Wedding bells!!!

Right, so yes, uhmm...
To make a long story short, or at least to try to make it a little less long...
The Boy and I are getting married!!!!
Jeyyy!!
Well, of course you already knew we were engaged, but we actually decided to push the wedding (push, shove, drag, whatever) forward.
To... October 31 2011.
That is in ten weeks. As in 70 days.

Right.
I know...
It's okay, we still love each other.

Before I begin, let me warn anybody who does me rambling on about our wedding plans, or likes to hear (and look) about wedding dresses.
You are warned!
Okay, done now, read on.

We actually decided this a little over a week ago. Last Monday Joris checked with our Town Hall (where we will be getting married) if they had a spot left for that day, and they did! So now I've been into wedding planning-mode this last week!

When we first got engaged earlier this year we had planned on getting married on June 16 2012. The day we met. An in 2012 it falls on a Saturday. Perfect, right? Wrong. That meant everything was extra super-duper expensive! And well, we're not super-duper rich. And you know, with just having bought our Home, Joris' old house still not having been sold (any takers?), remodeling our Home (yes, we are still in the middle of painting walls, laying down floors, sanding floors...) me wanting to start a course to become a goldsmith next year (other story, other time)..

And to be honest over this past year I haven't been seeing most of my friends. And even when I try to make time for them, they don't seem to have time for me anymore. I know some are still shocked that Joris and I bought a house and moved in together (as am I). And others just had changing lives themselves. Moving house, moving in together, changing cities, changing lives (having babies. Not me, but some of my friends did) makes you loose friends I suppose...

My family, well, that's a whole story, chapter, novel, trilogy in itself. And Joris' family.. Lets just say, we both come from broken homes.

Anyway. I have been feeling left out, forgotten. With my friends and my family. And after my not-so-great-birthday this year I was left feeling really lonely and sad (and obviously sorry for myself). I just didn't see the point in having a big expensive party anymore.
I am just too scared no one will show up.
Adding to that some family-drama...

So... we are eloping!
Sort of.
Our immediate family will be there (parents, sisters). That is to say, they are invited, it's their choice whether or not they'll show up.
We are still planning on having a party on June 16 next year, but it will be without a ceremony. So a lot less expensive and not as emotional. I hope that will help me with the planning as well. I was getting so worried about, well everything and everybody. I was not having any fun anymore, at all.

The stress was really getting to me. So now we are celebrating twice!
At our Town Hall they marry people for free. Every Monday morning at 9 AM and 9.30 AM.
So we were very happy when we heard we could get married Monday, 31 October 2011, at 09.30 AM. (we chose October 31 more as a joke. Because we couldn't find a date that fell on a Monday this year/next year that had any special meaning to us. And I like Halloween, so there you have it!)
It's very sober, small, cheap and tiny (I prefer calling it, simple, minimalist, intimate).
But I think it's right for us. At this time and space.

It's going to be short and sweet.
After the ten minute ceremony we'll be on our way Home to enjoy a brunch, made by yours truly. (at our Home, so that means we have A LOT to do!)
After about 3 hours our guests will (hopefully!) escort us to the train station http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif(about a ten minute walk) where Joris and I will go on our first trip together! Our honeymoon!!
We will go, by train and boat, to Vlieland (a small island just off the Dutch coast), for a three or four night stay.

Soooo, that is giving me 10 weeks (70 days!!!) to plan this whole wedding!
The first thing we want are rings.
I tend to get very emotionally attached to jewelry, so a wedding ring is a very big deal for me! We decided on a ring (I am saving the pictures). In fact, it's the only ring Joris really liked as well. But we are a bit short on, well, money. So the rings will have to wait for now. (I might sound all cool and calm right now, but trust me, on the inside I feel like a two year old having a tantrum!)
So, rings sorted. Kind of...

On to my dress!
I always loved tea length dresses, with petticoats, big and small! Just give me anything from Dolly Couture or Lena Hoschek and I would be in dress-heaven!
I really wanted to wear a dress like that on my wedding day. Maybe a bit more toned down, especially now we're eloping, but you get the idea.
Unfortunately, even though those dresses might not be the most expensive dresses you could find, they are wayyy out of my price range.
So I went on to the big 'oll internet to find myself a dress. A wedding dress.
And I found a dress!!!
In like, two days!!
It was perfect!!
Everything I wanted for my elopement wedding!
It was a white, tea length wrap dress, with 3/4 sleeves. And a collar!
And in my size! (I am a large girl, so finding something that fits is sometimes a challenge)
I could see it.
It was a pretty picture. It involved a petticoat, 1940's hair and red lips..
Oh, did I mention the dress was only $35? (and $15 for shipping, but still $50 in total!)
Yes, I know...
So I bought the dress (first waited for two days. Decided I was crazy for not buying it already so I just bought the thing!), payed for it. Waited for them to tell me they had shipped it to me...
Waited.. waited some more..
Then I got an email saying the dress was too damaged for them to send it to me. And that it was the last one they had.
They offered me to pick something else from their store. For $35 or lesser value.

Wait.... What....?!?

There is nothing else I want from their store. Or any other store. Not for $35 (okay $50)!
I am not too ashamed to admit that I cried.
Not then and there. No, after two days of looking at every sort-of-white-might-fit-could-work dress.
It was not a pretty picture. I was getting desperate I tell you!

So, after looking at thousands of pictures I found one. One, that might work. Might be okay. Might even be white-ish (even if they call it 'ecru' in the description).
It's not $35, but it's close.
Actually it's 25 Euro's, so I guess it is $35!
The only thing is... I need three of them.

Yes, that's right. Three.

So that's 3 x 25 + 5 for shipping = 80 Euro's.
That's $112.
(did I tell you I am on a budget???)

So, here's the thing.
It's a dress. But it's a very short, summery dress.
Wait, here's a picture:


(Bought here. Not really a "pretty" store, but uhm.. 70 days! So..)

Yeah, I know, it doesn't scream: fall/autumn, October 31, Town Hall, elegant, elopement wedding.
This I know.
That is why I bought three.
I want to cut them up and sew them together, to make a long (ankle/floor length) dress.
I'm also going to sew the halter-ties-things to the back, so it becomes a "normal" dress.
And out of the scraps of the two cut-up dresses I plan on making some sort of sleeve. I'm guessing short and fluttery.

Sort of like this:

(Image found here)

But very different, and with sleeves.
And maybe a bit more 1920's..
Like this:


(Image found here. They have some lovely other dresses!)

Hmm, still no sleeves..
How about this:


(Image found here)

Or something like this. This should be do-able, right?

(Image found here)

Now, keep in mind I don't know how to sew.
At all.

I'm sure everything will be alright.
At least that's the phrase I keep repeating to myself in my head, so no-one can hear me.

I am trying to envision myself in that dress. Standing next to Joris. On a beautiful fall/autumn day. With red and gold colored leaves on the trees and on the ground..
Maybe even snow.. Or sunshine.. Or rain.
Then we will have big umbrellas (make mental note: find and buy huge umbrellas!) and we will be standing under said umbrellas... just the two of us, and maybe some family members...

I might try to make the dress a bit more 1920's. With some pretty (embroidered?) ribbon round the neckline, maybe an Art Deco brooch...
Can you picture it?
No, me neither. Not yet.
Hopefully the dresses will arrive tomorrow evening. Then I can see them, feel the fabric, try one on.
I hope they fit!
I reallly hope it will work out! Because I don't have a plan B. Well, this is my plan B.

I feel a bit sad, not having the dress I always wanted. To not be able to have the party I always wanted.
And it's okay to feel a bit sad about it.
But I have a wedding to plan! A fantastic man to marry!
So we can be husband and wife, together.

In a way I think it's so much better for me to have to plan this wedding in 11 weeks (10 weeks from today!). This way I won't be able to get to distracted from to main thing: Getting married.
Not the wedding. Not the dress. Our marriage.
It's about setting priorities. I want to be married to this man. He wants to be married to me.
After that I guess it's rings. Because we will wear them (hopefully!) the rest of our lives.
Everything else is just icing on the cake!

And since I am making our own (wedding)cake, I can put as much icing on it as I would like!
Right?