Ana's wedding dresses

Just some quick coloured sketches I did today of some wedding dress designs I've had in my head for a while now.

My character, Ana - whom I just realized I haven't uploaded any art of, omg, shame on me - is, obviously, getting married (today, the 7th of july, in fact, which is why I rushed to sketch these out and have them posted today, in celebration of that), and that is a brilliant excuse for me to get to dresign wedding dresses. I fucking love designing wedding dresses.

And yes, three dresses, and they're all important - though the middle one is the main wedding dress. She's having a wedding tradition that is common in one specific dimension, called DX, where the wedding spans over three days, which is why three dresses are needed. Why is she having a wedding in the traditions of a world she doesn't live in? A lot of reasons, really, but mostly because the values and the symbolisms of the wedding traditions of DX are very similar to Ana's, and she feels that it's the best kind of tradition to represent her beliefs. Luckily, her husband to be really liked the idea of this kind of wedding and agreed to it. Also, three dresses. XD That's a pretty good reason right there.

Anyway, despite this just being a quick sketch that I slapped colour in, I'm pretty pleased with the result. I really love how the dresses turned out, because they are very typical of Ana's style and taste. I didn't draw her bouquet, but for those wondering, it contains white roses and lots of forget-me-nots (her favourite flower), and one single red rose in the middle.

The design of these dresses are (c) coyrighted to Wargmo Design by Anett Susann Wargmo, so you may not use them.
They were made specifically for my character, Ana, after all. X3


So, how does a DX wedding go? Alright, prepare for some lengthy explanations~

Firstly, the people getting married - be they a traditional couple, or a threesome, or a group (Ah, yes, DX is not very similar to earth, especially regarding relationships. Monogamy is actually quite rare in DX, haha) - each choose their Estelliore (the most trusted), which is very similar to our Maid of Honour and Best Man. This person is usually the one you trust the most, and that knows you better than anyone else, and their job is to be there to help with all kinds of wedding preparations, as well as being able to make decisions in your place if you, for some reason, are unable to. Secondly, you choose the Mellori (trusted friends), which are meant to be helpers for the Estelliore. There's no limit to how few, or how many, Mellori you can have, but typically each Estelliore have at least 2-3 each. They basically function as assistants when it comes to preparations, and during the ceremony they are treated a lot like bridesmaids/lads/whatevers. If something ever happens to the Estelliore, one of the Mellori will have to step up and take that role.
Then you choose the main colour of your wedding. Yes, colours are very important in DX, and they're used to symbolize a lot of things, so it's incredibly important that a wedding have one primary colour as its main theme. And then you pick one colour to represent each of the people getting married, as these colours will be the secondary colours. In Ana's case, they went with pale silver as their main colour, pale blue-ish turquoise as Ana's colour (the colour of the petals of a forget-me-not), and deep red as the colour of her husband to be, Mika. These colours are used everywhere in the wedding, in both the clothes as well as decor.

Day one, the pre-celebration!
The guest usually arrives on this day, so a lot of the day goes to welcoming them and making sure they are settled in wherever they are staying, and in the afternoon/evening the wedding starts. This entire day is planned, and hosted, by the Estelliores, so you don't have to do anything but show up and be spoiled, lol. The pre-celebration is a small party of sorts, usually with a buffét, and some minor drinks (heavy drinking is frowned upon, seeing as the ceremony is the day after and no one wants hung over guests, lol), and it's to celebrate the people getting married - as the individuals they are. They are seated at an honourary table, and the guests bring gifts, and people tell stories and hold speeches about each of the people getting married. It's important to note that during this party, you are celebrated as who YOU are alone, and not you and your future spouse as a couple. It's about honouring your lives as who you were before you came together, and celebrating the uniqueness of you as individuals. It's your last day as someone leading seperate lives, and it should be celebrated. Though some people like to dress casually at the pre-celebration, a lot of people like making it fancy and have unique clothes for this day. Ana's dress for this day is kept simple, and with her colour as the main scheme of it, though she added white to honour the earthen traditions of white wedding dresses (she has actually lived on earth, so a lot of things have rubbed off on her).
At the end of the party, you go with your Estelliore and the Mellori to where you're spending the night, and often have a couple of drinks and just hang out and enjoy your last day as a "free" individual. XD

Day two, the ceremony!
The day starts with breakfast with your Estelliore and Mellori after you've slept for as long as you need to, and then you slowly prepare, getting into whatever you're wearing as your main wedding outfit. The wedding ceremony is usually held mid-day, because they consider it bad luck for the ones getting married to have to get up early and stress to get ready for their ceremony. You should be able to take your time and enjoy yourself, since this is supposed to be a happy day. The base colour for Ana's main dress is silver, and it's coated with a white, transparent lace-like fabric that is very common on wedding dresses, and the blue-ish details are supposed to be vines of forget-me-nots. When all ready, it's off to wherever the ceremony is held, which is usually in a place of great significance to the people getting married. Some choose a temple, others get married outside, some even have the ceremony in their own homes - it varies a lot. Ana and Mika is getting married in a newly ressurected temple in their home dimension, Acrestia, on the main balcony in front of the temple. It's pretty huge, and really pretty, and was once a fortress where Mika - in a previous lifetime - was born.
The actual ceremony can be as simple or as complicated as you like.
After all the guests have arrived, and have been seated, the cleric performing the ceremony takes its place at the wedding altar in front of the guest (the altar have been prepared by the Estelliore and the Mellori, in collaboration with the cleric, and holds important items that will be used during the ceremony). Then the ceremony begins, usually with the Estelliores entering first. It's important that they do not enter the locale/area at the same place, but rather on opposite ends so that they face eachother when they enter (still, the entering point is usually behind the guests, and there's a typical aisle leading down the middle and to the actual altar). They stop there at the entering point and let the Mellori enter one by one, and the Mellori walk up to the center where they meet and then walk up the aisle towards the altar before parting again (typical earthen bridesmaids style, really). Then you and your future spous(es) enter, and your Estelliores guides you to the center where you will stop and face the one you're marrying. There is a long pause here, where you're supposed to look at the person in front of you and decide once and for all if this is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, and just take it all in, before you both turn and head down the aisle to the altar, followed by your Estelliores. Up at the altar, you stand face to face, and the cleric will then properly begin the ceremony.
Whatever words are spoken by the cleric varies from ceremony to ceremony, but usually the cleric will speak about each of you and who you are as individual people. Then the cleric will announce that you are now leaving behind your life as a single individual, and entering a union, as two lives become one. This is when the most unique part of the ceremony begins, as the Estelliores bring out an item for each of the people getting married. This item is supposed to symbolize you, and who you are as a person, and you are then to present it to the one you're getting married to as a way of saying that you give yourself to them. This is how the vows are made. Not with words, but with actions. And then you create something together. Again, this varies a lot from ceremony to ceremony, though the most popular thing is to plant a seed together (all preparations for this has been made by the Estelliores and the Melloris, of course). This is the most important part of the ceremony, as it's supposed to symbolize that by coming together in this union, you are starting something new together. A new life. Thus you create something new. And then, finally, coloured strings are presented. One in the main colour of your wedding, and one for each of the people getting married in the colour representing them. The cleric will hold the strings as you and your spouse braid them all together into one braid. Then the cleric ties the braid around your hand, and the hand of your spouse, tying you together in life as they call upon the blessings of the gods, asking them to bless this marriage so that it may last forever. Still tied together, you face the guests and do your best "Haha, look at me, I'm married" face, you might kiss if you want, the guests will go extatic, and then you walk back down the aisle hand in hand to stand at the back of the locale/area (still tied together). The guests then come, one by one, to congratulate you and rest their hand on your tied hands, offering their blessings on your marriage, before the cleric wraps it all up by untying the braid and presenting it to you as a symbol of your union, and that you are now officially married.
Then it's off to wherever you're having the wedding dinner, where the guests eat and celebrate with speeches and whatnot, honouring your new life together. The dinner is usually a bit intimate, with only the closest friends and family, and it doesn't last all night. When the evening comes, the married couple (or group) is excused and will go to a prepared place where you will spend your first night together as one. There's usually champagne or wine, or something else you really enjoy, along with snacks and such at the location/room, and you're supposed to just enjoy the rest of the evening/night in privacy.

Day three, the after party!
After a private breakfast with your new spouse, you are whisked away to wherever the after party is hosted, which is the biggest event where pretty much everyone you know is invited. The party lasts an entire day, and is usually hosted in a large place with room for a lot of guests. There are food stands, entertainment, games, and all sorts of things found all around, and it's almost like a festival of sorts where you are the guests of honour. There's also a booth with special charms that the guests can buy for a very small, symbolic sum. The money is later given to the ones married as a way of saying "congrats on your new life together, here's a little something to get you started" since life can get pretty expensive. The entire day is just spent celebrating, hanging out with people that are there to celebrate you, eating cake and various kinds of food, dancing, drinking, and just generally having fun. Though some people prefer to wear the same clothes as they wore at the wedding ceremony, others like having more casual clothes that are better to move around in. Ana's third dress is of a lighter fabric than the main dress, though it's still kept in a traditional wedding style, and with the white more dominant.
Whenever that third day is done, the married couple (or, again, group) disappears off to do whatever they've decided to do together as their first married event - be it a honeymoon or whatever else you feel is important for you to do together. Your life as one has started - enjoy it!

And that's about it. That's a traditional DX wedding~
Fuck, I want one. XD