All of the photos taken on the wedding day by Karla Korn Photography.
www.karlakorn.com
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Stephanie showed up with her wedding dress still in pieces and none of her embroidery finished — or even started. Needless to say we were both more than just a little bit stressed with her wedding day just two weeks away. We had spent over twelve months planning her dress. We had gone over everything: the design, fit, fabric, embroidery, color, and coordinating accessories. What happened? Why wasn’t it done? The answer is simple. She is Ukrainian.
I have learned over the years from watching my mom, aunts, and other Ukrainian women that Ukrainian women ALWAYS put everyone else first. (I’m not tooting my own horn here. I am only half Ukrainian, and can only hope to be as selfless as these women some day.) Therefore I wasn’t surprised to learn that Stephanie had spent the last 6 months growing and canning vegetables as wedding favors, settling into a new house, shopping overseas for Ukrainian blouses for her wedding party, and even helping another friend prepare for her wedding. Therefore it seemed only natural she would have embroidered her fiancé’s shirt before even beginning to sew her own pieces!
So after about a year of planning, we had less than 24 hours to: (1) finalize a new wedding dress design & sew it, (2) finish embroidering and sewing the groom’s shirt, and (3) finish the accessories including the groom’s Ukrainian. But we worked through the night and luckily finished the dress and shirt before Stephanie left town.
Then about a week before her wedding, I corrected and finished the rest of her accessory pieces before express shipping it all out to her. (And thanks to my mom she also had a Ukrainian embroidered garter. Thanks mom!)
The wedding dress design changed a lot through the planning & designing process. I think we originally tried to do something that wasn’t quite possible or even as flattering as one would like, and as a result we went through many mock-ups and designs.
One thing we knew for certain, Stephanie’s dress would be knee-length and full. She is a Ukrainian dancer and wanted a dress so she could spin in! (Unfortunately I was unable to see her wedding dance, but it looked amazing and FUN in the photos!) The fullness and pattern of the skirt changed throughout the process. We tried a few different cuts: circle, gathered square cut, and semi circular/full skirt cut. After deciding upon a silk and wool fabric, we made a black silk and wool sample skirt. However the full “circle” design seemed too much like a “poodle” skirt, so we chose to go with a skirt design that was not as quite as full as “circle” skirt.
I think the finish product was perfect! It took a lot of effort, but in the meantime I made a life long friend!! (And her efforts were well worth it! Her canned goods were delicious!!!)
Inside Out
I LOVE SILK AND WOOL FABRIC!!!
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Here is a collage of just a few of the ideas/photos from the design process:
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