252 Days To Go - The Inspiration Post

And So the Process Begins.....

The Inspiration post!

Over the last few days, I have been doing some serious brainstorming about what I want to do as far as sewing my own wedding dress. A few of the major things I have had to consider are:

1. Time (How much time it will take me to create this, and how much stress I am willing to put in).
2. Design (The design I am looking for in a dress, and how I can begin creating it).
3. Detail (The types of details I want to add to the dress, and how I will go about adding them).
4. Steps (The steps I will take to proceed).
5. Fabric (Probably the hardest part so far because I want it to be elegant, light, and easy to work with). 

A few things that inspire me, and I know I want to incorporate are listed below: 

The Bodice:

I want the top to have sleeves. I want the sleeves to be capped or quarter length through lace (haven't decided yet). 

I want a distinct sash that accentuates my small waist, but doesn't take away from the top.

I also want princess seams to curve around my bust, and give the bodice shape.

I want a scoop neck like below, as opposed to a higher neckline as shown above. 

The Skirts:

Here is where it gets tricky --- I want a 2 in 1 wedding dress!

Yes, IT IS POSSIBLE,

See:

I had always envisioned myself getting married in a short dress (knee length). 

That is until I tried on a wedding dress my mom happened to have, and it fit me like a glove. 

Now, I have this "ceremony dress" that is long, with a beautiful train that has beaded embroidery.... 

BUT I want to make my own. I have always wanted to create the special dress unlike any other that will be passed down, and the dress I have is very popular and seemingly everywhere.

So what I have decided is this: 

Ceremony Skirt:

An A-line skirt that has a rounded train. 

I would wear a long, soft petticoat to give the skirt shape. 

Reception Skirt: 

I want a knee length, gathered skirt that flares out in 1950s style (almost a circle skirt, but with more gather).

Just like this:

I also want a colorful petticoat sticking out the bottom!

Like this: 

Or this:

Or this: 

The Detail:

Another thing that is very important to me is the detail. The color. The parts of the dress that will bring everything together....

Something I should explain before going into this part: I plan to make my bridesmaid dresses with this fabric: 

Michael Miller Spring Fling at the Conservatory Aqua

Not only is it absolutely adorable, light, and full of spring, but it also has over 8 colors in it!

 blue, green, pink, purple, yellow, orange, red and aqua.

I want to incorporate this fabric into a few different things:

• The invitations
• The bridesmaid dresses
• the wedding cake

And last but not least ---  my wedding dress!

I want to create a bodice that will have embroidery/ fabric around the collar like these: 

and this: 

and this (except with less 3D effect...):

Something all of those have in common: There is no sash....

That is where I want to change it up. 

I want to add a sash that will stop the embroidery at the bodice for the ceremony. 

The ceremony skirt will have embroidery on the train like this: 

For the reception dress, I want the reception skirt to complete the detailed color of the bodice. 

In other words, I want it hidden for the ceremony, and shown at the reception, like this:

The details of the dress will bring everything together like this: 

With the fabric of the bridesmaid dresses bringing out the details of the wedding dress!

I am SO excited about this project! It is going to take a lot of time, and patience, but it will be the most meaningful project I have ever worked on!

More to come soon, so stay tuned :o)