DIY Wedding Dress, Part I: Inspiration

So this is the big mama of DIYs, the holy grail of turning mundane into magic, the biggest Knicker Elastic DIY by far! (And undoubtably the biggest we are ever likely to attempt...that is unless we decide to build a house or a rocket one day!)  Plus, full disclosure here - I had help, a lot of help, from my Ma! But, enough of a pre-warning, suffice to say this isn't exactly your average DIY, it's more the story of my wedding dress (and it was getting so long I had to break it down into a series of posts!!).

Part I: Inspiration

For links (clock-wise from top) see Rich Silk, Sparkle, Vintage Glamour, Long Veil, Jewelled, Strapless Bodice and Low Back.

I remember, quite vividly drawing my ideal wedding dress when I was about 12 years old. It was a big white satin dress with a v-waist, big puffy Princess Diana sleeves and emerald green silk piping! I also remember Mum admonishing me - 'there was plenty of time to think out my wedding dress in the future'...with undertones of 'you just concentrate on your studies for now darling'! Which of course, I naturally did... ;)

It was not strange to be drawing dresses in our household, given my Ma's profession as a wedding dress designer. We were constantly surrounded by sketches, patterns, materials, motifs and the dresses themselves. They seemed sacred things when we were growing up - we'd be banished from the dining room for weeks on end as Ma worked her magic (for fear of the dreaded grubby kids hand prints!).

Whenever we did get a glimpse of a dress it was terribly exciting - the brides-to-be seemed so glamorous and other-worldly as they flittered in and out with their entourages to inspect the sketches or try on the gowns! I never wondered what it would be like to actually BE one of them. A wedding had always been one of those things that happened to other people. I'd never imagined my own wedding day, let alone my dress!

We started with the usual rounds - dress boutiques, wedding fayres, Pinterest perusing - and was kept fully up to date with all the new Brides magazine by my fab friend at Conde Nast! Bedtime reading sorted for 6 months! :) Thankfully, whilst pinning and scrapbooking like a crazy fool (see my wedding garb pinboard here), some trends and patterns began to emerge from the fog of dress-steria! So we knew there was going to be:

• a lot of vintage jewels
• BIG volume in the skirt (go big or go home!!)
• a rich warm raw silk
• maybe some light fluffy tulle
• a strapless bodice
• with a low back
• and a large oversized bow!!

Next, in part II, we hit the shops to see what gems we can find on the streets of London Town to make this dream a reality!