Getting Started - Wedding Dress

I am so excited to share this post with you! I have started the wedding dress. Well, demo mode anyway.  If you haven't seen it before, this is the dress I started with (in ivory, not champagne). The bodice and outer layer will be remade, the inner layers will remain the same, and the sash...well, I just don't know what I am doing with it. 

Also, since this is a December wedding, I plan to add a shrug. My original plan was to make the shrug out of lace, but it may end up satin instead. It just depends on what I can find to make it out of. 

For those of you who don't know, our wedding is going to be very country with the guys wearing Wrangler 47 MWZ pre-washed jeans and my girls wearing boots with their dresses. In order to be uniquely me, I plan to make my dress out of denim, with some satin and lace to keep a traditional feel.I am so blessed to say that Wrangler has GENEROUSLY provided the exact material that the jeans are made of for my endeavor. The only problem is that they couldn't pre-wash the denim without streaking it so I will have to find a way to was it myself before ever letting it touch the satin as the blue from the denim could bleed onto the satin. The outer skirt is one HUGE piece, instead of sections pieced together, so I have no idea how to wash it without the streaking issues that they had at the factory. If you have any hints, tips or tricks, please feel free to share them. 

The first step was taking the dress apart at the seams.  It was a tedious process but it was so much fun sharing this time and experience with my sweet little girl. 

When you undertake a project like this, it's important to have some extra hands to pull gently as you pull the seams. Just be sure they don't pull too hard so as not to rip any material. Also, when dealing with fabric, remember to wash your hands and working surface so that you don't stain your fabric.

Although very wrinkled from storage, this beautiful piece is the inner layers of the skirting, the part of the original dress that will be part of the new dress.

 This is the original bodice, made for a shorter bodied woman, and of course, not denim.

This is the original outer skirt, beautiful and full, but also, not denim. I will use this piece as the pattern and remake this exact piece out of the 47 MWZ denim. I am thinking of making this part removable, to make dancing easier. 

I know that several of you are following along with the process and I just thank you so much! I can't wait to share the finished product with you! Check back soon!

Bridesmaid's Dresses

Today was a wonderful day. Some of the closest people in my life took time out to spend the day with me...planning for my day. It was just amazing.

I spent the morning first with the wonderful ladies at our local Viking Store. Betsy and Jeanne at Viking we so kind and caring and helped me to straighten out a huge sewing machine mess. Then I made an appointment at David's for my Maid of Honor, Matron of Honor and my beautiful Junior Bridesmaid to try on dresses. 

We picked some amazing dresses and Michelle at David's Amarillo was a great joy to work with:

Both choices will be worn with the shrug shown on the junior bridesmaid in the first picture, since bare shoulders seem wrong for me given we're having a December wedding. All I have left is a single bridesmaid and my wedding party will have chosen their dresses. I am so blessed to have each of these ladies in my life.

Stay tuned, in the next few weeks, I will begin the step by step journey on making my dress!!!

My Dream Wedding - Second Chances - Our Rings

One thing we look forward to every year here in the Texas Panhandle, is the WRCA Ranch Rodeo National Finals. We wait and wait every year to see the guys busting their tails to do real ranch tasks, to see who is the best of the best as far a working ranch rodeo hands. 

We also really enjoy the trade show that comes along with it. We spend hours, literally, cruising the aisles looking for tack (that's gear for your horses and such, for those of you not in the horse world), clothing, and treasures. We've been watching for ideas for the wedding, of course and found a huge key element...our rings. 

We met a super guy named Beau Compton, and his beautiful family this weekend. Beau is an amazing silversmith and makes everything from rings to saddle kits to buckles, and does a gorgeous job at affordable prices...you will be pleasantly surprised. Our rings will be similar to this picture, with a few small tweaks and I have also requested a special surprise for my beloved on our special day. Shhhh, don't tell him, though....

Beau is a few months out on orders, so if you need something, be sure to give him plenty of time. But if you need something special for someone special, this is the guy for the job!! Check him out at BeauCompton.com

Wedding Dress: A Huge Blessing

James tells us in the Bible that we have not because we ask not. So I asked. I am in an amazing online community of Childcare Providers who help each other out in so many ways every single day.

With my dress, I figured the lace alone was going to break my budget for fabric, so I asked for help. I asked if my friends in Providers Playground would help me out by looking at thrift stores and yard sales for a used wedding dress that I might use to make the lace foundation for the skirt of my dress.

I got an unexpected answer much quicker than I could have imagined. A beautiful woman, another home childcare provider, from Canada emailed me and said that her handmade wedding dress had been sitting in her closet for the last 28 years and that I can HAVE IT!!! Wow. She said, "Well, I always knew that some day I would meet someone who needed it., lol. I just didn't want to donate it to a shop, I wanted to know who was actually getting it."

I was literally in tears. She had two boys, so no daughter to pass it down to and has held onto it all these years waiting to bless someone. I get to be honored with the joy of receiving that blessing. How beautiful is that?

Thank you again, my friend, for blessing me this way. I can't wait to show you the finished product. I am having a custom tag made into a tiny pocket inside the dress, with my name and wedding date on it. The pocket will hold an embroidered handkerchief with message about the story of the dress for whomever it gets handed down to. They, too, will be able to add mementos to the pocket for the next wearer of the gown. You can bet that your name and generosity will be mentioned.

Some people never know how they've blessed others, but I get the honor of telling you thank you. You have blessed me!

Denim Wedding Gown Rants, Raves, and Questions

Oh my, have I been getting some crazy emails. Not just from those critics that think my wedding is faux pas, but also by some serious denim gown critics.

Somehow some serious fashion critics have stumbled upon my humble little blog. These proclaimed "professionals" have made statements such as vomit, hillbilly, and Hee-Haw in reference to my planned wedding gown. I've been asked what my beloved thinks of my plans to wear a denim gown. I have been asked what my family thinks. Oh my, I have been asked if it is some sort of media stunt.

So here are answered questions. My sweet husband not only knows, but he will be wearing blue Wrangler jeans, a frock coat, wild rag, a cowboy hat and hopefully a pair of handmade boots. My family, as far as I know is on board. This is my day and as long as I am happy, they are happy. Media stunt? Ha! I will be lucky to have the 100 people I am planning on at my wedding, much less a media circus. No, I am not trying to get attention...I am simply planning the cowgirl wedding I have always dreamed of. This is Texas. I own horses and will soon own cattle. For both my husband and I, a day at work or night on the town almost always includes a pair of jeans and cowboy boots, so will my wedding day.

I am not a traditional girl, so why have a traditional wedding? This is my only wedding, it should mirror our unique personalities. It should resound with echoes of who we are. It should make people say, "Yup, that is so Vaughn and Kaci." Hillbilly, eh, probably not. Redneck, probably. Hee-Haw? Really? That might be a fun reception theme though *wink*. Vomit? That's a little harsh, don't you think. I saw pictures of some pretty crazy weddings in my research, but I would never speak harshly in referring to someone's dream wedding day. If you don't like it, it's simple, don't read my blog and you probably aren't invited to the ceremony anyway. If you do, thanks! If you're merely curious, follow along, the next 20 months will be full of wedding planning and information.

My Dream Wedding - Second Chances - Daydreaming

This is so much fun. Having all this time to plan, not being in any rush and being able to take my time and take care of each detail. I think I've pretty much decided on exactly how I want my dress to look, and the general idea for the bridesmaids dresses.

Any of you who are following my dress planning ideas, remember that your street size is not the same size you will need in a pattern if you are sewing your own dress. Before you go shopping for patterns, take your measurements. (Here are some tips on that from Threads magazine.) Take the measurements with you and look in the back of a pattern catalog for your pattern size. Promise yourself, before you go, that you will not freak out, fall apart, or hyperventilate in the fabric store because your pattern size is several sizes bigger than your street size (especially if you are ample in the chest and/or hips). It will be okay, your dress will be beautiful, and you will be gorgeous and radiant on your big day.

I finally have it, in my head, the picture of my dress. It's kind of like when the traditional bride goes shopping for her gown...she tries on dress after dress until that one takes her breath away and leaves her standing in front of the mirror with tears streaming down her face. When you're making your gown and you find the right pattern or combination of patterns, and you can see the finished product in your mind's eye, you get the same feeling. So here I am, decided on my pattern, standing in front of the mirror in my mind, knowing that this, like my beloved, is the one. This is the dress that I will wear in front of God and my loved ones to pledge my love eternally to this man. This is the dress that will be available for my daughter and granddaughters to wear if they want it. This is the dress that I will make with my own hands.

I wish I could show you a picture, but that will have to wait until the big day. I will allow you in on the process, the making of the gown, but no one but my MOH's and my Mom will see my gown until my wedding day. I can't wait to see it finished. I can't wait to see his face when he sees it.

I wish you were here, Mom, to help me make this thing, but maybe I can drive up a few times and you can help me....I love you for believing that I can do this even if I am not always sure.

My Dream Wedding - Second Chances - My New Dress Pattern

Okay, so I am a woman and it is my prerogative to change my mind. I found a new pattern. A pattern MUCH closer to what I had always wanted. The pattern is older, so I got it off of eBay for almost nothing. Here are the line drawings from the pattern:
I will be using a lightweight (4-6 oz) denim with Allover lace for the sleeves and will be making a corset back instead of a zipper. I will also be pinning up a side of the skirt to reveal satin and lace underskirt. It will be embellished with white lace beaded Bridal appliques.

My MOH's (Matron of Honor & Maid of Honor) will be my assistants on this project. We plan to get together soon to start project 1: the homemade duct tape dress form, and project 2: the first muslin mock-up. I hope to take lots of pics and post tutorials every step of the way.

I will warn you now, I was not taught patterns or sewing by a master, I pretty much taught myself, so this may be a fun ride...

My Dream Wedding - Second Chances - My Dress

If you don't know by now, we're having a cowboy wedding next year for our 5th Anniversary. I am planning the wedding I've always dreamed of. A real cowgirl's dream. In picking my wedding dress, I was inspired by this gorgeous gown from Sat'n Spurs

But I want my own design, not something someone else has worn before, so I've picked this pattern

It's Vogue 1095 and these are the changes I want to make to it

The flower girl dresses will be made from this pattern and will have the same changes...I think it will be awesome!

I am planning to make this dress myself. So at least if it all goes wrong, I have the "inspiration" dress to fall back on. As far as I know my darling Vaughn does not read this blog so I plan to post pictures and tutorials as I go so that you can follow along. Maybe someone else has an aspiration to make their own wedding dress and need some tips and ideas, I hope I can help you in some way. Maybe just to know how not to do it...hehehe, but hopefully in the end I will have a beautiful, one of a kind gown to show for it. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

My Dream Wedding - Second Chances - Planning

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my first post in this series. I love the people God has placed in my life because you are so encouraging and uplifting.

The first step in planning your second wedding is planning. Go out and get yourself an organizer. I got this one and it came with a free tote bag. Since I am doing most of it myself, I am kind of making some of my own pages, maybe I'll get motivated and make you girlies some printable planning pages. Depends on how much extra time I have in the coming months.

I also set up a wedding website through eWedding.com. eWedding does not know me or pay me to advertise, I just found their website and I love it. We have a beautiful wedding website and I just love, love, love it. You can visit it at LuskWedding.com. It's a great way to keep family and friends informed.

I have decided on a date, place, theme and colors. I have picked my wedding party, mostly. And I have decided that I am going to make my own wedding dress so that I can have the unique dress that I have always wanted. I have started on creating my budget and determining the size of the wedding.

It doesn't have to be expensive, and you CAN have the wedding of your dreams!!

My Dream Wedding - Second Chances

As if anyone here hasn't already heard, I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!

Yes,I am already married, legally. Vaughn and I were married at the Justice of the Peace December 18, 2007. We plan to have a "real wedding" or, as my cousin and matron of honor so eloquently put it, a covenant ceremony on December 15, 2012.

In planning this wedding, I have been faced with some "etiquette" questions, rules and barriers. I, and probably any of you who have recently planned a second wedding, went to the internet for help in what to call things, how to work things and how to "properly" do all of this. I hit the same brick wall every single time...so called "etiquette experts" saying that I was wrong, selfish, greedy and an embarrassment to my family for having this ceremony and even more so for calling it a wedding. If you are planning a second wedding, for whatever reason, hang with me, sisters. I am going to have MY wedding. I will explain why, how and take you through the process with me over the next two years. You can decide for yourself if it is "proper" for you, but I am not ashamed and my family and wedding party is not either. I promise, if any of my family reads this and you are embarrassed, and don't want to come, I will understand, but please read my reasoning and plans before you attempt to make a judgment.

I think the first thing you need to evaluate is WHY are you having this wedding? Maybe you didn't have the money for a wedding the first time. Maybe you got married quickly and didn't have the time to plan a wedding. Maybe a family member became ill during the planning of your initial wedding and you JP'd it to be able to devote yourself to the situation. Maybe you're celebrating a huge milestone like 25 or 50 years. Maybe your marriage has faced hardships and you want to re-devote your covenant with one another to mark the beginning of a new covenant. There are many logical and understandable reasons why some couples JP it the first time and choose to have their "wedding" later. That being said, if you simply LOVED your first wedding and just want to plan another for the fun of it, that may not be so grand an idea.

God saw fit to create with us a "New Covenant", Jesus Christ, after the first covenant was broken. God makes us a "New Creation" when we come to Him. Is our God a God of second chances? Absolutely. So will He bless a new covenant between a husband and wife that He created to be one flesh? I believe so.

What is a wedding? Webster's Dictionary says:
1: a marriage ceremony usually with its accompanying festivities : nuptials
2: an act, process, or instance of joining in close association
It also says that marriage is: the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law or by the church

So is this a wedding? Absolutely. Yes, we were legally married in 2007. We now want a covenant ceremony. We will covenant with one another and God to continue to live together according to the Word of God. To continue to love one another and submit to one another in the Lord, and be helpers in all that comes our way. Continue to be true both in sickness and health, both when things are going well and when there are difficulties? And continue to be faithful as long as we both shall live.

That, my friends is a wedding. That is what each of us deserves. To stand in front of our friends, family members and church family and publicly covenant to love one another.

I do believe that it would be wrong to register for gifts, so we will not be doing that. We will not have an engagement party, but an announcement or proclamation party to proclaim our love for God and one another, and to proclaim our intention of having this wedding and to proclaim who our bridal party members will be. We will be having a Bridal party and a Bridal shower, as I am and will always be his bride...as we will always be Christ's bride. However, at the bridal shower, I will not be requesting gifts, just having a party to celebrate the wedding and have my friends "shower" me with their love. If they insist on gifts, perhaps personal items, bath items, things that will be used rather than stored, as my home is already set up.

If you are planning a similar wedding or a regular one, if you are a friend or family member, or if you simply want to come along for the ride, I would love to have you join me in this journey. I have much more to share, but this post has gotten long already. I can't promise to follow "proper etiquette" to the tee, but I do promise it will be fun. Join me, will you?

Please feel free to leave comments. Understand that friendly discussion is welcome but flaming of any kind will not be tolerated.

Have a wonderful day!!