Wedding Plans

I just love it when I've planed something in my head and once I start to execute the plan, everything just falls together. But that was about the last thing that happened yesterday. Let's back up a bit first.

I keep getting asked, "When's the wedding?" It's next Valentines Day, or Feb. 14th for those who don't know that's redundant. I'm sorry for the inconvenience of it being on a Tuesday, but them's the breaks. It's all about the romance. I knew I'd never get married again unless there was a damn good reason, and it had better include romance. I don't mean infatuation. I mean those little gestures that tell the other person that you think of them. Without going into all the details, let's just sum it up in Steve being the most romantic man I know well enough to know that about.

With that date, I knew I'd have to select a site early, and I did, in Shafer. In fact, the site is being donated as a very generous wedding gift. It will host both the wedding and reception, having a nice commercial-type kitchen on premises.

Since that's the date, it's also the color scheme. Add rubies to the diamonds in the ring(s). Pick decorations, flowers, clothing in the white-pink-rose-red spectrum. For example, for flowers I'm thinking a variety of roses and stargazer lilies. The ladies/girls of the bridal party have been asked to pick out their own choice of clothing in that range. I'm not dictating outfits with lots of frou-frou that will never be worn again. Jordan selected a pink prom dress that she plans to use a second time as bridesmaid at the wedding. Steph, as matron of honor, went fabric-shopping with me yesterday. Or should I say silk shopping. She didn't find anything for herself, but she's got lots of time, and now knows what the bride will wear.

On the way to pick her up after work, I got two phone calls from Steve. He's heard back from the mother of a young grandson of his, giving permission for him to be ring-bearer. We already have selected one of his granddaughters for flower girl. The day we announced the engagement to his family, she called back and asked for the privilege, and we both were tickled, of course saying yes. His second call was to tell me her mother now has both my phone numbers so we can consult on her outfit. I'm thinking if her mom knows somebody who can sew, I can assist with some of the left-over silk from my outfit as a starting place for hers.

I put a lot of thought into what I'm going to wear. I've done the white-dress-and-veil number. Not going there again, in so many ways. As mother-of-the-bride when Steph got married, I sewed a tunic vest and pants outfit to wear over a (cheap) silk blouse. It was a linen-look fabric in ivory, with embroidered trim with tiny pearls wound through hand stitched in a border all around. It's been sitting in my closet ever since. I'll be able to fit it again by time of the wedding. So this time, I wanted to find a really nice piece of silk in a very intense, deep/hot pink to make a blouse/tunic to fit under the vest.

I had very exacting standards of what I wanted, and not just in the color. I had come across a variety of silk fabric a few years ago that was quite expensive, fairly thick compared to the Wal-Mart silk shirts I picked up long ago, slightly less shiny, and absolutely flowed. Feels like a little slice of heaven when worn. Not to mention I haven't managed to put a wrinkle in the black shirt-jacket I picked up back then. Yep, black, and not good for a wedding, at least not mine. I've worn it to a nephew's wedding over a long sundress, but it just isn't bride material. I wanted that specific kind of silk, just a different color. And maybe a different pattern. And help from Steph in using her sewing room, since I no longer have one.

I'd looked for the old JoAnn Fabrics in Rosedale, but that's a vacant storefront in a strip mall now. The yellow pages flaunted an ad for a store specializing in natural fabric, and silk qualifies, so I called. Yes, they had lots of silk, many varieties, and if they didn't have what I wanted, they could order. (They half-renegged on that after I walked in, but by then it didn't matter.) They threw lots of names past me, but I still don't know what a shantung is, or whether I like it. All I ever learned is the difference between raw and processed silk, and that came from my years of running a dry cleaners. What I wanted was processed, and that's all I still know about it.

Treadle Yard Goods is located on the corner of Hamline and Grand in St. Paul, across the street from the rightly-famous Green Mill Pizza. Steph offered to spring for supper, but shopping came first. The bolts of fabric are located on tables with signs on top stating what kind of fabric they held. The second sign from the front door said "Silk", and right in front shouting at us was the perfect color. We checked it against me and along side the vest I'd brought for just that purpose. It turned out to be the right fabric as well, and we had hopes there was enough left on the bolt. Of course, we grabbed it and then wandered around a bit to drool over some of the other selections before we had it measured. Six and a half yards, 45" wide. You don't want to know price per yard.

We took it all. It's nice to have plastic. There will be extra for - worst case - mistakes, or for pocket squares for the groomsmen and something for the flower girl if she chooses. Or perhaps a sash for future years and fashion changes, since I plan to wear this blouse often.

Since they conveniently had seating in front of the pattern books, we spent time there as well, finally settling on just the right one needing the fewest alterations to match my mental image. Buttons, not so much choice. They'll come later, as will additional trims as I decide what they should be.

Meanwhile, it will sit in my closet until later in the year when we'll start measuring and cutting. For now, tiny pieces have been cut out and will be sent to those concerned for color blending, or just drooling over the fabric. Oh, and I have one in my pocketbook for future shopping reference.

Supper afterward was as great as the shopping had been.