Social Media and Faith in Humanity

Social media quickly makes me lose faith in humanity. So much garbage comes out of people’s posts. Things one might have kept to themselves, or only said in private, come to light when empowered by the shield of the Internet.

On the Feast of St. Polycarp

Today marks 14 years since I was received into the Catholic Church. When I first began my journey to the Catholic faith, I was uncomfortable with parishes that felt too traditional. I wasn’t ready to leave the comfort of my Evangelical Protestant environment, so I sought out a Catholic parish that felt more Protestant. That, I soon realized, was a mistake. After a short stint in an RCIA class at the first parish, I received private instruction from a Jesuit priest at a very traditional parish. When my instruction ended, I was given the option of joining the RCIA class at the traditional parish, or being received into the Church privately. Lent was coming soon and I wanted to experience it as a Catholic, so I chose to be received privately on the Feast of St. Polycarp. You can read more of my conversion process in this post.

In the last 14 years, my faith has grown and faded and been renewed. This anniversary is bittersweet. I love my chosen faith, and the fact that there is always room to grow deeper in it. I have no regrets about becoming Catholic and no desire to follow any other spiritual path. But it hasn’t been an easy path.

Making a Flower Girl Tutu Dress

In searching for wedding planning inspiration, I came across a picture of a little girl in a cloud of mint tulle with a gold sash around her waist. I loved the look and I knew I had to put Maddie in a tutu dress. Sadly, these gorgeous poufs of tulle can cost nearly $200, so buying one wasn’t an option.

Thankfully, the friendly Internet is awash with DIY tutorials from all the crafty people out there. I watched several videos, tried out a couple techniques, and went to work creating my own tulle pouf for my flower girl’s first trip down the aisle.

Making a Cathedral Length Drop Veil

Veils, like most other things in the wedding industry, are ridiculously overpriced. For my wedding, I wanted a long veil, one that trailed along at the edge of my dress. Cathedral length veils are about as pricey as they come, so this was definitely something I needed to make on my own.

Wedding Dress Upcycle Update

There’s less than a month to go until the wedding! The last ten months have been busier than I expected. Moving, school, vacations, work, homemaking, and baby care have taken precedence over wedding dress re-design. Projects have to wait until the children are asleep and I have a clear, tiny-grabbing-hands-free work space.

In my spare moments, I have been making favors, obsessing over tutu dresses, emailing vendors, designing programs, mailing invitations, and updating my wedding dress. I began the wedding dress upcycle last fall. The dress was a sample gown, purchased from eBay for $130. It’s a Casablanca Bridal gown in ivory silky taffeta, with a sweetheart neckline, side-gather, chapel train, and bead-work along the sides and neckline. The fiancé was the one who picked this dress and I love how it looks.

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Proposing to the bridesmaids is a cute trend that I wanted to include in my wedding plans. I’ve seen a lot of clever ideas but wanted to keep it fairly simple since one of the main reasons I’m making things myself is to save some money. Weddings are expensive!

Google “will you be my bridesmaid” and tons of ideas pop up! There are boxed ring pops, bridesmaid dress cookies, humorous cards, paper dolls, and care packages. I came up with my own project that would acknowledge my relationship with each girl, ask them if they wanted to be a part of our wedding, and pass on the information they needed for the role.

Wedding Dress Upcycle Project

At the end of August, the boyfriend and I got engaged. As soon as the ring was on my finger I had a dozen plans envisioned. We’re planning a wedding on a very small budget, so I will be crafting several do-it-yourself (DIY) projects over the next several months. My first big project is the dress.