Millinery: Bridal Headpiece

Occasionally the Houston Hat Net website will receive an email asking if one of us could make a hat. Now that Kate has blow off the continent, there are only three of us HHNers that would possibly be up to creating a chapeau, and usually we tend to pass on the request. People are picky. By the time you charge an amount of money that is fitting and appropriate for the amount of time that custom design and hand work takes, people then feel like they have the right to be demanding.

I understand.

I make hats for fun, not for a living. If I make a hat for someone for pay I try to make sure I know person well enough so that I won't have to deal with a headache causing customer. If someone wants to buy a hat I have already made, well, that's fine. I'll even make one for a friend or customer that I have made before in a different color or adding a slight change in details.

Designing something from scratch for someone you have never met? Ohhh, tricky for me! I create with a person in mind, considering their height, style and personality as I design.

One thing I have never created in the past is a bridal headpiece. Modern brides are notoriously demanding, and while many of my friends have threatened to kidnap me and haul me off to bridal shops to peddle my wares, I have so far been successful in dodging their schemes.

But...the other day an email came to the HHN site, and Marie, the HHN webmistress forwarded the request to me.

Was I interested in creating a bridal headpiece for a local bride?

It must have been fate: I said yes, and dialed up the most polite and charming bride I have EVER spoken to in my whole life. She called me Ma'm and sent me a picture of what she had in mind, adding that it just needed to be something like the one in the picture, but she was open to other ideas.

Did I mention this bride as an ATTORNEY???

Her voice mail began with a Scripture about how God give increase to His faithful people, without adding sorrow, and wished me a blessed day.

I truly have been blessed to work on her bridal headpiece which will go with a simple silk sundress style bridal gown.

I learned a lot on the way:

Make sure the veil is gathered evenly before adding anything on top of it.
Feathers are easier to glue than sew (I never use glue on any of my hats, but I will make an exception for flues and goose boits.)
Have velvet cording available for the trim around the bias of the base.

I still have to determine the best way to attach the piece to the bride: Comb, elastic strap, hat pin or bobby pins. (Update: I went with a comb. Thanks Julie for the advice! And also created a pearl, crystal and small blue crystal hat pin for the hat as well.)