7: Chuppah

How do you get the right chuppah?

The right ingredients, of course. Starting, first and foremost for us, with the right people.

As noted early on, our team has been and continues to be incredible. Our friend Richard the Master Builder was enlisted quite early to be our Chuppah Builder. More recently, WSM Diana and I went shopping for some fabric for the canopy-top of the chuppah. Turns out around that same time, Richard was out in the woods... chopping down some trees to really make a hand-hewn traditional wedding canopy.

He began the basic construction, and invited WSM-D and me to come help finalize the design and move toward final build yesterday. With a week to go, it was time.

I have no words for how beautiful this chuppah is going to be. Only an amazing feeling of gratitude. I think gratitude is going to be the Word of the Week, y'all. So instead of words, here are some pictures to document the day's work and preview the beauty to come...

A sturdy tree view...

Cutting the fabric with RL

Cutting up with the fabric (and can you spot the WSM?)

Experimenting with draping the fabric

Sewing the fabric once we found the right draping
(Thanks for the help, Lesley!)

8: I Glued My Fingers Together

I am not a "DIY" person.

Well, I mean, I am absolutely a do-it-yourself person, in most arenas. I've lived my own life, paid my own bills, set my own schedule, done-it-myself since I was 17 years old. (I certainly had plenty of love and support, thank goodness. But I took pride in doing things myself.)

However, in the craft-sense of "DIY," I am a total bust.

Thus, I knew there would not be many DIY elements to this wedding. I mean, D is good at DIY stuff; he can draw, sew, construct stuff. I'm not artsy. I can write and act and fake my way through dancing, I can organize the heck outta anything... but fold some origami or design a some jewelry or come up with cute custom table decorations? I quote the Noptetopus:

However, in addition to D (who, let's keep in mind, isn't here), I am surrounded by DIY people. People who are helping me with things like decorations (more on the amazing MQ soon). Though I'm minimizing the DIY overall, I did decide there is one thing I should do. By myself, with my own two hands: make customized flair for my ensemble.

I wanted it to be something unique, longer lasting than corsages or boutonnieres. Something that could be worn by anyone, with multiple options for display. Something eye-catching but classy. I've been working on this off and on for the past several late nights, pre-assembling; tonight, I began assembling.

This project involves super glue.

As the Spoiler Alert post title has already revealed, I glued my fingers together.

I mean, really glued them together.

Tore the skin off my fingertips glued them together.

Still have residue on my fingers even after exfoliating, salt-scrubbing, and tearing at my own skin glued them together.

But the good news is I'm borderline optimistic that when I finish this flair, it will be pretty cool.

That's really all I can manage to type right now. My fingertips are killing me.