Wedding Dress Options Continued

I haven't heard back from Whirling Turbans (Le Sigh), however, I still have faith they will contact me with a price quote very soon (especially after my polite reminder email). In the meantime, here's another lovely vintage-y wedding dress option:

I've been carrying this photo around for years. I saw it in one of my friends magazines and ripped it out. "Mine!" To be honest, this is "the dress" I've pictured since first seeing it three years ago. I've looked for suit patterns similar to it, thinking maybe someday I might be able to recreate it. Here is a vogue pattern that could have potential:

The suit jacket and full skirt is what interested me. While not a perfect match, they are closer than what I've seen so far. With the expertise of a talented seamstress, and I know a few.... I think its still an option (all be it a stretch of one). The reason its still somewhat under consideration (even though its a more complicated option) is because Tay loves it. His initial reaction to the first option from whirling Turban was a little underwhelmed because like me, he sees the dress above on that special day. Sigh. So this makes option number two. Tune in for more!

Ck

By George, We've Got It

Yesterday, Mum, Olivia and I went on a little wedding excursion in search of inspiration. I'm pleased to report it was a very successful trip. We visited Rediscoveries in Butte, possibly the best Vintage shop in Montana. There we found exactly what we were hoping for: a color scheme in the form of a beautiful 1940's silk curtain panel (pictures to come). It has just about all the colors Tay and I love; lots of greens, a little light turquoise, some creamy browns and a little black. From there, things seemed to snowball. Moments later I happened upon about three yards of a very light bluish-green 1940's slipper satin. Very shiny, very soft, and oh so matchy. Now we not only had a color scheme, but the fabric for a bridesmaid dress- light Turquoise, with the curtain panel print for a sash. Yay! But wait, it gets better....

We popped over to Bozeman to check out Totally Vintage Apparel, a super groovy vintage shop crammed full with hats, shoes, funky circle skirts and one very large, very drooly black great dane. Of course I tried on all the hats, just as I had at Rediscoveries (two of which Rediscoveries will hold on to for me). It was a fun little side trip, but little did we know, fate was calling us downtown... I spotted a little store called "Hey Day". It was featuring our new color scheme in the window, so we just had to go in. Hey Day is a another funky store selling kitchen and bedroom wares. Mom found a pile of ribbon that perfectly matched not only the greens in the pattern, but the light turquoise in the slipper satin! Ka-razy. Needless to say, Mom bought a TON. In summary, we now have colors, bridesmaid dress fabric, and ribbon for ...what ever ribbon is used for in a wedding. Yay! The next few goals: a general guest list, a pattern for bridesmaid dresses, and the beginnings of announcements and invitations (featuring graphic designer extraordinaire Onawa L.).

Blessings,

--CK

The Foundation of Our Choices

It's important for us to communicate right off the bat that the reason Courtney and I are making several non-traditional and offbeat choices is because we feel these choices best illustrate who we are as a couple, and all of our choices help to remind us that God is the most important part of our union. I know that Courtney and I would never survive as a couple without God, and we will never be a strong couple if we don't trust in God. Because marrying someone is one of the biggest steps you can take in your life, we've tried our best to make every intentional effort to keep God at the forefront of our minds throughout this process. I believe that an engagement, or a commitment, or a fast, or any choice that involves marrying someone should be wholly rooted in a common love for God and a realization that the love between two people comes from God.

I admit that the traditional engagement seems a little too exclusive to the couple, instead of being a reminder to the couple and to everyone who knows them that God is the reason for any union. On top of that, Courtney and I have talked and prayed and decided that some of the traditions in weddings are simply there because people have been doing them for years without wholeheartedly questioning why. While we're not saying those traditions are particularly bad or foolish, neither Courtney nor I wish to be caged in as a couple by traditions that we don't really like.

All that to say, we hope our choices as a couple simply remind you of God and the blessings He continues to shower upon all of us, because I wouldn't have Courtney if God hadn't blessed me with her.

Otherwise, this wedding is going to be a lot of fun and I'm excited to see how else we can make our wedding as creative and spiritual as possible. Thanks for reading, and please pray for us as we begin this wonderful, scary, stressful, exciting journey.

Thanks,

TW

"Let the Tree Hug You"

I did a little poking around on the web and found (via the fantastic Offbeat Bride crew) Simple wooden Rings at http://www.simplywoodrings.com/ . Wow. These mama-jammas are little pieces of art. The best part? They are completely ecologically responsible-- no blood diamonds here. We love this wedding set in Mahogany or Rosewood. (Mahogany because it's beautiful, and Rosewood because it is what most stringed instruments...guitars....are made of--symbolism!)

Each ring is lovingly hand crafted from any selection of wood you choose. You can even send in your own. Just imagine wearing that violin you've loved so much on your finger forever. Care is easy, just avoid prolonged water exposure. And for only about $275 we can purchase matching rings. What a deal.

The Most Beauuuutiful Dress In The World

I don't know if you got the memo, but... I'm going to be the most beautiful bride in the history of the world. At least to Tay I will be. That said, I'm going to need the most beautiful dress in the history of the world. Thanks to my resourceful Mum, I think I might just have it in the bag. Presenting: Whirling Turbans (http://www.whirlingturban.com/). These amazing ladies in Bali, yes Bali, make one of a kind dresses for the vintage conscious lady. That's me! With one look at their print-packed website, I knew this was the place for me. This dress is what wowed me:

Isn't she a beauty?! That's a strapless petal bust, ladies and gentlemen. Petal Bust! Yes, this fabulous dress could be mine for the fabulous and thrifty price of....I have no idea. Yet. I've just completed a consultation email and sent if off. Hopefully I'll be hearing back from them soon. One thing I can be sure of: it will be far more original (as in one of a kind) and affordable than anything I could get at David's bridal (where wedding fashion goes to die). Blech! I've put forth this dreamy combination of wedding dress details:

Same strapless petal bust as the one on the left with a full circle skirt like the one on the right (fear not, the actual skirt is not that ...'Leave it to Beaver' ha-uge). I just can't easily picture getting wed in a body hugging skirt, call me old fashioned. I'd love to put a fun colored crinoline underneath, just so a little color peaks out. My choice of fabric would be a funky/classy brocade in cream or silver. The ones on the website are all brightly colored, so Mum and I might be finding our own to ship them if nothing comes in on their website soon.

Finally, I'd love to include this awesome, classy, so so sweet bolero on top. Sure, strapless is fun for funky dancing, but I'd love to cover up a bit for the actual marrying before God and my very tearful parents part. The fabric would match the dress for that super chic look. Yay!
Just think of the accessorizing possibilities. Les sigh. Funky colored pumps (maybe a print), pearls, or maybe silver. It makes a girl's head spin (and I haven't even included the awesome head piece/veil idea I have cooking). I'm getting pretty pumped to start making big decisions. We still have a little bit of time until we do that, but I'm ready to come charging out of the starting gate.

Look out world, here we come.

--Ck

Color Choices anyone?

Partially because I have nothing else to do right now, partially because my Mom wants to see them, and partially because, heck, I wanna, I'm putting up some color pallets that Tay and I are considering for the wedding junk (invites and the like). Green is my absolute favorite color (it borders on a sickness) and Tay is lacking in the favorite color...ness, so all of our choices (so far) include green. Mind you, we still haven't set a date, and probably wont for another few weeks, so colors might change depending on season. Which ones do you like? Feel free to comment, you don't have to have an account to do so. If you need a larger veiw of the colors, just click on them.


This first little number features several shades of green ranging from limey to cool blue-green, a brownish color, and black and white. I like the idea of many shades of green, with the cleanliness of the black and white. It looks pretty classy to me. This one is super bold, a big plus for me and Tay.



This one to the right is somewhat similar but with a cool blue in there. I think it gives the color combo a jewel tone feel- pretty hip if you ask me. There isn't as much green, so maybe this would be a nice balance? There is also no black. A warm brown takes its place. This would be handy if the wedding takes place outside, I think. Not as bold as the first choice, but also probably more versatile, location and season wise.


This one is a lot more simple, just Cream, black and green, and maybe a little brown. I'm not completely into this one, it seems a little too subtle for me and Tay. Still, its probably a cheaper way to go---less color to incorporate. I think this one has a lot of room to bring in nature-y things---branches, leaves, birds, etc. I would like to put nature-y things in, but I'm not sure if Tay and I want to go the realistic route or a funkier route (yet to be revealed...).





This one to the right is cool because it has maroon in it, the closest thing to Tay's favorite color. It also has green (surprise!), and cream/white. I'm sure black would be added in as well. I don't think this is as funky as we'd like it. Maybe we could punch the colors up a bit and add more variations on the existing colors. I'm not completely in love with it, to be honest, but I really love the idea of putting maroon in there for the man, while keeping the green/white combo in.

So what do you think? Comment!


Blessings,

---CK

A little cultural flavor

Via Wikipedia: "The word chuppah originally appears in the Hebrew Bible (Joel 2:16; Psalms 19:5). The chuppah represents a Jewish home symbolized by the cloth canopy and the four poles. Just as a chuppah is open on all four sides, so was the tent of Abraham open for hospitality. Thus, the chuppah represents hospitality to one's guests. This "home" initially lacks furniture as a reminder that the basis of a Jewish home is the people within it, not the possessions."



Tay and I are thinking of making our own Huppah to say our vows under, not only because we want to incorporate lots of non traditional (At least, to us) ideas into our ceremony, but for the awesome reasons in the above wiki-article. We both hold the idea of Christianity as community very close to our hearts. We would like our hearts and therefore our home to always be open to everyone, i.e. the four open walls. We are also embracing the idea of being "stuff-less" or lacking. That is stripping ourselves of unwanted/un-needed possessions and wealth in order to depend on God more.


The question is...how do we go about making one? Research to come.

Offical? Or not Offical?

Tay and I have begun our version of the engagement. No rings, that's not our style. But we are vegetarians until the wedding. Its our fast of sorts to remind us of our call to spiritual and physical purity for another year. So is it "official" without the ring? It doesn't really bother us either way. Just know that we really like each other :) .
While we haven't nailed down a date yet, we're honing in on late summer to early fall 2009. We post info when we have it. We should be posting tons of fun stuff soon.
We've been so blessed by God to be together, and we want to share that joy will all of you, so please check back every once and while to get more wedding details. Be blessed,

CK