Dresses.

So, the process of getting married has so far ruled. I love it! Planning is a bit overwhelming, but for the most part its really, really fun.

We've been able to really nail down a lot of the details pretty quickly, and Tyson and I have had shockingly easy time agreeing on things. I'm waiting for the big ole bomb to drop, but alas, maybe it will not!

One thing came to fruition totally out of nowhere that I am giddy and sparkly about: I will likely wear my Mother's dress which also happens to have been made by her mother, my grandmother. Which, sort of blows my mind to think about. I happened to think of this as a possibility while we were in MN for the holidays, and on a random day my Mama and I just put it on to see and POOF. We were skeptical at first, but the more we started looking at it and envisioning things, the more we started to see that this could actually be a possibility. A spectacular possibility!

On top of that, the gal who rented our condo whilst we worked and played in New Zealand just so happens to be a wedding gown designer here in Seattle. And I went to her studio two nights ago with a friend, which was totally awesome! Her studio is like this scene out of a movie where you walk in and there is fabric everywhere and gowns on racks and high ceilings that create this whole loft + designer + art vibe. It was wonderful and special and I'm just over the moon excited about this whole thing.

The current plan is to retain the existing bottom of the dress - meaning the waist and below - as well as the train, and then completely redesign the top using as many of the existing materials as possible. Its like a scene from project runway! I'm waiting on sketches at the moment, which, is super fun. I would still like to go dress shopping though because frankly, dresses rule and wedding dress shopping is a pretty special thing.

Overall, the prospect of wearing the dress my Grandmother created for my Mother is so amazing. I asked my Mom too if she would be more comfortable keeping her dress intact by having me wear her dress as-is during the ceremony, and then buy my own dress for the reception. Her response, "No. I wouldn't want you to wear the dress as-is, because it isn't you." I guess she's right. A long-sleeved, turtleneck dress really isn't my thing. And I'm so grateful for her generosity in that regard. This is so fun!

In any case, I thought I would pass along some of the reference I brought along the other night to give the designer some of my visions for different dress tops. Here are some that I'm loving! Its hard to describe but the existing dress top has sheer sleeves with embroidery and some scalloped edges. So does the neckline. So, if I could reuse some of those elements in a draped, feminine way, I'd be pretty pumped about that.

Sigh...weddings.