Huge Life Update & Big Lofty Sewing Goals

So I guess I should announce first that I got engaged! Jason and I have been together for almost two and a half years and I couldn’t be happier.

We met on Okcupid around December of 2013, exchanged a couple messages, both deactivated our accounts for a bit to explore other things, then both reactivated our accounts in March and started talking again. From there, we went on our first date at the 2014 SXSW Gaming Expo and have been pretty much joined at the hip ever since. We moved into a nice apartment together July of last year, then made the big move from Texas to Oregon this past March for Jason’s job.

He popped the question and it’s been a whirlwind of emotions. It hasn’t even been 24 hours yet (as of writing this first draft on Monday, Sept 19th) and I already went through the stress of dealing with wedding logistics, thinking of guest lists and financing and timing and yatta yatta yatta. There’s just too much to decide that I could already feel myself being weighed down by the work, so much so that I told Jason I didn’t want to make any big wedding decisions at all this week so that we could just enjoy our new engagement.

But, I will say, there’s one thing that I’ve had on my mind for a while that I can’t shake. Ever since I started learning to sew, I’ve had this dream and now it’s my opportunity to make it my reality:

I want to make my wedding dress.

Ever since I had the thought, I can’t shake it. It’s been the only thing that I know I don’t want to compromise. It’ll be tough. I’ve never made anything like this. I’ve never even made a dress before. I have patterns that I’ve had for years, collecting dust because my weight had fluctuated too much for me to try to make them. My first foray into using readymade patterns was making the pants for my Korra cosplay. But I know I want to make this dress. I already have pattern ideas for the cut and style of it. I also know that I’m going to try to keep it pretty simple. Nothing too extravagant. Definitely no hand-beading.

I’m excited. What makes me feel great about this decision is that when I think about it and envision it, I don’t get hit with a wave of stress. Only excitement.

I’m gonna marry my best friend. I don’t know when. I don’t know where. But I know, when I do, it’ll be in a dress of my own making that I put hard work and love into, things I hope to fill our marriage with, too.