Nostalgia

So I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic for the past week. Now that I have my online store ready to go and my man and I are approaching our 3 year anniversary, I’ve been reflecting on path that has lead me here. I always knew that I wanted to start my own business, but three years ago, I didn’t know exactly what it would be. I knew I wanted my business to make a difference and have a positive impact on the world, but I didn’t know exactly how. Then an idea came to me as Dan and I started planning our wedding. I’m not exactly what you would call a gown-gal. I’m more of a running-jumping-climbing-trees sort of individual and so the thought of tripping over myself or sweating to death under the August sun didn’t really jive with the image I had of myself on my wedding day. I set to work designing and sewing my own wedding dress after being disappointed with my options in bridal boutiques. I then wondered if there were perchance other women who felt the same way? Perhaps I could design dresses for the ever so slightly non-traditional bride looking for something a little different.  And I could use sustainable fabrics and work with local graphic designers, photographers, and seamstresses in the process!  Yes, this could work; it would work! And the rest, as they say, is history. So in the spirit of reflection and our approaching anniversary, I decided to post some of my favorite photos from our wedding day almost three years ago. The time has simply flown by and I couldn't be happier. I hope you enjoy the photos from our wonderful day.

Um, excuse me, Ms. Maid-of-Honor, but you're not allowed to look better than the bride! 

I don't want to talk about it.

Look at her shoes!!!

Seriously, can I have those?

Tres chic, non?

Photography: Leah Dunbar / Venue: Fanny Hill

The Pardon Fashion Show: A Feral Affair!

Wow!  It actually happened!

The Pardon Fashion Show: A Feral Affair turned out to be an amazing fête of fashion! It was an absolute pleasure to debut my line of ready to wear wedding dress at event with such a great energy and enthusiastic turnout!

Having my collection ready (well…almost) for the show proved to be a monumental task. I had not received my patterns from Chicago until the very end of December which means I had essentially one month to make five couture wedding dresses. Sure. No problem.

It certainly would not have been possible without the help and support from so many friends and family. My wonderful husband, Dan, and his mother, Karen, were instrumental in making sure I made it to the fashion show in once piece. My models were making sure I was eating enough (hilarious, right?). They would not have even had makeup for the show had it not been for my mother. My friend, Ricki, shown below in her fabulous neon pastel jumpsuit, not only coiffed my models to perfection, but she also proved to be extremely effective at coaching me out of a major melt-down. Let me just say, that is not an easy task.

Fie! 

Said breakdown occurred when I realized I was going to end up one dress short of presenting my entire collection. Of course I was sewing up until the last minute and I was simply unable to address a few snags to my satisfaction that I had run into on the Juliet Dress. I also learned a thing or two about how long it takes to sew a ruffle, which will be handy on future projects. Every obstacle is an opportunity to learn something for the future!  With one dress out of the running, I was distraught about letting down Sophia, my model, and Maria, my veil collaborator. Then my ingenious husband suggested that Sophia could just wear my wedding dress.

What the…what?

The man with the plan. 

Trust me, dear reader, that I do not understand the physics that allow Sophia and me to fit into the same dress.  We are, without exaggeration, at least three sizes apart.  The only possible explanation is that the universe cut me some slack that day. Not only did the dress fit her, it looked fantastic!  It was the exact right style for her body type! Sophia, along with Stephie, Chelon, Alicia, and Karli all looked radiant as they did their little turn on the catwalk.

By the way, how lovely are those veils?? One of the best parts about doing a show like this is collaborating with other artists.  I was super lucky to snap up Maria, an amazing art metal’s student at UW – Stout. She made the beautiful veils pictured below out of a super cool plastic mesh, feathers, hopes, dreams, unicorn hair, and I don’t even know what else. They were the perfect touch for a Feral Fashion Show!

Next up is the Menomonie Wedding Fair on Sunday, February 20^th from 12:00 – 4:00pm. Come by, say Hi, and find out more about Something New, LLC!

Last minute substitution: my actual wedding dress. It's a long story. 

Does she look familiar?

Awww!  They're so pretty!

Photographer: Jeremy Nelson and Leah Dunbar / Venue: The Raw Deal  

Beth and Craig

Talk about a picture perfect could not have asked for better weather day for a wedding!  Mid eighties, sunny and with a light breeze. Spectacular! It had rained almost continuously for two weeks previous to Beth and Craig’s wedding, but they kept their fingers crossed that the weather would break. Their risk paid off and they were rewarded with the most beautiful day, possibly ever.  There was a slight issue with the bridesmaids’ high heel shoes unintentionally aerating the lawn due to all the rain.  But in the grand scheme of things, who really cares?  We make a lot bigger sacrifices than that for fashion, right?

Speaking of picture perfect, how lovely are the bride and groom?  Beth is seriously one of the most beautiful people I know, both inside and out.  She is funny, generous, and extremely gracious. She was an absolute pleasure to work with, and as you can see, it would not have taken a lot of work on my part to make her look incredible!  Beth and I worked very closely on the design of her dress.  She loves fashion and had a very good idea of what type of silhouette would be most flattering on her figure. Honestly, I’m hard pressed to think of anything wouldn't look amazing on her. So over the course of a few months and a lot of e-mails, we came up with the final design constructed in a Hemp/Silk blend with a silk organza underlining and spun silk lining. Très belle, non?

I hope you enjoy the photos from Beth’s and Craig’s beautiful wedding!

 

 

One of the bride's lovely sisters, and my good friend, Stephie. Seriously, how ridiculously cute is she?

My dear friend, Arthur, sporting his unique style of Dr. Who meets AC/DC. 

All but the last four photos in these series were taken by the lovely Avesha Michael.