08 April 2002 - 19:34

Although Wheel and I are not formally engaged yet (could be any moment--I live in a constant state of romantic expectation) we've started to idley plan the wedding in our spare time.

This is partly playing let's pretend, and partly trying to make preparations go more smoothly and less expensively. The venue for the reception is already reserved, which is certainly a relief.

I've got clever ideas listed and filed away for a variety of aspects of the event.

Lots of family/friend involvement. Mom (who loves basketry) has agreed to make baskets for flower-girls, Dad (who loves cooking) has agreed to attempt the cake if I can provide a kitchen. Kien, my younger brother, has agreed to make the candles. My best friend/maid of honor JaDe volunteered to get together materials for a headpiece/veil. If the house I'm staying in next year has a patch of land of any size, I'm going to try to grow some flowers for decorations (especially pansies to decorate the cake--they're edible, and some of my favorite flowers).

And so on, and so on. Lots of details. Really it's all just dandy, with three big exceptions. They are:

The officiant. I can't think of anyone. No one at all.

The wedding rings. Gold mining is, naturally, really bad for the environment--especially my beloved waterways. Large companies do it with cyanide. Small gold miners (not that there are many) still do it with mercury (the California river system still holds over 7,000 tons of mercury from the gold rush days). Yuck.

I don't know if there's any alternative method of getting gold. It's not like I've never bought products with gold in them before. But I do what I can, right? Silver may be a better, if unconventional option for material. That simply leaves the matter of design (and jeweler). I'm uninspired there.

Finally, my dress. I want a white or ivory colored dress with pale green or aquamarine colored trim. It should have a very full (but not trailing) skirt and short sleeves (if any). It should be easy to get into and out of. Price range, <$200 ish. And again, there's the environmental concern. I have a strong preference for organic cotton or hemp.

Aforementioned maid of honor JaDe found someone who makes and sells lovely dresses on E-bay. I might go with one of these, as I like the style better than anything else I've seen.

On the other hand, I've got this nagging feeling that I could at least partly make something really nice (and using organic materials, of course...). What with my comprehensive interest in textiles and all (I spin, knit, weave, crochet...). I'm not very good at sewing though, and it would be by far the most utterly huge and intimidating project I'd ever thought of. Plus I have limited means--no sewing machine right now, and my table loom is only 14" wide and four harness (so doing plainweave double weave I could make 28" wide strips of cloth max). Maybe 20-30 epi if I really pack it in and don't run out of heddles.

The seamstressing part is what really stops me in my tracks. I'm pretty bad at it. Sigh.

I will keep awaiting inspiration.