A Texas Wedding

Recently my awesome brother-in-law got married.

I have to admit when he asked me to do the wedding photography I was both honored and terrified. It's a very rare occasion when I play both parts of being in front of the camera as well as behind it. Knowing this information I really wanted to do a great job for them but I also wanted to look nice since I would be in the wedding. I needed something that would fit comfortably as well as look

awesome through out the day and into the evening.

I started my search a few months before the wedding and I found the perfect dress... from Shabby Apple!! I love the beautiful clothes they have but I couldn't really afford to spend

$100 + on a dress. (Not in my student friendly budget)

So I decided that I would try and make one for myself.

Here is the absolutely beautiful dress called Black Oak.

Step 1: Ask the about the wedding colors.

My brother-in-law told me the wedding colors were brown, gold, and auburn. So I planned on making my dress dark chocolate brown color. Turns out you should really ask the bride what the wedding colors are because they ended up being bright red, yellow, and cream.

Step 2: Get to work.

I gave myself a budget and a timeline and got right to work. There were a few learning curves with this dress but I was excited to see if I could pull it off. The new things I learned were:

- How to sew in a side zipper

- How to make those cool little ruffle strips

- How to sew in a hidden pocket

- How to make a cute cuff hem

Step 3: Accessorize

I knew I wanted a cute gold chunky belt to go with this but I didn't want to spend a lot on it so I went to Good Will. I found this awesome snakeskin belt and I cut it down to make it a high waisted belt. To do that I just trimmed the end off and used a metal punch to make a new hole for the buckle to fit. I also used black permanent marker on the end of the trim to make it look finished.

I also found this great necklace there for $2.50!! I love a great deal.

Step 4: Put it all together.

For the fabric, thread, zipper, necklace and belt I spent a total of $3o!! It worked out perfectly for the wedding (even though I didn't match the wedding colors) it was comfortable and cute! I can't wait to try out my next project.

Here are a few photos from the wedding!!

Also on a very fun note my amazingly talented friend in Ohio is hosting a sewing contest!! I was so excited about it and I think you will be too. Come support me in my adventure or join in the fun. Click on the button below for more info.