Wedding dress fitting

I had my first 'real' dress fitting today- previous ones have been done with calico, but this time I actually got to see the two fabrics together. I also had to try on the 'skeleton' of the dress, the bit with the hoop. My dressmaker, Stella (of Stella May Bridal), has moved her bridal store next door to her existing dressmaking and alterations business... she spent Christmas and New Year moving all her stuff and having the new store painted, and we were the first customers to visit the new store, which is in a pretty bare-bones state at the moment- not even any curtains on the dressing rooms! Her old bridal store was a bit of a broom-cupboard, and this one is beautifully roomy by comparison. I hope it all goes well.

The fitting involved a lot of pins, as Stella had to try and get the waist fitted properly- I have big boobs and big hips so anything without a properly fitted waist tends to make my body look pretty huge and my arms look ridiculously skinny in comparison, so a well-fitted waist is a big priority! We also decided to make a change to the skirt, as I'd originally asked for box-pleats but the fabric seemed to look better with a draped effect, matching better with the ruching at the top. Stella said that box-pleats were old-fashioned (adding "no offence!") and that the draped look was more fashionable at the moment, but that's not a concern for me... I think the box pleats just require a more streamlined look for the top and the skirt needed some 'wrinkle' down the bottom to balance things out.

I must say, it was exciting to get some idea of what the dress will look like. Previously all I've had is colour swatches and a bit of imagination, and all my imagining has never involved me in the dress... I'm glad I went ahead and decided to get one made instead of buying off-the-rack... when Gam and I went looking at ready-made dresses in bridal stores a couple of months ago the dresses were generally around the same price we're paying to have mine made, if not more expensive, and with the kente cloth I feel like I have something really special. It's nice.

Stella seems to be pretty excited about making a dress that's a bit out of the ordinary too- she actually said she'd like to display it in her window, so we offered to leave it with her for a couple of months after the wedding... hopefully it will catch the eye of people stuck in traffic jams outside her store (Park Road, Milton!) during peak hour and bring her more business.

We didn't bring a camera, so Gam took a couple of snaps with his mobile phone... none of the colours really show up, but everything's visible. Gam is paranoid about the whole 'bad luck for the groom to see the bride in the wedding dress before the big day' thing (and everyone who finds out he's been accompanying me to my dress fittings brings it up!), and now he's worried that putting up a picture for everyone to see must be even more unlucky. Meh. Silly superstition! There's no-one I'd rather have at my dress fitting than Gam :) Besides, a wedding shouldn't be like one of those stupid plastic surgery shows where I hide away from everyone and suddenly emerge in 'the reveal' as an ostensibly beautiful yet almost unrecognisable version of myself. I'll look like me. In a new dress.

The top part is currently like an apron- not fitted, and nothing holding the back together...
eventually there'll be a zip. Stella offered buttons, but I couldn't be bothered with buttons!

Playing with the straps to figure out how wide they should be...

Stella with the pins, cinching in the waist... I look all lumpy!