The wedding dress, possibly the most important garment in a girls life, that's if she's the marrying type - and there are plenty who aren't! I guess I fall in to the first category, I'm not one of those obsessive 'Monica', been planning since I was 4 types. No, I only became obsessive around December Last year when It finally sunk in that yes I was getting married and oh good god I am going to have to start planning a wedding! (This was 2 months after we got engaged.)
The engagement didn‘t come totally out of the blue, we had been together, M and I, for 5 and a half years. It happened on a romantic mini break to France. Although it was something I completely wanted I was a little scared and apprehensive at first. I would be the first out of my friends to be tying the knot and settling down, so to speak. Argh I just want to have fun, get drunk and dance and be down right daft! Did getting married mean that I had to grow up and be sensible and start having babies? Argh would life as I know it be over, and would my friends who are single disown me as a ‘smug married‘?
I am assured that these are extremely normal emotions to experience, better now than on the morning of the wedding! Besides what will change apart from my name and the fact that I will live with M 24/7!
So getting back to the dress, it is probably the most important aspect of the day, from the brides point of view at least (oh apart from the joining of two people blah blah!) and lets face it the most exciting part of the planning. After the engagement I went into Harrods and Liberty, determined to try on some ‘to-die-for’ designer frocks. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in dreary November? Both times I chickened out. I felt like a bit of a fraud, thinking the assistants would tell me to come back when I was older, or look at me as if I was some psycho ‘Muriel‘ type. It never crossed my mind that my diamond solitaire was like a form of ID. (sometimes I think I am mentally sub normal in situations of this nature!) One afternoon mama and I were perusing the shops in the local town and stumbled, across a bridal boutique. It was a Jenny Packham number in the window that tempted me inside.
“Can I try that Jenny Packham dress on?”
“Yes madam, when was it you are getting married”
“erm haven’t set a date yet, sometime in 2009”
“Oh……” (There, now she thinks that I’m lying and just coming in to perv on the dresses!)
Because assistant is suspicious she follows me into changing room and tells me to get undressed….(At this stage I must point out that I am not some chavy, scruffy, light fingered type, just have a very over active imagination.) …getting back to the undressing, I take off my top to reveal 2day underarm stumble, mixed with black cashmere fluff (Nice!) and corn beef skin (So Nice!). Purple bra, not ideal under a white sheath, ok so this calls for bra off, I am not usually against getting my kit of but the close proximately of this lady was most unnerving. It came off nonetheless. I’m keeping my jeans on! (as I said we stumbled across this shop, I had no intention of trying on wedding dresses or being hit by a bus so felt that matching underwear was not necessary on this day!)
The dress goes on and the jeans come off. A figure hugging ,slinky number, it felt sexy and glamorous, like old school Hollywood. Hmm….. the cogs began to work. After this expedition I started to get a clearer image of how I wanted the wedding to look. Being one that likes themed things, (and if costumes are involved all the better!) I started thinking 1930’s Hollywood, then it was 1920’s then I saw Atonement (and that green dress) so it was back to thirties. Now it’s a mix match with a little 30’s, 40’s and 70’s thrown in for good measure! I have too many ideas, I like too many different styles and mixing these aesthetics is proving quite difficult especially when M likes beige, black and brown and all things masculine and square. Yak! (I know he has a colourful camp side that I am endeavouring to bring out bit by bit!)
When telling a friend of the family of the engagement, she enquired as to whether I would be knitting the dress. (I have a degree in knitwear design) I had not really thought of this, isn’t it unlucky to make ones own wedding dress? Being the kinda gal who doest walk over 3 grates and panics at the sight of a black cat (are they lucky or unlucky I cant remember so I just panic!) I didn’t want to be tempting fate. But then I have smashed many a mirror over the past 7 years and my luck hasn’t been against me. Pah to superstition! Why the hell not, what a fantastic idea and project to work on. Brilliant.
Me and my big mouth, now I have told everyone about my knitted dress. There has been a mixed reaction to it-some impressed, some think I’m mad others think ‘hideous’ but smile and say ‘oh lovely‘. I must admit I love to see peoples reaction to it (I’m a closet provoker), especially if they aren’t familiar with what can be achieved on a fine gauge knitting machine and you can tell they are picturing you in a floor length Arran sweater. Ha ha! Its such a great challenge that I am totally up for. There will be ‘love’ knitted into every stitch and probably lots of swear words to boot!
