To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Mrs. Pryde's Late Natural Form Era Wedding Dress

*Warning - photo heavy post*

On Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2015, Miss Courtney Marie Eliasen became Mrs. Daniel Pryde.  It was a beautiful wedding and I was thrilled to be in the congregation of well wishers praying for their new marriage, and many years of blessings and love.

Back Story...

Last fall, at my niece's softball game, I got a call from my wonderful friend Tammy Elaisen, the Mother of the Bride.  I was informed that Daniel had asked Courtney if she would marry him and she said yes!!  Then Tammy asked if I would help with the wedding dress.  Now, I don't sew for others often, but this is such a special family, and such a special young lady (Courney is part of We Wear History and I have known her for quite some time *cough cough* and I've known Tammy since Junior High *cough cough cough*) that I said, "Of course I'll help!!!"

The Bride-to-Be already had in mind what she desired for a wedding dress (Extant NFE dress) so Tammy and I got together and got to work planning.  4 Truly Victorian patterns and 12 yards of ivory dupioni silk later, I got to work.

This was truly a wonderful project to be a part of and I am truly honored and blessed to have been able to be a small part of this wedding.  Thank you Daniel for asking her to marry you, thank you Courtney for saying yes, and thank you Tammy for asking me to be a part of your lives in this way!

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Pryde



Courtney has a Million Dollar Smile!!!





I LOVE this picture!!  They are so in love!!



All together now.....AAAAAAWWWWWEEEEEEE!!!!!


My most favorite picture of the night!!  He is kissing her hand and you can see their shadows on the stone pillar!!  Le Sigh!!!



This picture makes me pretty happy as well!!!  How fun!


Such a handsome couple!!


I LOVE how she is looking adoringly at her husband to be!!  So much adorableness!!!!!


Now for the boring blogging part of the post

The Dress

Patterns Used

Bodice: TV420 1879 Cuirass Bodice
Underskirt: TV225 1878 Fantail Skirt
Overskirt: TV365 1883 August Overskirt (Just the front panel)
Train: TV361 1880s Butterfly Detachable Train

Tammy made the Butterfly Train, she is my hero!!!  She did a magnificent job as the instructions are quite confusing and hard to read (I have made three in the past and everytime I make one, I HATE the experience, so I was thrilled when she said she'd make it!!!).  It takes quite a long time to figure out the pleating and the way the train folds up to fit the way it is supposed to...it turned out perfectly!!!  It quite literally glowed!!








Tammy's amazing Butterfly Train.  It puddled perfectly and had a perfect sweep!!




Courtney decided to have the same treatment for the back of the bodice as I had on my NFE fushia flower dress, so that's what was made.



I used the opportunity while taking pictures of the wedding dress to pull out some of my antique wedding items....


This is my Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma, George and Cornelia Walters at their wedding in 1914.


Victorian Wedding invitations and announcements from the 1880s-1890s


A beautiful waxed orange blossom veil crown.  Gifted to me by my beautiful friend, Melodye Kamplain.


Gorgeous wedding shoes....waaaaay too small for my Hobbit feet though.


Insane quantity of ruching and pleating...



Train bustled up, so the Bride and Groom can dance!!



So, now I know that I can sew a wedding dress and not expire of anxiety and stress.

I wish Daniel and Courtney many happy years of love and blessing!!!  

g


36 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you so very much for you lovely compliment Lieschen!!
      Blessings!
      g

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  2. *gasp* What a fantastic dress! The bride looks so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much Emily!! Courtney is such a beautiful young lady...she really did make the dress shine!
      Blessings!
      g

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  3. There are no words to express how beautiful the dress is. The young lady looks so perfect in the dress. Her glow only adds to the beauty of the dress. I wish them both decades of happiness.

    Paige Patterson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Paige!!
      Thank you so very much for your awesome compliment! Courtney is truly a lovel young lady and I loved making this for her! They are such a sweet couple!
      Blessings!
      g

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  4. Beautiful dress and beautiful bride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Ava!
      Thank you for your lovely compliment!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  5. So lovely! I love all the tiny ruching on the underskirt. ^^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Megan! The ruching was my nemesis on this outfit...so much time!! hahahahahaha!! I am happy with the results though so it was totally worth it!
      Blessings!
      g

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  6. They are gorgeous! And so is the gown! WOW such love and skill went into it! Beautiful work, Ms. Gina! Though I don't know them, I certainly wish them a beautiful and successful marriage!

    Love,
    Ruth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ruth for your lovely compliment and your wishes for the happy couple! I will convey your sentiments! The gown was truly a work of love for Mrs. Courtney!! I was honored to be a part of her day!
      Blessings!
      g

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  7. oh my gosh, that is so beautiful!!!!! and she looks stunning in it! what a wonderful project to be involved in. it really makes me wish i could get married again (to the same man of course lol)!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, thank you Samantha! It truly was a wonderful project to be involved in. Courtney was so sweet during the fittings and everything! I had a fabulous time! I know that I totally want to get married again...to the same man! In 2017 we have our 25th wedding anniversary and I am wanting to have a Victorian Wedding Party for it...it should be fun!!
      Blessings!
      g

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  8. This dress is truly dreamy!! It is absolutely gorgeous, as is the bride!! Beautiful, incredible job on the whole dress, Gina!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much Esther! I am truly happy with how it turned out!
      Blessings!
      g

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  9. Soooooooo pretty. I just want to pet it. And that ruching is insane. It makes such a stunning impact, as does the culmination of so many different decorative techniques pulled together in that one solid, simple color. Simply stunning. It's like a giant buttercream cake of amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hahahah!!! I thought the exact same thing when I looked it all completed Jennifer! A Giant buttercream cream puff!! It is so light and fluffy and fun! Thank you for your lovely compliments! You have made my day!
      Blessings!
      g

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  10. Everything about this gown, the beautiful couple, the start of a happy marriage, is so amazing happy and joyful! Thank you for sharing everything, Gina!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jeanette! I had such a good time and my heart just burst with happiness as I watched Courtney and Daniel get married!
      Blessings!
      g

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  11. The dress is stunning and how wonderful to have such beautiful memories to look back on. So happy for them and so pleased for you. What a project! Huzzah.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you my dear friend! This was quite the event and I was so happy to be a part of it! They are such a very darling couple...
      Blessings!
      g

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  12. What a beautiful, beautiful bride & groom - may they forever and always share in a happy marriage! And what a dress!! I just can't get over all of the details and time you must have put into such a gorgeous creation!! It's absolutely heavenly, what a labor of love! You're so talented!! Keep inspiring us, Anneliese :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Anneliese!
      They are truly a beautiful couple...even in their civies! And they are so sweet together! Thank you for your lovely compliments on the dress. It was so fun to make!
      Blessings!
      g

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  13. SO elegant (both of them)! He's got such a Darcy serious-but-excited face in most of the pictures. Quite an undertaking, it looks like, but it turned out excellently! :)

    Best,
    Quinn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you Quinn! It was fun to chat with him while the photographer was taking her pictures...love just vibrated from his being!! They were just too much fun to watch that night!
      Blessings!
      g

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  14. What a beautiful dress. I know that pleating and ruching is your 'thing', but the amount of work that must have gone into this is exceptional.

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    Replies
    1. Hello BT! Yes, I am a pleating and ruching fool, and this dress did not excape my madness! Thank you for your lovely compliments!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  15. The dress is absolutely beautiful Gina! Congrats on finishing such a lovely creation. The bride looks absolutely fantabulous and the pictures are great too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Glennis! It was so fun watching Miss Courtney become Mrs. Pryde in something I made...It was truly an honor to be part of the day!
      Blessings!
      g

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  16. Oh wow that is incredible! The bride looks perfect in the wonderful gown you made for her!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Vivien! It was a wonderful feeling to be a part of Courtney's wedding!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  17. I think, I must get mery again, in 1880 dress :D Your dress is soooooo perfect!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know exactly what you mean Alicja! I want to do that too!
      Blessings!
      g

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