Something Blue

Hi.

So... yeah.  So much for Makeup March.  Midway through, it really fell to the wayside.  I can't say that I'm going to be able to make up for it (badum-chh) right away, but I'll do my best.

For the few of you who have been asking where I've been these past few months, shamefully neglecting my blog, I do have a pretty legitimate excuse this time around.

Hah hah hah hah hah, bull s#*+ that is me.

You see, back in December, this handsome fellow proposed to this lovely lady:

And with it came some 'sponsabilities.

I alluded to this way, way, way back in January, but never actually got the chance to explain.  Having crafting know-how is a a gift in a lot of ways, because it means that you are able to give something very personal and very special to people (and generally at a lower cost than if you were to buy the same thing from the store). But from a personal standpoint, it can also be a little overwhelming when you want to do everything for a person that you care about.

Most fortunately, C was anything but a bridezilla.  She did ask for a few things, and I offered to do a few more things, and between the two lists, it admittedly got a little hectic.  Between the months of March and July, free time was spent on lots of sewing...

Ring-bearer pillow

The veil

Little details are everything!

...lots of painting...

Cake toppers (the theme was foxes)

...lots of paper-folding...

...and lots, and lots, and lots of practicing the piano...

Not too much time for blogging, in other words.  Do I kind of wish I had streamlined it a bit more, and maybe outsourced some work to friends or artists taking minor commissions?  Yeah, of course.  But am I happy that I did it?  Absolutely.  I got to create something to show off to my sister's new family, and I gave her something one-of-a-kind.   It also gave me some valuable insight -- weddings have a lot of details that most people may not see or even care about.

From what I've gathered, watching a copious amount of Say Yes to the Dress and My Fair Wedding, the majority of girls grow up having some fantastical ideas of their dream wedding.  Bollywood dance numbers, confectionery castles, Gothic coffins... it can get a little crazy.  Surprisingly, for all my fanciful child daydreams, I cannot count myself among this crowd.  Unsurprisingly, the only thing I really thought I wanted was (say it with me, now) a bitchin' poofy dress.

Because f*** yes, Hello Kitty.

Even as a child, in some ways, marriage was an abstract concept to me.  It was a thing that all people had to do when they loved each other, and Happily Ever After and blah blah.  For a few cynical years, the idea kind of transformed into, because they had to in order to prove that they weren't going to die loveless, unfulfilled, and alone; marriage is a sham for tax deductions and false hopes, they just want to throw a big party and show off, blah blah blah.

The truth is, the reason lies somewhere in the middle, and even then, it's probably a sliding scale.  The purpose of marriage has changed a lot over the years.  Religious and moral reasons.  Health reasons. Financial reasons.  Once upon a time, women were in dire need of financial security, a largely obsolete concept in today's first world.  Today, it almost seems like it's just a point of contention for equality. Take away all the benefits, and the certificate means nothing - people don't get preference just because they've announced to the government that they're going to spend the rest of their life bumping uglies.

For the past 5+ years, I've waffled between whether or not I ever want a wedding or even to be married, for a number of personal reasons that I won't bore you with.  Currently, the cynic in me is winning out, but honestly, I'm aware that it's a damn shame, because regardless, one thing about weddings has still held true - it's a celebration.  It may be gaudy, it may be spartan, exorbitant, pretentious, disorganized, whatever.  But it's still always beautiful.

Congratulations to C & W.  I love you both, very much.

Until the next.