Dress: Check!

I picked up my dress on Saturday! I adore it. As one of my friends commented, it feels weird to love an inanimate object so much. I can't wait to wear it! The dress maker did such a great job.

After I picked it up I dropped it at the MOH's house; it's hanging in her guest bedroom closet. We'll have to figure out logistics of getting it where it needs to be when it needs to be there later, for now, Mr. T is just not allowed to see it, so her place was the best storage option.

I also came in under budget on the dress (Hooray!). I'm contemplating using the extra to buy myself an "after-party" dress. I can't help but think I'll be over wearing a corset by about 10 pm. Still, that means locating another fabulous dress in under two weeks. Hm.

To-do list for this week/weekend

1. Meet with officiant re: vows again.
2. Finalize seating chart.
3. Work on signage for bar, cupcake table, buffet table, candy buffet, gift table.
4. Work on escort cards and room map.
5. Buy alcohol.
6. Decide where we're buying pumpkins.
7. Buy parent gifts.
8. Buy candy for candy buffet.
9. Practice corset lacing with MOH.
10. Send out rehearsal dinner invitations.
11. Decorate cupcake tree (this might have to wait until next weekend!).
12. Wash and decorate candy jars.

I'm sure there are about 80 other things I'm forgetting at the moment. Here we go!!

Skirt dilemma

So, the MOH and I went to my semi-final dress fitting on Saturday. The dress looks amazing! All they need to do now is line the skirt, and finish all the edges, and a few other finishing touches. I am in love with it.

Mr. T and I have been practicing our first dance, and it's become obvious that there is no way I can dance in my skirt. As soon as I step backward, I'm going to step on the train and it will all be over. Or Mr. T is going to step on my train and it will all be over. Oops. That's what I get for going for drama!

Now I'm pondering either buying a cute skirt to change into right before the first dance, or having my dressmaker whip up a shorter skirt in the same material, if such a thing is even possible or remotely attainable on my budget/within our timeframe. Hm.

2nd Dress Fitting, Rehearsal Dinner Dress, and Cufflinks!

I went for my second dress fitting yesterday. I'd thought they were going to do another muslin, but this was my actual dress fabric--exciting! Unfortunately, they have to re-make the corset. The cutter didn't make the lace on the bodice wide enough, and the pattern of the lace was upside-down. However, it was fun to try it all on together! My first thought was that it makes me look very tall! Actually, that was my second thought. My first thought was WOW.

They are going to finish the corset that I tried on and sell it at Dickens Fair...funny to think of someone buying something that was literally made for me. I wonder who out there has my measurements?

Autumn, my dressmaker, is awesome and so nice. She is full of compliments every time I'm in there, about how great I look in the dress, how my figure is made for a corset, how tiny I look, and this last time she told me my arms look good. I could keep her around all day!

As usual, you can email me for pix...I can't post in case Mr. T checks the blog. I have another fitting in a little over a week. Yay! At that fitting I think we'll make some decisions about beading the corset and/or the skirt.

What I CAN show you is the dress I splurged on for the rehearsal dinner and/or the bachelorette. It's a little strain on the wallet, but it's so cute! Hopefully it looks as good on me as on the model...or at least, half as good anyway!



And, finally, we bought Mr. T's cufflinks today. They are Halloween with a classic look. I think you won't be able to tell they're Halloween-appropriate unless you're up close, which is very him. He likes his dark side to be more subtle.

Invitations to Printer: Check! Plus, other random tasks

I'm so happy to report that we sent the invite files to the printer yesterday and dropped off the black paper this morning before work. Hooray! That is such a weight lifted. We were ecstatic after uploading the files yesterday.

Also, the printer has already sent us a PDF proof of our invite. That was fast! The owner told Mr. T that they were in a lull at the moment, so the printing might only take about 2 weeks. Hooray! That means, if we have some time to spare, that we can consider doing custom postage through Zazzle or a site like that, to coordinate with our invitations. If we use the post office's postage, we're stuck with some not-so-thrilling options, but we'll suck it up if we have to. I just wish they'd updated the Edgar Allen Poe stamps with the new rate...sigh.

This weekend we also accomplished a few other wedding tasks:

• We made our registries live on our wedsite. We haven't added flatware yet, but we can do that later.
• We tried two more rehearsal dinner options. This is turning out to be much more challenging than finding the wedding venue! To summarize, the Vietnamese place closest to our venue sucks, so we're looking at opening our search to restaurants without private rooms.
• We purchased a custom return address stamp from Etsy.
• We booked our hotel room for our wedding night, plus our photographer's hotel room for two nights.
• We ordered our cupcake stand (cardboard, to be painted and adorned by us).
• We purchased gifts for my bridesmaid and MOH as well as our officiant.
• I purchased a wedding band for Mr. T from an online jeweler...luckily we can return it to the company if he hates it.
• We purchased envelopes for our invitations, with extras for thank you notes. We also decided that lining the envelopes wasn't worth the hassle, so that's another thing off my list.
• We put some thought into our first dance and decided what we're going to do (but I'm not telling!)
• I scheduled my first dress fitting for this Friday! This is when I try on the muslin version. After that they order the fabric and get to work!
  

Phew! Only another 120 things to go!

Measured! Dress Appt. #2

This Saturday the MOH and I went to my dressmaker's so I could finally be measured for my dress! I have to say, I love my dressmaker already. She's so awesome. Funny, nice, smart...you name it. I'm so excited to get this ball rolling!

The next step is that they'll make a muslin for me, which will take about a month and a half, and then I'll come in again and they'll make adjustments. After that they cut fabric! My dressmaker says that she's not concerned about me losing more weight; I guess it's not a large enough amount (like 100 lbs or something) to make her worry about it. I told her I was going to keep losing until she tells me to stop it.

Of course while I was in there I ran into my friend M., who is the lovely lady that sold me my wedding shoes and who's getting married a month before I am. She was there to try on her muslin for her dress. Small world!

I also was very weak and bought a feather fascinator while I was there. No, not for the wedding. It's a gorgeous set of ostrich plumes in pink and mauve and burgundy. Sigh. Once I put it on, I was done for! The MOH also bought a skirt and a top. That shop is trouble.

Speaking of fascinators, I did choose one:


I realized that the black flower with the rhinestone center was $80 all by itself; the veil was separate. That's just crazy. No flower is worth $80, in my opinion. So I took a chance on this feathered beauty that was a fraction of the cost; I thought, well, if it's not the right color, I know I'll wear it for something else. But I got it yesterday, and Mr. T, the color expert, deemed it close enough (I have a swatch of my dress fabric at home, but that's all he's allowed to see)! So I think I'm set, except for a birdcage veil. One of my friends thinks she has some extra netting she can give me, and if so, and if the MOH and I can rig something pretty, we're golden! Now I just need to schedule a hair trial...

A Way to Cut Down on Dress Costs

I found this one courtesy of the tacky weddings blog. Sheesh, those girls have balls.

Fun Dresses

I recently discovered the Rock N Roll Bride blog (how did I not know about this before??). Between that one and Offbeat Bride, I drool over all the lovely dresses...here are a few. Just had to share.

I love this vivid blue! I think either her mom or MIL made it. And, a tricorn hat! Just this morning Mr. T and I saw someone walking around in a tricorn hat and pirate coat; so festive!



I don't think Mr. T would go for a Marie Antoinette theme, but it's so decadent. I LOVE her hair. I've never had pink hair and sometimes I still think about going for it. The bleaching is what stops me. I worry that all of my hair would fall out.





And, y'all know I love red and corsets. She made her own skirt, which is impressive.



This is a great train. My skirt will be a tiny bit like this, although not as huge and with fewer layers of lace. But WOW.



I got this from my corset maker's album on Flickr. I kind of covet this necklace.


And we end with the beautiful Dita on her wedding day. Sigh. I know their marriage didn't work out, but OMG I love her. Such glamour.

Dress Appointment!!!!!

Saturday the MOH and I were super excited to go to my appointment with the dress maker. She's a custom-corset maker who also creates bridal ensembles in SF. Before the appointment we wandered around her store, which is stuffed with ready-made corsets, custom little top hats and fascinators with feathers and lace and other fun frilly things, beautiful jewelry, gauntlets (both of us almost caved and got a pair of overpriced gauntlets, but we resisted), spats, skirts, coats, sweet little lace umbrellas, fans, you name it. It's like goth heaven!

The owner, Autumn, who had on the cutest skirt, took us upstairs and looked through my inspiration photos, reading all the comments I'd written on the page very carefully and listening intently to what I said about each. She was very engaged and present in the conversation. She had kind of a quiet demeanor but as she spoke you could feel the passion and knowledge she brings to her work. She told me at one point that we have a similar aesthetic and also that she liked my sense of humor, both of which I felt flattered about. I feel like a fangirl with a crush on my seamstress!

After looking through everything, she offered her opinion that I should go floor-length with the skirt, which will lengthen me, but that we could show flashes of leg through lace insets. This was based on one of my inspiration photos, if you'll remember:



I adore this dress. Although I'd change a few details, such as straps (I want some), the tightness around the tummy, and the train (too long and cumbersome for me). Also the color, although I adore that she chose pale pink.

So, we designed something similar based on this dress (mermaid shape with lace insets in the skirt), but in a beautiful red silk satin and with a slightly looser mermaid skirt so that I'll be able to sit. The satin is heavy enough that it won't wrinkle, which you may recall I was worried about. We also picked out the black lace, which has a gorgeous s-shaped curve in it, and talked about also bringing the lace into the bodice to make the dress feel like one piece. Finally, I told her I wanted straps, a modesty panel in the back (no flesh peeking out between the laces in the back), and that I also wanted modesty in the front--no Dangerous-Liasons style cleavage "in front of God and the family" as the MOH put it. We selected a corset style that had more seams in the bust area, so it would allow for the curve of the breast rather than shoving it all out of the top. We also opted to go with no busks (those clasps that appear in the front of corsets), which increases the difficulty of the dress (a lot heavier lacing duties for someone!) but which also, in my opinion, offers a cleaner line and makes the ensemble look more like a dress.

Autumn talked about having red beads hand-sewn on the black lace, but we decided that those were out of my price range. However, now that I've been mulling it over, I'm reconsidering. Beading would add another $500-1500 to my budget. I think I could live with an additional $500 ($1500, not so much). Another option is to do the beading myself, or have a friend do it for free. I wouldn't trust myself to do it, but I may have a friend who can. I haven't decided, but I have time to figure it out.

As we looked through her portfolios I saw at least three women I know in her photos, and we determined that she's done dresses for a couple of other women I know, and is currently doing a dress for a friend of mine who's also getting married this year. It was hilarious. Clearly she comes highly recommended!

She asked if I plan to lose weight before the wedding, and I wasn't sure how to answer this. My answer is, yes, I'd like to, but I'm not on any crazy diet or aggressive weight loss plan...just good old exercise, and trying to eat better. We decided we'd take my measurements in two months. If I do lose some weight, the corset allows for a little bit of weight loss...Hopefully it will be clearer in two months if I've lost weight. I feel like maybe I've lost a couple of pounds (the jeans are fitting better), but nothing radical.

Since I had officially placed the order I put down a deposit of $800. I used my Discover card, which came back DECLINED. I was so embarrassed. Nothing like setting up a good relationship or giving a good first impression! I have plenty of room on that card, and not only that, I have excellent credit. I mean, not to brag, but I have EXCELLENT credit. So I put the deposit on another card, which, after I experienced a brief panicked moment of paranoia, went through just fine.

After the appointment the MOH and I went to eat lunch and I noticed I'd gotten a voicemail on my cell phone from Discover's fraud department. I called back and my phone apparently was fading in and out, or at least that's what the bitchy customer service representative was saying. I'm sorry, if you are in customer service, even if someone's cell phone is frustrating you, it won't kill you to be polite. Just saying.

So I put the phone back in my purse after hanging up on her and we spent the rest of the day shopping for makeup and bras, which was a lot of fun. We were spending some pay from a recent gig, so it was a great way to have some guilt-free spending. We both went to the Chanel counter and got Vamp lipstick, which they are making again!!! Vamp is that gorgeous deep, deep red lipstick (they call it rouge noir, or red-black). The MOH and I had been digging the dregs of Vamp out of our old lipstick tubes, and saving it for special occasions, but now we have brand new tubes!

Anyway, once I was home I called Discover back from my landline. It turns out they declined the card because of their security standards (meaning, the purchase was out of the ordinary for me). I asked the guy, "I'm getting married this year, and it's likely that I'll have a number of large purchases like this. Can I keep this from happening again?" The man, who was very nice, apologized for my embarrassment (which I mentioned pointedly) and said that no, there was nothing I could do, but in the future I could always have the vendor call and verify the charge over the phone.

I'm sorry, but that's a huge pain in the ass, and I'm very seriously considering canceling my Discover card. It's nice they're so concerned with my account's safety, but if I can't use the card, it's useless to me. What if I had been stranded and trying to pay a tow truck driver with that card? WTF? Isn't that what credit is for, the little (or big) unexpected things in life that pop up? So yeah, not a huge fan of the Discover company. Maybe I'll look into a Capitol One card...the whole reason I got Discover was the rewards program.

I'd like to clarify that although I'm using the card, it doesn't mean I'll carry a balance. It's just a way to delay payment until I can move the money from our wedding fund over to my checking. Also, it's good to pay vendors with a credit card...you can contest it if something happens. Not that I'm expecting anything to happen, but you never know!

Embarrassing credit card incident aside, it was a lovely Saturday afternoon, and I couldn't be more excited to see my dress take shape!

OMW: Days 7 and 8, also dress appointment!!

Mr. T and I are now fully embracing the 3 days per week workout schedule (this is our second week on this schedule). I figure we'll do this for one or two more weeks, then move up to four. I wasn't sure how to deal with Mondays, because I drive into work that day rather than taking BART, so I was facing walking to the gym and then walking home afterward to get the car (20 minutes each way). However, it turns out that the gym validates parking for the lot next door, so I can drive there and park for $1, and then I can drive home and shower in my own tub, which I love (gym showering is always a little icky...I wear flip flops in the shower). So Mondays are now my new favorite workout day.

Mr. T seems to think the morning workouts are feeling easier now, physically. I'm not sure I agree. Getting up is still hard, getting up at different times each morning is hard, forcing myself to go to bed earlier is really hard, and the quality of the workout really depends on how rested I feel, frankly. And walking to the gym in the cold and dark at 6 a.m. is never going to be very fun, I'm afraid. But, I persevere. I know it will all be worth it. My belly rolls (that means the belly dance belly roll movement, not rolls of fat!) are actually visibly improved by the ab work I've been doing, and my skin is better too. I think the latter is from drinking more water (32 oz at the gym, then 24-32 oz at work). I wish I could say my clothes are fitting better, but alas, no. I don't think the cupcakes I've been eating lately have been helping (birthdays, baby showers, sigh).

This weekend the MOH and another good friend and I went to the Ethnic Dance Festival Auditions, another budget outing. For $7 you can see a whole day of auditions. The audition performances are exactly as they will be in the final show--outfits, music, staging, etc. The only thing that will change is the lighting; at the auditions the stage lights are on steady the whole time, and the curtain remains up. I love attending the auditions every year. The downside is for every good group you see, you see about 5 times as many mediocre or just plain bad groups, but in a way, that's entertaining, too, and as a dancer, it's certainly educational. It's also fun to predict who will get into the show. I was bummed not to see more audition days (we could only make it to one of the four days), because I don't think I can afford to see the real show this year, but we'll see. I love this city--so many good and affordable cultural experiences!

Finally, in actual wedding-planning related news, I made an appointment with the seamstress!!! She has a business in San Francisco and specializes in corset-making. The appointment is the third week of February, so it will be awhile before I can report back, but I'm excited! Ironically, the appointment is one day before my co-dancer's wedding. I will have an all-wedding weekend!

David's Bridal Appointment

Phew, well, that's over with.

Yesterday the MOH and I ventured out to the city of the dead--that's Colma, in case you were wondering--to visit David's Bridal, the cheapest of the cheap bridal shops.

We walked in the door and were barked at by the greeter, a tiny (yet pushy) Russian woman with a huge wedding ring set on her hand. The MOH was later joking that the store must have sets of wedding rings for all the employees to wear, since EVERYONE was sporting huge rocks. The greeter gave me some paperwork to fill out. They asked for a lot of info, including Mr. T's name and email address, which I did not fill in. The store was pretty quiet, so that I didn't end up having to share a consultant, as they'd told me on the phone.

The greeter asked me if I'd seen any dresses on their website that I was interested in. Already failing in my task of impersonating a bride that would want to wear a white David's Bridal gown to her wedding, I baldly said, "No," but I did follow it up with, "but I have some pictures of dresses I like..." and I did. Early on, when I first got engaged, I inherited about 20 wedding magazines from a friend and started ripping out pictures of dresses I liked, not because of the color (obviously) but instead because I liked the skirt or the bodice or the beading or what have you. I hadn't looked at the photos in months, but my assessment was that I did a good job! The dresses were lovely; probably all of them were $10,000 couture dresses, however.

Still, I gamely showed the pictures to our bridal consultant, who seemed distracted as we walked to the dressing room, which was in a very long corridor of other mirrored dressing rooms...sorta Twilight Zone-ish. The consultant disappeared for a long time and came back with a slip and a longline strapless bra/bustier, explaining that they didn't have the bustier in my ribcage size, but this was the next size up. I had the MOH help me into the bustier, and it wasn't good. I was falling out of the top. At the time I was thinking it was ridiculous to expect a well-endowed girl to want to wear strapless, because I have never in my life tried on a supportive strapless bra. The consultant went off to try and find a smaller bra, and as I stood there holding my boobs in, wearing the oversized bustier and hideous thick white girdle slip underneath the flourescent lighting, I had a moment of despair. It all felt very fake and wrong and depressing. However, thankfully the MOH was there to joke with me, and soon the consultant came back with a bra that still was not my size, but did fit slightly better (thank goodness there were no men in the store, though, is all I'm saying).

After that we started the dress parade. The first was an a-line strapless gown that I dubbed "the mummy" because of the horizontal ribbons running the length of the dress. We liked the a-line on my body. In photos, however, I look short in the dress. I'm not sure if it's the silhouette or the striping that caused that.

Next was a full-on strapless Cinderella ball gown, with a beaded bodice and fluffy layers of beaded tulle and crinolines--by far the most elaborate thing I tried. Out of curiosity, I asked the price, and it was only $1100, which let me know that (no surprise) these dresses must be made in China by women who are paid pennies per day. I surprised myself by actually liking this one on me. I didn't expect that. It made my top look smaller. However, after seeing the photos we took, my codancer (who called it a "shixa dress", which cracked me up) frankly told me she thought it made my bottom half look wider and that it also made me look shorter.

Next was a strapless mermaid style dress with a lace overlay and beading. I wasn't sure about this silhouette, as you may recall. I do have an hourglass figure, but I wasn't sure if mermaid would say, "I have curves," or instead, "I have saddlebags." This dress wasn't too tight around my legs and we found it very flattering. The consultant even brought the dress in around my knees so it would flare out even more at the bottom, and the MOH and I both liked that look a lot.

The next dress was an empire waist dress, the only dress with straps. I figured empire waist would make me look pregnant, plus I don't do well with what I term "pre-defined breast areas". However, it actually looked nice on top and didn't make me look as though I were expecting. The straps were kinda twisted and Grecian looking, which I liked, and the overall style of the dress was a little Marilyn-Monroe/old school Hollywood glamour, which was nice (although not so much for me, I think). We liked this one more once the consultant showed us what it would look like in a mermaid skirt.

Finally, I tried on a (strapless, of course) dress with a corset back. The skirt was pretty bad--poofy, with pickups, which I hate, although the MOH kinda liked them. I think it makes the dress look like a crumpled piece of paper. The corset did wonderful things for my waist, though.

The consultant offered to put me in a veil at one point, which made me blurt out, "NO! I mean, no thanks." So instead I tried on a tiara. I love tiaras! So that was kinda awesome. I also had these cute little black heels on, because I wanted to bring a pair of my own heels rather than wear the DB ones (who knows how many people have tried on the store heels?). So when I was waiting between dresses, my look was pretty great--bustier, thick ugly slip with a huge slit up the back, black heels, tiara, tattoos. I was joking that I'd already found my look for the wedding, nevermind the dresses!

I decided that wedding gowns have a LOT of structure versus any other gown you'd try on in a store. I mean, crappy bra or not, once I was in these gowns, the girls weren't going anywhere. It was bizarre to see myself in a strapless gown. I have never worn anything strapless! Mr. T asked how I was feeling trying on white dresses, and for me, that part was pretty matter of fact (okay, this skirt shape is good, next), but the strapless thing was really strange. Anyway, the gowns have layers and layers of fabric and crinoline and boning and beading and the things can practically stand up on their own. It really is a two-person operation to get these things over your head. And the train was also odd...I found myself taking little mincing steps, unlike my typical "keep up with long-legged Mr. T" walk, so I wouldn't trip myself.

We ended up liking the consultant, who was very nice and didn't mind pulling dress after dress for us, and I started to feel guilty about all the work she was doing for someone who was never going to buy a dress. While she was picking out more dresses the MOH and I decided we'd say that we were going to wait till my mom came into town and go shopping with her, which is essentially what we told our consultant at the end. She was really sweet and didn't push the issue (unlike the greeter, who pressed, "When will we see you in here again?"), and I know it's silly to feel weird about it since who buys a dress in the first store they go in, regardless, but I did feel weird.

I'm glad that's over! Now to call the corset maker! Phew!

Dress Loveliness

So, as the one-year mark approaches I'm starting to make some more substantial plans. I know, I said I wouldn't do anything until 11/1, but come on, it's just a few days away!

One of the things I decided recently is that I need to take the plunge, go to a "traditional" bridal shop, and see what silhouettes look good on me. I mean, I have an hourglass shape, so I'm considering a mermaid-shaped skirt, and yet I don't want the focus of the dress to be my saddlebags and junk in the trunk. I'm currently investigating shops that carry plus-size samples (ain't no way I'm fitting in a 6!) so I can do some preliminary work before I go see the corset-maker. I am dreading going into the land of white poofy dresses a little bit. I just haven't heard encouraging things from my plus-size bridal sisters. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

And, of course, there's always the internet. Look at this gorgeous red! That is the perfect color. Love it.


I also like that it extends to her hips and that there's some coverage in the bosom area...good for the more amply bosomed ladies like me. I don't love how jarring the silver clasps look against the red. I wonder if these come in other colors? They must, right?

And, courtesy of a bride on Live Journal who designed her own pale pink and black dress, check this out!:




I love, love, love this dress. I love the beading on the front that drapes over her arms, I love the flashes of black lace from the skirt, I love that it's pink and black, I love it all. Drooling now. Well, I do think the train is a bit much, but maybe it's just the photo making it look that way.

I also think she did a kickass job of doing her own makeup:

I would definitely like a redder lip but I love the drama around the eyes. Sigh.

Reunited, and...

...it feels so GREAT!

Brilliant Earth emailed me late yesterday afternoon to let me know my ring was ready, so I picked it up this morning. Hooray! It fits much better now. Snug enough that it won't fly off my hand, but not so snug that I need to lick my finger to get it off (ew).

I'm excited to show off the ring when I visit my relatives next week. I'm used to being the odd cousin from California, so I imagine there will be more of the same, but it's the Midwest so everyone's awfully polite about it.

In other news, I emailed a certain San Francisco custom corset dress maker to see how much lead time a dress would take. They said at least 6 months, although they encouraged me to come as soon as I can. So I think I'll probably make an appointment within the next couple of months. Here we go!

More Lovely Red Corset Dresses

I'm still not sure that a bustle is for me. I like the idea of the bustle, but then I wonder if it will make my butt look too big...I mean, I've already got some junk in the trunk, you know.

Still here are some lovely dresses, found via Offbeat Bride. The first two are a circus performer named Lucifire, she seems like quite a character:



Check out her red furry hooded cape and the skull atop her transportation to her wedding:



Can't remember how I found this photo below, I think from Lucifire's dressmaker's site? Anyway, I'm worried about bustles, even though they're cute.

I'm dreaming...of a red wedding dress

I've never pictured myself in a big poofy white dress at my wedding. In fact, when I was in high school I used to tell my mother I'd get married in ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

However, I've come a long way since then, and I've conceded that perhaps I do want an actual dress. Just not a white one. I think I look okay in white, but I tend to avoid it because I'm clumsy and as soon as I don a white shirt, a food stain appears, as if by magic. Also, aesthetically, white is not that interesting to me.

RED, on the other hand...Red is considered an auspicious color to get married in in many countries, including India and China. Plus, it's so dramatic.

I've been wanting a custom-made corset for oh, 10 years now, so I'm using the wedding as an excuse to get one made. The Offbeat Bride has a great selection of brides in red dresses, some of them corset dresses. I have been salivating. I mean, look at that adorable dress above! With mini top hat! So cute.
And then there's this one:

Wow! I love the photograph AND the dress. Plus, the gorgeous tattooed bride! Sigh. I didn't think I would like the "crumpled piece of paper" look for a skirt, but I think it looks amazing here.

I've been considering sleeves versus no sleeves. I thought about opera-length gloves, but that would make the whole ring exchange deal a little awkward. I could do detachable sleeves or gauntlets, something like this, but less Renaissance Faire:































I'm also undecided about the train. I have been wavering between mermaid/trumpet and a fuller A-line, and I think I'm currently leaning toward a fuller skirt. I like the idea of a train, but they can also be cumbersome. I think this one is detachable, which is a great idea (especially since you wouldn't want to keep getting it caught in a doorway all evening):




























Plus, part of me adores the sheer drama of the train...it sure makes for great photos:































I love the look of this coat, but I definitely would rather spend my money on a corset. But, check out the bride's crazy boots! Wow!:

I think that my dress is going to run me $2-4K, which is not inconsiderable (to put it mildly), but I'm going to have them make the corset and skirt separates, so that I can wear it again. Very practical, right? Plus, it will be custom-made for me! Aside from belly dance costuming, I have never had anything custom-fitted to me. I'm looking forward to it.

I'll leave you with one final photo; this is the same girl as in the post-apocalyptic desert photo above. This one looks like the dress she changed into after the wedding. Such style--I love a girl who likes a theme color. Again, I love the angle and drama of the photo (I want this photographer! I think he's in Arizona, though):