Wedding Season Sewing

Summer is the season for saying, “I do!” and my studio schedule attests to that. I’m busy this week with my fourth wedding of the summer, and I’m a contented couturier.

I love wedding clients. Each bride is hopeful, and in love, and about to wear a beautiful gown. Most brides are a bit obsessive about fit, but I’m a bit obsessive about accomplishing fit, so it’s a  (um, sorry for the pun) good fit. It’s a time of hope and love and cherished friendships, of family reunions, and photo shoots. So I will continue to be obsessive about fit, to keep all those lovelies smiling!

A July 25th wedding for Emily Jean was a bridal redesign, a custom ceremony bodice, and eight (yes, 8!) custom bridesmaid dresses.

Tommy and Emily Jean (Rice) Rutt with their wedding party. This custom order for bride and bridesmaids was twice the pleasure, once for beauty’s sake and once again for the beautiful souls these lovely ladies possess.

Inserted into my scheduled workflow was wedding #2 on August 1st, what I’m lovingly referring to as the Rhonda Rush Dress Rescue. My niece in Oklahoma City had her gown redesigned locally and it was a huge failure. Long story that ends with Aunt Cindy arriving Thursday afternoon before the 2 pm Saturday wedding, and spending about 20 hours making it right. A detailed blog post will follow, but for now, look at this lovely bride!

The newly married Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the bride looking lovely in her rescued and re-altered gown.

 

Mallory’s wedding was #3  on August 8th, a bridal alteration to reduce a final sale rack frock from a size 8 to a size 2, plus hem and bustle.  She wore  low-top white lace Chucks with her gown. Love it! (Mallory Wedding photos to come later.)

Mallory’s layered tulle gown becoming her tiny size.

 

Wedding #4 is on September 19th, and yesterday was the second fitting for Erica, a petite bride with tiny hips. We marked the bustle, and decided to replace the back lacing with a pale blue ribbon, lacing from bottom to top (because who wants a bow on their bum walking down the aisle?). Also fitted for alterations were her three bridesmaids, all pretty in purchased gowns of two shades of blue.

Take a little off each hip please….

 

All this bridal-sewing-happiness has revived my original (27 years ago) business plan to specialize in bridal design. I have a gorgeous roll of creamy silk with scattered with cream embroidered leaves begging to become a fall wedding gown. Resting beside it (and quietly mocking me as I fabricate custom baby bedding) is a roll of iridescent teal silk, also asking to be crafted into something worthy of a wedding party. Etsy.com will be my venue of sale, and September will bring the first few designs to the marketplace.

I’ll continue to be contented here in Martins Creek, dreaming and designing and creating custom gowns, because the truth is, every month of the year is wedding season.