Monday, January 17, 2011

The Wedding Dress

I wanted to make my wedding dress before all the other preparations would make that I was too busy to concentrate as well as I wanted to be able to.

Daddy called a driver for me and I went to the local fabric stores. As I looked at the selection they had I felt repulsed. Our church rules were that only blue or black could be used as wedding dresses. I didn't want a black one but neither did I want any of the drab ugly navy blues that they had to offer. What made it even worse the only choice of fabric I had was poplino or a polyester broadcloth and I wanted neither. A year earlier one of the bishops had decided that his church district would no longer be allowed to wear clothes made with crepe or creme fraiche and thinking that all the other districts would soon pass the same rule the fabric stores had all quit selling it.  Poplino was thick, ugly, and scratchy, and the broadcloth was for every day clothes.

I went home empty handed and discouraged at the lack of nice material.

When Daddy and Mom heard about they made plans to go to Lancaster to visit daddy's brother and then stop at one of the stores there to find the fabric I was looking for.

When the day arrived to go one of my little brothers was sick so Mom had to stay at home with him and Daddy and I went by ourselves. We visited Uncle Ezra's for a few hours and then Daddy asked for directions to the nearest fabric store.
 As I entered the store I nearly had to catch my breath as I looked at shelf after shelf filled with beautiful fabrics over every color and fabric type. I went to their section containing blues and looked for a light weight crepe. Almost immediately a beautiful navy stood out. I got the bolt from the shelf and stroked the fabric. It was soft and pretty. Not too dark and yet not too bright that it would cause trouble if I wore it to church.

I took it up to the counter. Daddy looked at it approvingly saying that he thought it would make a very nice wedding dress. I asked the clerk for five yards and Daddy said "Go ahead and make it six." Then adding to me , "That way if you happen to make a mistake we don't have to come all the way down here again.And if you don't you could always use it someday for something else."

I couldn't wait to start sewing the dress. It made our wedding seem even closer and I was starting to feel as if I were living in a dream.

15 comments:

  1. I live near two Amish communities and it seems black and blue are common colors, but I've also seen dark green and purple. I've always loved the way the Amish ladies' dresses are made. I'm glad you found a fabric you loved. I, too made my wedding dress, but it was a reproduction 18th century gown in cream brocade with lavender silk petticoat.

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  2. You must have been thrilled to find something beautiful for your special dress. Do you still have it I wonder?

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  3. The fabric sounds very nice! I'm sure it made a beautiful wedding dress. I doubt a mistake was made in cutting it out and the sewing it together. So---I am wondering if you ever made anything with the extra yard?

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  4. What a sweet story...I love reading your post...sharing memories..what a blessings...Shelley

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  5. Reading the comments above, I took want to hear the rest of the story. I am sure you will share one day. Susan

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  6. your daddy sounds so wonderful in understanding girls and how important things like fabric can be

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  7. Your memories in print remind me of the many christian fiction books I read about the Amish. I love reading this type of book. Ever consider writing a book with your experiences?

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  8. Just the right material. You only get to make your wedding dress once so this must have bo absoutely exciting! Hooray for understanding parents! I know you have no pics of your wedding day, but I hope you are able to post a picture of your dress ... a close up of the material? It sounds as if it were lightweight ... no thick, ugly, scratchy stuff on YOUR wedding day! ... I accidentally typed "weeding day" and caught it .. but got to laughing ... on "weeding day" it wouldn't matter if the material was thick,ugly or scratchy!

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  9. Wow! I wanna make my wedding dress when I get older, I'm glad that you didn't get a scratchy wedding dress! lol

    -Carol-Anne @ Sunshine Lolipops and rainbows...

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  10. What wonderful parents! 24 years ago I made my wedding dress too. A beautiful cream peau de soie with alencon lace and tiny seed pearls.

    It was a true labor of love, as I'm sure yours was. I can imagine the hopes and dreams that went into each stitch. Bless you.

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  11. I am so happy that you left a comment on my Blog so that I have discovered your wonderful stories!
    I will be a loyal followerfrom now on!
    Blessings.

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  12. Why only black or blue? Those don't sond very "wedding-ish" to me. (Makes me think of bruises, which are NOT a good thing!) What did the bishops have against softer colors such as light blue or green?

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  13. Just wondering how only the bishop could be the one to decide what was or was not allowed to be worn. Don't the male members have ANY say at all in the rules? I assume this was Old Order? Sounds like a dictatorship not a body of believers. SAD!

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  14. LOL! Wise words from your dad. When I made my wedding dress I bought 5 yards. Guess who was soon back at the fabric store looking for more after making a mistake? (blush!)

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  15. I also made my wedding dress. The prin ted material had a garland which I decided would hang down. When getting ready to sew the side seems, I realised that the back had been cut out upside down. I had to drive 140 mile round trip to get more fabric. How wise your father was to buy extra fabric. After cutting out the back again I soon realised that I had cut it out upside down again!!!! How frustrated I was. Happily I had enough fabric to do it right the 3rd time.

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