Create a Wedding That Reflects
Your Personal Style
(ARA)
- The best, most memorable weddings reflect the
personalities of the couple getting married. To make
sure your wedding isn�t a cookie-cutter copy of all
the rest, don�t be afraid to infuse the event with
your interests, shared memories and personal style.
There is no better way to personalize and customize
your wedding than with the creative touches that a
sewing and embroidery machine afford.
Reva Lear, a wedding consultant for the past 25
years, says that the bride and groom have a lot of
opportunities to create a unique experience: the
invitations, the location, the kind of ceremony and
reception all say a lot about the personalities of
the couple.
Lear remembers one bride-to-be who enlisted the help
of her friends to produce a meaningful symbol for
the ceremony. Each friend embroidered good wishes
for the couple on a fabric square. The bride then
collected all the squares, sewed them together and
made a canopy for the ceremony that was not only
beautiful, but had special significance for the
couple.
Here are some other ways to make sure your
personality shines through on the big day:
The Gown
Every bride wants her dress to be unique and one way
to get exactly what you want is to make it yourself
or have someone make it for you. Often brides-to-be
will find a bodice they like, or a neckline they
prefer, but other aspects of the dress aren�t ideal.
When you have it made you can choose the combination
of features that are most flattering.
�Today�s computerized sewing and embroidery systems
make even a project like a wedding dress much easier
than it used to be,� says Gayle Hillert, vice
president of education at Bernina of America, a
premiere sewing machine company. �There are books,
Web sites (www.berninausa.com) and Bernina dealers
available that can provide guidance on such subjects
as how to work with specialty fabrics, laces and
embroidery. Bernina accessory feet make sewing fine
fabrics like satins or velvets easy and there are a
variety available like hemming, pintucking and
edgestitching feet that enable one to add couture
elements quickly and successfully.�
Jane Michals of Aurora, Ill., wanted to make a dress
for her daughter Lorraine that she would treasure
for years and pass along to her own daughter. The
end result, made with a Vera Wang designer pattern
from Vogue, was an elegant silk gown with spaghetti
straps that was perfect for the warm September
evening. She personalized the garment by
embroidering a border on the lining featuring
lovebirds, the names of the bride and groom, the
date of the wedding and the words �united in love.�
�I incorporated a design from a Bernina design
collection and made a mirror image so that it would
extend all around the dress,� says Michals. �I was
able to do a much more detailed design with the
machine than if I had done it by hand.� She also
made a matching drawstring purse for the bride with
leftover material from the dress, and a ring
bearer�s pillow embroidered with a similar design.
Michals had some help from her Bernina artista 200E
sewing and embroidery system. Microsoft Windows
powered, it allows the user to create their own
designs, and easily edit the designs on screen using
the artista 200E�s built-in capabilities.
�A simple touch like using the letters on the
Bernina to stitch the wedding date and names adds
value to the dress and gives it heirloom status,�
says Hillert. Even if you buy your dress and veil,
there are still ways you can personalize it. With
the right equipment on your sewing machine, you can
add a unique embroidered design to any garment.
�Not only can you embroider a border for the lining,
you can add embellishments to the bodice, skirt or
even the train,� says Hillert. �You don�t even have
to have a sewing and embroidery system; our activa
line of machines is powerful, portable and easy to
use. The activa 145 has all kinds of built-in
decorative stitches, convenient features and
accessories, which allow for easy embellishing.�
Your veil can be customized in lots of ways too. Add
ornamentation such as tiny ribbons, beads and silk
flowers or attach lace edging to a plain veil. The
more adventurous bride may want to decorate with
sequins, rhinestones, fur trim or even feathers.
Favors and Gifts
The favors are an easy way to inject a bit more of
your personality into the day, and when you make
them yourself you can tie them into your own theme.
Choose the bride�s favorite color and make
drawstring bags to hold wedding favors such as
candied almonds, a heart-shaped wine bottle stopper
or a small scented votive candle.
Sachets made with ribbons and lace in your colors
are a wonderful way to remember your guests. Fill
them with potpourri or dried flowers that match your
centerpieces. For each member of the bridal party,
create a personalized gift by embroidering their
initials on linen towels or napkins.
You may want to use some leftover scraps of material
or lace from your dress to cover a journal that will
serve as your guestbook. Continue the theme with
your ring bearer�s pillow using leftover fabric
embellished with lace, beading, sequins or
embroidery.
�These days it is not uncommon for people to spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars for a wedding,�
says Lear. Her best advice: keep it simple, and plan
an event that says something about who you are as a
couple.
For more information and project ideas along with
tips on specialized sewing topics like beading and
embroidery, visit
Bernina. Another source
of information is the Web site of the
Home Sewing
Association. To have your dress
professionally made, visit
Professional Association of Custom Clothiers
to find a member in your area.
Courtesy of ARA Content
EDITOR�S NOTE: Founded in Switzerland more than 100
years ago, Bernina manufactures state-of-the-art
sewing, embroidery and serger machines, and sewing
software systems that are sold in the United States
through a network of approximately 500 fully trained
dealerships. To learn more, visit
Bernina. |