The “Wedding Dress”

I cannot find a better name for this dress, because it was made for a wedding where I had the honour to be among the guests and because both, the bride and the groom, Tiina and Paap are my good friends and I was as excited as the bride, I guess.

As always, everything starts with the fabric in my case, and this time it was this beautiful cotton sateen in Athens. I find it difficult to describe the colour and after some google search, I would say it is caribbean green. Oh well, you will see it in the pictures anyway.

It was one of the most enjoyable projects I have made, probably a combination of a good pattern, easy-to-work-with fabric, its beautiful shade and the purpose.

I chose Simplicity 2053, view C, minus the flower:

It was easy to make, maybe I mostly struggled with the pleats in front – a lot of basting after a lot of line drawing on the fabric. Because of the sewing instructions, I couldn´t really try the dress on before it was nearly finished. I was SURE that it will be too tight around my hips. But it was perfect!

The dress is a pleasure to wear and the wedding was simply amazing. I don´t think I will ever have the chance to attend something comparable. The venue, the weather, the atmosphere, the couple, the officiant, the party host, the food, the table decorations, the band, the cake… just not enough words.

As I said, I was probably as anxious as the bride, so I forgot to take any photos of the dress that day! But the photographer was one of the best (if not the best) in Estonia and I hope I will have a really nice one to show you, posing with the couple. The photographer was Annika Metsla and her blog entry on that fantastic wedding is here. It is worth checking out!

Today I had an opportunity to wear the dress again, this time for the christening of little Giorgos. And this time I remembered to have some photos taken!

The shoes are Bourne Frida in crimson, that I got from amazon.co.uk last autumn.

The christening took place at Panagia Faneromeni church in Vouliagmeni, one of the posh areas of Athens and the reception at Astir Palace hotel nearby. The church is very new and they have managed to combine tradition and modern architecture beautifully, it is full of light and gives a feeling of serenity. Even little Giorgos didn´t protest too much when the priest soaked him in oil and water!

Because of the event and lots f people we had to greet, I didn´t want to run around with the camera, so if anyone is interested, a few photos of the church from the outside can be seen here and here.

This is the view from the reception area of the hotel:

It was a windy day, so please excuse my hair in the last photo! The little white ribbon on my chest is a small pin that was given to every guest at the church.

I liked that my dress coincidentally matched the colour theme of the party :), here is the boubouniera (a small gift of sugar-coated almonds or chocolate beans given to every guest at Greek weddings and christenings):