think all of the layers of georgette and silk (plus lining) would add up to much, but I’m reaching the conclusion I’ll need to put in a waist stay to support the skirt.
In the end, I reached the sad realization that all of my energy from here on out, or at least until I get everything is a good place, needs to be on the wedding planning and dress sewing. All of my coat sewing plans and course creation need to be put on hold until a later time this year when I can get back into content development for Wardrobe Academy, sadly.
121 days to go…
We used paper lanterns (the big ball ones) in different sizes, bought cheaply via eBay and fairy lights to decorate the hall we had our reception in. On the tables I had varying sized glass jars with candles. It can get overwhelming, especially when you are trying to stick to a budget but worth it to have more money to spend on the honeymoon!
Good luck with the dress.
Abbe
Have you thought about sewing some of your decorations? We had (miles of! ) homemade bunting and simply decorated felt flowers (inexpensive precut felt shapes from eBay plus beads and buttons). Looked lovely, satisfying to get that handmade element in and inexpensive all round. Good luck and don’t despair!
I’ve been following your dress journey all along and how beautiful it’s looking! I think you’ll be really happy wearing it on your day 🙂 Decorations…flowers might not be totally out…sometimes florist shops have to toss flowers that aren’t perfect – the day of you could have a couple of friends swing by a couple of flower shops to see if they would be willing to donate 🙂 I can see flowers!
Brave of you to sew your own wedding dress! I’m getting married in August and I decided to spare myself from the extra stress of getting the dress right. Hope you get to enjoy the process now that you got so much sewing done 🙂