Simplicity wedding dress

Hello, and greetings from boiling hot London!

I was at a lovely wedding in the Netherlands last weekend, which provided a great opportunity to make a new dress! I think weddings are going to be nonstop sewing excuses from now on...

I went straight on with another Simplicity 1880 as to me it's the most "ladylike" pattern I've made so far. I bought a linen from Fabric World on Goldhawk Road for £4 a metre. I just don't know enough about fabric to know how likely this is - it feels nice although like it might not last very well - but £4 seems insanely cheap for 100% linen. Anyway, while I'm still a beginner sewist and working out what suits me, I feel it's not worth my spending a lot on fabric.

Linen???

NOT LINEN????

I haven't much to add after my last post on this dress, apart from the few changes I made to the fit. I took a 6/8" wedge out of the centre back as that helped it fit better round my neck and shoulders. I also extended the skirt by about 6" and narrowed it to take out some of the volume - I also made it into two pieces rather than four, to eliminate the front seam and reduce the french seam sewing time!

I left off my cunning button gaping-neckline-solution this time - and sure enough it now shows a bit more than is ideal! I'll have to find some nice buttons to remedy that - more for the benefit of others, naturally, as after standard mine-sweeping wedding behaviour I sure won't be noticing...

When I first put this on, I was upsettingly reminded of a monk's habit, specifically The Name of the Rose ones... although looking at that photo again I think it was more in my head than a real worry! But still; another lesson in however much you plan, sewing-wise, something like the colour/pattern combo suggesting Sean Connery is something you just can't plan for.

I've already cut out another version of this in more dubious stripey "linen" for the next wedding, next weekend! This is a friend who is a serious sewer herself, so I must dress to impress!