Home-spun Wedding

The time ticker shows my wedding is a mere week away. Saturday will be our one year anniversary. Awwww, isn't that adorable? Yep, folks, we crazy kids fell in love so fast. It does happen. Austin and I are doing it our own special way (whether my mom thinks it's "special" or not is irrelevant).

For the new-comers, here's a quick taste of the details: We're, for all intents and purposes, eloping here in Portland, in a friend's backyard. The natural decor of foliage in the yard will be all the frill we need. Guests include the Officiant and two witnesses (friends who live in the city). No more. The vows, a sentence or two, but heartfelt and candid. Simple. We say this stuff to each other every day, so why list it all verbatim? Laid back, low-key, down-to-earth...call it what you will, we're just two people who love each other and wanna get hitched without all the fuss and superfluous ceremonious bullshit that means nothing to our simple, easy-going lives. Throw in a couple bottles of wine, a little something sweet to nibble, and an hour or so of talk and laughs and smiles and kisses, and that's our perfect little wedding. For the occasion, I bought a sweet white cotton eyelet sun dress from Saks (on clearance, god knows I could never afford to shop there normally) and a honeydew green sash for a punch of color around the waist. I opted out of flowers, due to the steep cost, low-sustainability factor, and sad transience of their inevitably wilting existence on our dining table.

But at six and a half days remaining, I find myself sort of scrambling (not frantically, but ever so graciously) to get the last-minute details together. I still have not found suitable footwear (two pairs of sandals already bought and returned prove that a comfortable yet flirtatious, and by all means thrifty, sandal (in white, no less) is a hard commodity to come by. In the end, I'm not die-hard opposed to flip-flops. Austin is without his suit, but I'm adamantly assured that I shouldn't worry, he'll get it today or tomorrow or later this week. Also, we have no wedding rings to exchange. Tattoos may be applied in the future, but we've found that a tasteful and timeless design is an even harder commitment than marriage. Oh well, what's a ring to a lifetime of love and fidelity and companionship? Announcements still need to be printed at Kinko's self-service center, but I already have the template ready in a folder, good to go. Whatever.

Still, somehow I found the time and freak, out-of-nowhere inspiration yesterday to design and hand-make this felt flower hair clip to wear for the big day. A quick Google "local business results" search of felt crafts and supplies revealed an adorable little shop on E Burnside where I bussed to buy white and pink felt, along with some embroidery thread. A glance online again for a model white flower (went with the rose, because my favorite, the calla lily, would be harder to render in near-to-one dimension) and I started cutting and sewing. Approximately 2 hours later, I had petals ready to be assembled. I opted to sleep a bit, and the following morning at 5 am or so, I picked it all up again and finished the project. I'd say it took me four hours, total. it set me back by about $2.50 in bought materials, 90% of which are still un-used for future crafting endeavors.

I think it's just the perfect "something new" to complete my outfit, and it will definitely become a fondly remembered heirloom!

(Image uploaded later - Our Wedding Day. True, I said I wouldn't have flowers, but at the last minute, our gracious and amazing officiant Jannie donated those beautiful calla lilies, out of her own home, along with the flower in Austin's pocket.)