materials

basting

pinning

washing

ironing

tying

It’s cheaper

At first we questioned getting married at all, because as travelers know, all expenses not travel related seem frivolous.

So when we finally decided a party to mark the occasion would be nice after all, budget was heavy on our minds.

Anyone getting married, or who’s ever know anyone getting married, knows that wedding dresses can take up a large portion of the wedding budget.
While there are alternatives, like shopping a thrift store for an amazing vintage find, or perusing the internet for surprisingly affordable wedding dresses, neither option fit me well.
There are no thrift stores in the DR, and I feel strange buying a dress I’ve never tried on.

Altogether I’ve spent less than $170 on the dress, my labour not counted. $150 on the one piece bathing suit that is the basis of the dress, and another $10 on shipping for the suit, and $10 on other materials.

It’s exactly what I want

Besides the budget factor, by making my own dress, I know I will get EXACTLY the dress I want.

There’s a dress that had caught my eye, which I was never going to be able to afford, no matter what. Not only that, but it’s also a bit too extravagant for me.

By making my dress myself I got to decide exactly the feel of the dress and how it would fit with the mood of the wedding.

I can take more pride in it

Now I know, some of you out there don’t know how to thread a needle, but if you do know how to sew, you know what I’m talking about.

Creating something from scratch is a fun experience. You get in a flow and slowly a bunch of scarps come together to form something that’s so far only existed in your mind.

When you’re done and you see the finished product for the first time, it’s the most rewarding feeling!

But the REAL reason?

It’s a symbol of our love.

I approached every stitch the way I do our relationship, with love and patience.
I took my time, I made things right, I didn’t cut any corners.
Sure, I’m no seamstress, and it’s no perfect dress, but I know I did the best I knew how.

Each detail was washed, ironed, pinned, basted, stitched, and ironed again with all of the care I could muster up.  In fact, we made it together.
I’m no traditionalist, and it was going to be difficult to hide the progress from him when we live in the same house, so each evening, from conception almost to completion, we spent the evening working together, him sharing his photography projects with me, while I made a dress from scratch.

Now when he sees me walking down the aisle, he will see the love I have put into the dress and remember the hours we spent creating together, instead of seeing the money we spent on it.

I’m more proud of this dress than I am of almost anything I’ve ever done because of the effort that I put into it. I only hope to be able to treat each task and project I undertake from now on with such love.