My brides are getting older. That’s not to say they’re aging– rather that my brides are more likely to be adults, with established careers, their own homes, chosen lifestyles, and a firm sense of their own particular preferences. This makes it lots of fun for me, because I get to see the culmination of their search for The Perfect Dress.
We’ve ‘seen it all’ at Timberwolf Creek. From gowns with eight foot trains, heavily encrusted with beading and embroidery, rivaling Britain’s royal weddings, to biker leathers and cowboy boots (on the bride). All have been marvelous! Once, the bride -this one actually was from Great Britain- packed her full length gown in a suitcase, and popped it out perfect and ready to go! It was crushed taffeta and gorgeous. An excellent plan. And while we’ve had designer gowns that likely cost more than the event, several brides have bragged that they got their traditional white gowns from eBay, for a song. So cost isn’t what determines what these women choose.
It’s the dream. A wedding is a Dream Come True kind of day. And the dress is just part of the experience. It needs to be flattering and make her feel beautiful and confident. For some, comfortable is a requirement. For others, not so much. Mostly, it needs to match up with her ideal.
And that doesn’t always include a big bow on the back. Not to knock bows! A sash on a wedding gown, with a perfectly tied bow, can be lovely. It can be smaller than your hand, with the ties hanging loose, or a great big picture-perfect bow with the center knot smoothed and the ties twisted under so that it stays straight and pleated just so, or a softly tied bow that drapes loosely from a gentle knot.
For some women, though, bows were left behind with pigtails and dotting their i’s with hearts. So, here they are, trying on wedding gowns in the quest for The Perfect Dress… and there it is… Exactly the right fit. Just the right style. Perfect fabric and embellishment. Maybe a bit of lace here, or embroidery there, or a pleat, or a smooth expanse of satin. Precisely the right straps or sleeves. Except… there’s this sash that ties in the back.
What to do? You can loop it over once, in a half-knot, and let it hang. Sometimes that looks nice. Sometimes that looks like your bow came undone, or that you forgot to finish it.
Enter the Sash Pin.
This is an opportunity just waiting to shine. The chance to really show off your creativity and individuality. Maybe you’ll use your great grandmother’s antique brooch. Or the pin your aunt wore when she eloped. Or a diaper pin your mother saved with your baby things. Your dad’s tie-tack. Or maybe you’ll choose something that matches your colors – a fabric flower pin, or a brooch of colored beads. Or a kilt pin. Or a cameo. Your Girl Scout trefoil pin. I Like Ike. Beam me up Scotty with a Star Trek pin. Or anything from the millions of jeweled brooches you can find. Glorious pearls and rhinestones – or diamonds and precious jewels – in every imaginable shape and color and size and style.
And suddenly, those sash ties are your chance to make a statement, and make The Perfect Dress uniquely yours.
Finally, a word to the ladies who like bows: you can still have a sash pin. Just put it smack in the middle of your bow!
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