When anyone asks, “How’s wedding planning going?” I have this reaction, this 100% involuntary reaction where my eyebrows scrunch down and my lips purse out and this sigh, long and deep – like I’ve just been handed a blue book and the AP Calculus exam – rushes out. Actually, I probably look like I’m about to take my AP Calculus exam because that thing was utterly confounding. And regarding wedding planning, I am utterly confounded.
You can ask me about the honeymoon and get a totally different reaction, by the way. The “Italy!” tab of the spreadsheet is a masterful work of dates, times, trains, costs, Tuscan villas. Ask me about Italy and you’ll get an earful. And maybe a strange little dance. VILLAS!
For the actual wedding, though, I haven’t really done anything. I mean, except hoard pennies like a squirrel in autumn…you know, wherein pennies are acorns… and I guess that didn’t really work, did it? Anyhow. Maura is handling the invitations. Chef Brother is handling the food. We’ve got a place to have the wedding and there will for sure be wine, so what else could be so important? And this is where my eyebrows start slouching.
How about a wedding dress? I should probably have one of those! The seamstress sent me the specifications for fabric types and amounts and all I have to do is buy it. Which I’ll do as soon as I can find it. Who knew that embroidered silk organza is so hard to come by? Not this girl.
By the time my mom and I got done beating both the pavement and my laptop on Saturday, I was ready to get married in a damn tutu and ostrich feathers. I did find a really lovely specimen on a UK website, but once I figured in what it would take to ship it, convert from pounds, carry the one… it would have done a sound job of defeating the purpose of making a dress. Oh, hell. Who knows? I might get desperate enough.
I’m a pretty skilled google-r, and I’m running out of options. So, this is me announcing, If you know where a girl can find white/ivory/pearl embroidered silk organza (heck, at this point, I’d take an embroidered polyester organza, if the pattern was simple and vaguely sophisticated. Read: not busy), I know one who would probably spend Seven Minutes in Heaven with you to get her hands on some. Eh? Takers? I kiss good. I swear.
And here I thought shoes were going to be my hang up.
Heather – there is a fairly high end fabric store in my neck of the woods (upstate NY) that carries organza, I remember seeing it when I was there purchasing fabric for my own wedding dress. Here is their website: http://www.cazfabrics.com/. They are really great, and totally know what they’re doing. Give them a call and see what they have, they would probably send pics and such to you so you could see the fabric, or a sample for sure. Hope this helps!
Kate Denison
Did you try the Mood website? You can shop online and even order swatches. http://www.moodfabrics.com/
http://www.nancyssewingbasket.com/default.html
This is a fabric shop in Seattle. I have been here a few times to purchase fabric for a few bridesmaid dresses. It might be worth a phone call.
PS – “Villas” makes me want to do a happy dance for you!
I would suggest Fabric Depot, in Portland Oregon. They have a huge selection of bridal and other fancy fabrics, they don’t show them all online but I’ve been several times in person and it rocks. http://fabricdepot.com/
Also in Portland, The Mill End Store. Same story, huge bridal department. http://millendstore.com/index.html When I was but a wee 9th grader, my mom and I came here to get the fabric for my winter formal dress (sooo mid-90s – black velvet fit and flare, with a sweetheart neckline and cream/black/gold puffy taffeta sleeves).
I found the dress I wanted and couldn’t afford and then – for no reason that makes sense outside of self-flagellation – would do a search on google images and look at it on all the pre-owned dress sites where it was STILL out of my price range and all the sites where Chinese dress shops promise to make you one exactly like it but not really. Until one glorious day when I saw it advertised at a bridal salon that was cleaning out the inventory. For just a hundred more than I’d budgeted for. Emailed them, told them what I could spend, they offered me $50 less than that if I could pick it up that weekend and pay in cash. Which I did. And got the dress I wanted for about %20 of what they were charging when it first went on sale two years ago. Which isn’t a specific site. But one way to go. And it was SO BEAUTIFUL!!
How’s this: http://tinyurl.com/62od95l
From the mood website. Pricey, but fits the given constraints, I think.
I like its subtle color a lot, but that’s probably way too big of a pattern for my vintage-inspired dress.
Ah, sorry. I couldn’t really tell how big it is. I have to say though, I think it’s neat you can order swatches from them online.
Have you asked your seamstress for recommendations of places to check?
Yeah, it’s tough – at least they put a quarter next to the fabric. Most places, you just have to guess! I did ask her – it’s just not her bag. She doesn’t buy fabric; she has you do that part.
Oh, heh, *totally* missed that quarter way down in the corner. Good eyes! Well, I hope your other lovely readers will be able to help! Such is the power of the internet.
Seems like you have this tab covered, but if you’re looking for restaurant tips in Italy, I might be able to offer some. I studied abroad there and traveled extensively through Milan, Florence, Venice, and Rome.
Fabric, not so much.
When I’m in need of fabrics I head to LA’s Fashion District, don’t know how easy it will be to pick out fabrics from afar, but I’m sure they deal with a ton of phone/internet orders
http://www.fashiondistrict.org/content/?c=26
http://www.mlfabric.com/apparelfabrics/
http://www.fandsfabrics.com/
http://www.moodfabrics.com/
I also have a friend that teaches at the Fashion Institute down there, I can pick his brain on vendors as well
Good luck!
Heather,
There are a jillion fabric stores off Harry Hines in Dallas. They will have what you are looking for. Also High Fashion Fabrics in Houston would have what you are looking for too. Good luck!
Oh, we did Harry Hines. I’m telling you – out of options!
Ahhh, there’s nothing like planning a wedding to make you understand why people elope!
My sister found something she liked in a consignment shop. Maybe it was luck, but she went with it and it looked beautiful. Other than that, I can’t help you. For me, I had (well, still have, and it still fits) a 1920s vintage tux my grandfather gave me.
Speaking of which, when my grandparents passed away, we found that they saved the itinerary from their 1920s honeymoon. It was professionally printed and bound by a travel agent, and mentioned which train they were taking (first class, of course) from Paris to Venice, at which hotel they were staying, that someone would meet them, etc. VERY classy!
BTW, you didn’t mention that you had an officiator. Was that an oversight?
We do have an officiator.
I found this site:
http://www.easternsilk.com.au/organza-embroidered-silk.html
They’ve got two pages of various fabrics so you may find something you like there.
They don’t have a set price for shipping overseas though – they say to ask for a quote.
If there’s something you like and you think you’re being overcharged for the shipping, check out http://www.australiapost.com.au for a comparison shipping cost.
They apparently have a shop near me so if you have any issues and would like someone to actually look at the fabric just drop me a line
Karalee, so far? Australia is winning!
Here are a couple of sites…
http://www.puresilks.biz/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1891
http://www.puresilks.biz/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1428
http://www.puresilks.biz/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1429
http://www.puresilks.biz/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=513
From China:
http://www2.sbac.edu/~wpops/spotlights/11-IntelSemifinalist.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/381080936/table_fabric_with_plain_embroidery_on.html
if you can get someone in LA to do a bit of swatching for you- the money you’ll save from buying from either the fashion district or the stores on pico will probably more than cover paying a fashion student 100 bucks to spend a day swatching/pricing and then buy the one you want a mail it to you
Hahahah. My entire dress budget, including the seamstress, is like $300. It could stretch, but probably not to pay anyone to leg work for me, as nice as that would be!
Try etsy.com you may find something on there.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66360473/white-on-white-silk-embroidered-bridal?ref=sr_gallery_15&ga_search_query=bridal%2Bfabric&ga_filter=
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64460311/off-white-sequined-silk-taffeta-material?ref=sr_gallery_13&ga_search_query=bridal%2Bfabric&ga_filter=&ga_page=2
Maybe? I have too much free time this morning.
Ha! Nice work! I think one of those is taffeta? Not that I know anything about taffeta, but I think it’s too opaque. The other one is the right idea – I’m just looking for a pattern that’s not so… intense. Does that make sense? Like, spaced farther apart so it’s not the whole focus. Gah. Picky, right? I want the world on a silver platter, can I get that too?
I’ve had friends buy vintage (used) wedding dresses with the right fabric and have a seamstress re-do it. Is that a possibility?
I’ll have to think about that! I mean, so long as the skirt is full enough, it could work, right?
http://www.berensteintextiles.com/organza.html
Your dress design is gorgeous.
Have you tried Richard Brooks in Preston Center (Preston and Northwest Highway)? They are highend, but have some really unique stuff and when I’ve gone, they have been really helpful.
I haven’t – but I will now! Thank you for the recommendation.
http://www.britexfabrics.com/index.html
Biggest fabric store I have ever been to… no online store, but they will send you swatches.
Just buy a simple wedding dress in a fabric you like from David’s Bridal for super cheap (about 3 sizes too big) and then let the seamstress go nuts on it. It’s like building a house. You don’t have to start from scratch, you just need “good bones”.
I like this idea.. or, I’m sure you’ve heard this, but check out sample sales and trunk shows for something similar to what you’re wanting.
I bought my $2,500 wedding dress for about $300 off the rack two years ago. If you walk in with an open mind, you’ll find something that will work. I’m a street size 10 and my dress was a wedding dress size 10, so I had the zippered back replaced with a paneled lace up back and it worked beautifully. Sounds like you have a good seamstress to make any alterations. This could at least be a back-up plan!
Fish,
Try these stores on Fabric Row in Philadelphia. I shopped there with my niece for her gown and vintage veil. Ah-mazing.
http://www.fabricrow.com/
Good luck!
Look at ideeli today. They have a bunch of boutiques for weddings today. They may not have the fabric, but they do have shoes.
This place is in the greater Detroit area, but if you see something you like, let me know and I will gladly do a road trip (it’s not that far from my house): http://www.habermanfabrics.com/bridal_dept.htm
I just keep feeling like this is not something you can hunt down on your own…. like, designers have access to special fabrics, etc., that we don’t and that’s why their stuff is special. I would look for a designer whose repetoire (sp?) includes the types of dresses/fabrics you like and contact that person to see if they can get the fabric for you.
Then again, this is kind of gorgeous: http://cgi.ebay.com/100-SILK-Organza-Sheer-Embroidered-Ivory-White-Ecru-/370473965515?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5641f817cb
I could walk to lawyerchik1′s metro Detroit suggestion – though looks like Australia is still leading the organza scavenger hunt!
Try an Indian fabric shop. They usually have everything, but make sure you haggle!
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!