Time has passed since my last entry, but so much has happened! With a joyous wedding having taken place, I can now return to my blog - a happy, refreshed, marvelously married woman. I also want to take this opportunity to feature a few of the engagement photos that our dear friend Brittany Oswald took, just a week before the wedding - Matt and I couldn't be more thrilled. But first, the nuptials...
Matt and I were married on June 12, at the Unity Church on Greenville Avenue. The ceremony was officiated by Matt's youth minister, Andy Stoker - he was wonderful. Surrounded by our loved ones, and accompanied by our closest friends and family in the wedding party, the event was incredibly beautiful. And now for the creative, blog-focused aspect of the wedding - the gown!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was miraculously fortunate enough to acquire exquisite materials for the gown - silk duchesse satin, crepe and impeccable soutache lace went into the construction. The pattern itself is an alteration of a late 1990s Simplicity costume design, based on the film "Titanic" - the piece is affectionately called the "swim dress". The veiling tulle arrived the morning of the wedding - I whipped up a piece immediately. Although you cannot see it well here, the headpiece is a band of petersham ribbon, trimmed with vintage earrings and nazar boncuk charms.
The gown is a bit more visible here - you can also see more of the bodice front, finished with my late mother's antique cameo. Matt's handsome, circa 1938 tailcoat tuxedo is just marvelous - our dear friend Robert stands to my left. He provided the ragtime selections for our ceremony, and the exquisite lilies I carried down the aisle. I was lucky enough to find the perfect satin heels at David's Bridal - I had them dyed to match the gown, and finished them with petersham ribbons (ideal for fox trotting). I'm very proud of this piece - the hand-finishing through the lining is wonderful, and the fit is perfect. Just enough of an architectural nature to shape the body into that ideal, late Edwardian silhouette.
And now back in time, to see the engagement photos! Brittany Oswald is a deeply gifted photographer, and her sense of aesthetic came into full play with our shoot. We started out in Oak Cliff, a Dallas neighborhood - a lakeside park served us perfectly. We brought along our own props - as you can see, our love of vintage musical instruments, phonographs, antiques and ephemera tends to follow us around! Despite the simmering Texas heat, we had a great time in the park... Brittany had us laughing (and spooning) to beat the band...
Funny enough, until now I had forgotten that this dress is one I made two years ago. A Vintage Vogue reprint of a 1950s pattern, in white eyelet - one of my favorites. And now to the next location, Curiosities - an eclectic antique shop in the Lakewood neighborhood!
We changed beforehand - Matt into his 1920s beltback suit, and I into my walkaway dress (another one made at home). In this environment, we wanted a truly Technicolor experience, and we surely achieved that!
The above shot was initially unexpected - I had bumped into the corset just before, and in my enthusiasm, tried it on. Brittany hopped in as Matt lifted his cuff to show off his garters (an enormous weakness of mine) - and I lifted my skirt in a sense of unity. A power couple? You tell us.
I'll include the last photo - in fact a completely candid one, taken at Campisi's, a local Italian restaurant. This was between locations, giving us a chance to cool down and have a nibble. Matt did exactly that, and Brittany caught the moment.
He is an utterly wonderful man, and such a joy to be married to. Here's to an enchanting life together! And, for good measure - a photo of us, at the Singapore Slingers performance that took place three days after the wedding. Matt's playing "Mariutch" on the Baldoni accordion, and I'm doing a hootchy-kootchy dance, while wearing a circa 1912 bathing suit, and early 1930s egret fascinator. Such a beautiful life...
