Filed under: planning, the dress | Tags: amanda archer, custom-made wedding gown, dressmaker, etsy, eyelet wedding gown, lace
I’m having it made.
I want to give you so many more details because I am so so so so so so excited to be having my gown custom made, but alas, Husband-in-Training would come across it and know all too much.
So what helped me make this decision? During all my tryings-on of bridal gown after bridal gown, I found myself thinking “this is not ME. This gown was made for ‘a bride’, but not for ME.” and there were things I would want changed with each gown. This includes the amazing Pronovias gown I almost went with from Bridal & Formal.
Upon coming across an amazingly talented dressmaker based in San Francisco, CA, I knew I found the young woman who would make MY gown. And it felt SO right, especially after exchanging a few e-mails, sending along a photo of what I was looking for and even more so after receiving the fabric in the mail. It was all coming together and it would be MINE!
This decision feels so RIGHT, so GOOD, and I am THRILLED! Anyone who is interested in seeing the photos of the design and fabrics, shoot me an e-mail (jlnowak [at] gmail [dot] com)!
Any other brides out there having their wedding gown custom-made? Please share!
Jenny the Bride
Filed under: ceremony, planning | Tags: Indiana University Bloomington, outdoor ceremony site, rose well house, wedding ceremony
Yesterday I received an answer to the question of whether we were allowed to have our wedding ceremony at the greenspace outside of Simon Hall on IU’s campus.
NO.
So while at first both Adrian and I were disappointed, we realized there was nothing we were going to be able to do to change the committee’s mind and decided on another (already pre-approved!) site:
The Rose Well House:
(The Rose Well House set up for a wedding. Image courtesy of Cathy Teeters Beautiful Weddings)
(A wedding going on–in the middle of a torrential downpour–at the Rose Well House! Image courtesy of Jessica R. Strickland)
From Bloomingpedia: “The Rose Well House is a small structure built in 1908 from stone door gates that were originally part of the old College Building. The well house is located over what was the first cistern used on the new Indiana University campus, on the north-eastern edge of Dunn’s Woods. It is situated close to Wylie Hall, Owen Hall and Maxwell Hall.”
As a matter of fact, it all works out for the better. Even though here we can’t have an in-the-round ceremony based on the shape, Adrian and I went to the Rose Well House on our first date (along with fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies from the Bloomington Bagel Company!), so it’s a spot that means something personal to us. And because of this, we are looking forward to vowing to be together forever in this spot where we, back in the fall of 2004, sat with our chocolate chip cookies and talked for over an hour, learning about one another as we began our relationship.
Jenny the Bride
Remember when I said we’d been approved for that beautiful circular grassy space on IU’s campus? Ah, those were the days! Turns out, I was mistaken. I’ve since been contacted by the Student Activities committee and filled out a form stating how many guests we would have (75 or less), if we would have a tent (NO), and how long we would need the space for (not very). Adrian and I are now awaiting approval from the Board of Trustees at IU and whomever else needs to go through our form and decide if we should be the lucky ones to have the first and likely only wedding in this area. Currently, there are only THREE (!) approved outdoor ceremony spaces on campus, and this is NOT one of them. Their decision could go either way, though, and that’s the problem. We’re waiting….waiting….waiting….. and on THE MOST important detail of the wedding day (besides each other)–where we’re having our ceremony!
I will update further once a decision has been made. Keep your fingers crossed that it’s SOONER rather than LATER!
As for THE DRESS update……..
My mom came to visit this past Saturday through Tuesday. We had a GREAT time just hanging out and celebrating my birthday on Sunday (it was seriously one of the best ever!) And on MONDAY she and I traveled 2 hours to Cincinnati, OH to visit the largest bridal salon in the country: Bridal & Formal! I’ve been wanting to come here ever since I first heard of the shop years ago and it truly was an amazing experience.
Upon arrival, I was given a form to fill out with my name, wedding date, and contact info. Then I was shown the (over 3,000) gowns! Thankfully, they were organized by designer & price to make the search a little easier 
I chose 8 Pronovias gowns rather easily, as this designer is heavy on my style of vintage lace & European design. They had every single one of their styles I’ve been wanting to try on for FOREVER! I was thrilled and SO EXCITED to start trying them all on! Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long, because my consultant Tracie was ready to take me back to the LARGE communal dressing room minutes after I chose the dresses. She was hilarious. She said I had a beautiful “olive skin tone”! Pff! yeah right! Not with these freckles!
Well, the first one I tried on back there was IT. It just was. It was amazing. It was unique. It was ME in every way. This was the dress. Although I’d tried on about 4 or 5 more dresses afterward, I knew I’d found my dress. Tracie took me back to another lady who is in charge of accessorizing. This was a part of the shopping experience that made Bridal & Formal stand out among other bridal salons. They took me in this gorgeous gown I’d chosen and sat me down on a plush stool in front of a vanity set with mirrors surrounded by veils & jewelry of all kinds. Here I was adorned with a chapel-length veil, gorgeous earrings & a bracelet to go with my gown. And here is where I couldn’t keep the tears from coming as I was led to the bridal platform area to see it all put together. Of course, my mother was in tears herself It was definitely one of those moments everybody’s been telling me I’d have but I never believed would happen. Well, it did. You all were right.
After all of that, even though super-sweet and helpful Tracie kept trying to get the price of this amazing gown down, it still was more than we were wanting to spend (I just cannot see spending four figures on a dress that will only get worn once) and we left the store. Of course, I have resources upon resources and am certain I won’t have a hard time finding this exact gown elsewhere for a friendlier price. So the search is on!
The great thing is, if I don’t find it for a better price, I have another just-as-exciting option: I have found an amazingly talented dressmaker on Etsy who is more than willing and more than capable of creating a very similar and just as beautiful gown out of a material I’ve always LOVED and yet a material that is very very hard to find in wedding gowns. This seller has sent me sketches, I’ve seen her work, and I would be just as thrilled to work with her to create a one-of-a-kind gown for our wedding day as I would to find that Pronovias gown in a more reasonable price range.
So now I’m down to two. Two beautiful, exciting options. Of course, I will not post any further information and certainly no photos of these gown options here, as Husband-in-Training could and would stumble upon them, but if anyone is interested in seeing what I’m talking about, please feel free to contact me: jlnowak [at] gmail [dot] com.
Jenny the Bride
