BLC Day 13: Yes I said, Yes I will, Yes

I'm sometimes skeptical of people who boisterously proclaim "I've been happily married for X years!" as if to imply they've all been happy and conflict-fee.  Anyone who has maintained a long-term relationship knows there will be disagreements and differences of opinion, but you do what you must to work them out and nurture the relationship.  If you count the dating period, my husband and I have been a couple for 37 years, married for 25 years, and most of these years have absolutely been happy.  There have been times, however, when we've encountered huge challenges, not always seen eye-to-eye, have argued and even went through periods of time where we've spoken very few words to one another.  Heck, some of that happened just last week!

Make no mistake, however, about my feelings.  I love this man with my whole heart and I know he feels the same for me, and there is no one else with whom I could envision sharing my life.  So, on the occasion of our 25th wedding anniversary this past summer, we renewed our vows and commitment to loving and caring for each other.

Our renewal ceremony was held at the Excalibur Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas and turned out to be a small, intimate and solemn affair.  I have to admit I gave him a little bit of a hard time leading up to the event.  Whenever we engaged in our customary verbal sparring, I would inject questions like "Do I really want to marry you again?  I don't know.  I need to think about this some more."  I even mentioned that I would have to pause at the alter when the official asked "Do you to this man...".  When the time came, however, the solemnity of renewing my commitment to him was so strong that I found myself filled with emotions - even more so than when we first exchanged vows 25 years ago - which prevented me from making light of the moment.

Being that it was our "silver" anniversary, I wanted to wear something silver in color, casual but elegant and befitting of the occasion.  With no success in finding a RTW dress I liked, I decided to make one instead.  With a closing window of time, I used a Satin Solid from JoAnn's Casa Collection and McCall's 6321, which I bought during their online OPP Clearance sale in 2015.  I selected this pattern because it looked like its construction would be quick but still had an interesting design element in the skirt swag.

As the dress started coming together, however, there were aspects of its design I disliked.  For example, the bodice is slightly gathered at the waist as it joins the skirt, and the swag is gathered at its connection points along the waist and left hip.  This all felt very messy and bulky to me, plus the swag did not lay well at all.  The dress could be altered, and I will probably get the urge to do so later, but with time running out, I had to go back to the proverbial drawing board and pick something else.

I bought more of the Satin Solid and moved to what has turned out to be a TNT dress pattern for me - Simplicity 4070.

I've used this pattern twice before and am familiar with the adjustments I needed for a good fit.  I cut out and constructed this dress the afternoon before we flew out, and the adjustments I made included lowering the front neckline a few inches, adding length to the bodice front so it would actually meet my natural waistline and adding a one-piece front and back facing.

My husband was doubtful I would be able to finish it, but it came together in about 5 hours and I still had time to pack and rest before leaving early the next morning.  The dress fit great, I felt beautiful and special wearing it and it added to what turned out to be a very special life event.

Awww...and they still together!

Be blessed!

Aisha