Behind the scenes at the Vintage Wedding Blog!

Dear Reader

For a while now I’ve wanted to shine a light behind the scenes on the help I’ve had with all the lovely photographs on my site. 

Firstly from my daughter and her beautiful friends who have been kind enough to model my dresses, but also from my photographer husband Robert Lawler. 

I am very proud of Robert's work and as he’s launching his new website, now is a good moment to tell you more about him. 

Robert is a really talented and experienced wedding and fashion photographer and has shot all the beautiful photographs on my site. Some of these I'll showcase today, along with a few other examples of his work.

It was probably seeing Robert's gorgeous wedding photography that first got me involved with vintage wedding dresses. I always loved to nosey around Vintage shops in search of something special, but when I saw so many of Robert’s clients looking wonderful on their wedding day it really made me want to get involved in the wedding business! 

What I love about Robert’s work, is he always manages to catch the real moments that give you an authentic sense of the couple and their guests. Much of his work is just taken as the day unfolds, rather than being formally posed, so it has that lovely sense of truthfulness. 

Robert took the time to learn his craft thoroughly, studying at college for four years, so he’s as comfortable in the studio controlling lights as he is working with natural light. 

Do have a look at his new website and get in touch with him if you would like to discuss your wedding photography. (And of course, you can always contact him through me or my own website!) Many of my lovely clients have booked him as their wedding photographer, and tell me they're thrilled with the results.

Thanks for looking today!

Love

Helena 

Heavenly Vintage Brides

All photos Robert Lawler Photography

www.robertlawler.co.uk

A lovely photograph of a 1950s wedding dress, worn by Georgia

Dear Reader

Today, I wanted to post this picture of model Georgia in another wonderful 1950s wedding dress.

It's not about the dress, though: I wanted to show it purely as a lovely photograph. Oh, and the photographer is my dear husband, Robert Lawler! Robert is a fantastic wedding and fashion photographer - and it's not just me that says so! He's busy creating a new website at the moment, I'll show you more as soon as it's ready.

Do check out his site when you have a minute today, www.robertlawler.co.uk and I think you'll agree.
Love
Helena 
Heavenly Vintage Brides

1950s WEDDING DRESSES - A GUIDE.

Dear Reader,

1950s vintage lace wedding dresses are aways in great demand, and are some of the most popular in my collection. And it's easy to see why. 

'BLANCHE' 1950s style wedding dress in cream lace

This decade in wedding fashion is so feminine and flattering, from the chic modesty of Grace Kelly-inspired gowns, to the prettiness of frothy 'prom-style' dresses. 

'BLANCHE' 1950s style wedding dress in cream lace, pretty boat neck

Some of the most popular styles for vintage lace wedding dresses are these pretty 1950s shorter-length styles, particularly with long or 3/4 sleeves. 

1950s lace wedding dress with tulle skirt SOLD

These lovely dresses usually come in two lengths. First 'tea length', which finishes just below the knee, or 'ballerina length' which is longer and was designed to show off a shapely ankle!

1950s lace wedding dress with tulle skirt SOLD

Sizing and cut for 1950s wedding dresses is quite unusual, and reflects the type of undergarments that were worn. The waist sizes are often quite small, as the bride's waist was pulled in with a corselette. And the bust was high and 'pointy', shaped by a 'bullet bra'. 

'BLANCHE' 1950s style wedding dress in cream lace with full skirt, £1495

The effect is designed to be ultra-curvy and the full skirt accentuates this womanly shape, in keeping with the 'New Look' of the 1950s. But don't let this be a concern - with the help of my clever seamstress we can achieve a really good, flattering fit.

1950s lace wedding dress with tulle skirt SOLD

Sometimes Grannies come to my studio, to see the dress with the bride. I love to hear their own wedding day stories: they used to resort to putting their ‘bobby' socks in their bra to achieve the fashionable shape!

1950s lace wedding dress with tulle skirt SOLD

It's much simpler to find the perfect fit these days. The dress featured in some of these images is 'Blanche' from my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired dresses. Blanche is available in all modern sizes from 6 to 14 - so no need to resort to socks!

'BLANCHE' 1950s style wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

The version of Blanche here is shown in lace, with bracelet (or three-quarter) sleeves, and in ballerina length. Do check out my Heavenly Collection, as there are many other design options for this lovely 1950s-inspired dress. 

'BLANCHE' 1950s style wedding dress in cream lace, ballerina length

The other two dresses featured here are original 1950s lace wedding dresses. The pretty dress with long sleeves and tulle skirt has just been snapped up, and I hope to feature pictures of the lovely bride wearing it here on my vintage wedding blog (in my Real Brides section) very soon. 

1950s lace wedding dress with tulle skirt SOLD

1950s lace wedding dress, fitted bodice and flattering waistband SOLD

You can see more pictures of Blanche and my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses (in sizes 6-14) here, and more original 1950s dresses in an earlier 1950s blog post here or in the Original Vintage section. 

1950s lace wedding dress, three quarter sleeves.

Big thanks to Robert Lawler for the photographs. Do check out his website here. 

If you'd like to view any of my dresses, please do contact me. And thanks for dropping by today, Reader, I hope to see you again very soon!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Behind the scenes at the photo shoot... vintage wedding dresses and pretty bridal jewellery

Dear Reader

Just a sneak preview today of a new photo shoot using my original vintage wedding dresses...

Independent jewellery designer Judith Brown makes some very pretty vintage-inspired pieces. Judith recently included some of my original and vintage-style wedding dresses in her latest photo-shoot, in the rather grand Dunwood Hall. As a little taster, here are a few iphone snaps taken on the day.

In these pictures you can see Butterfly and Violette from my Heavenly Collection, and an original 1950s wedding dress with a tiered net skirt and fitted bodice. I can't wait to see the final images - I'll share them on my blog as soon as they're ready. Meanwhile, you can see more of Judith's designs here.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Thanks to everyone involved in the day:

Main photo c. Holly Booth

Smaller photos thanks to Ewan Mathers

Dunwood Hall can be viewed here

And Judith Brown here.

1950s AND 1960s vintage wedding dresses for Alexandra's San Francisco ceremony

Dear Reader

On my vintage wedding blog today, I'd like to share some lovely pictures I received this week from real bride Alexandra. 

Alexandra and Adam married in San Francisco City Hall in January. For the civil ceremony, Alexandra wore this super-cool 1960s 'daisy' mini dress. You might remember it from a blogpost on 1960s wedding dresses last year? Well, it looked like it was made for Alexandra - she has a wonderful figure and the dress is absolutely perfect on her. 

The following evening they held a more traditional ceremony with family and friends at the Hillsborough Racquet Club near Burlingame California. For this, Alexandra wore another stunning original dress: this time a strapless 1950s wedding dress in delightful chantilly lace with a little tiered ‘bustle' at the back. (For similar 1950s-style wedding dresses in frothy chantilly lace, see my vintage-inspired Heavenly Collection on the blog or on my website.)

They planned their wedding across thousands of miles - only arriving in the same time zone four days before the ceremony! Alexandra jetted in from the UK, and Adam flew from Asia - where his blue tux was specially made. (And see how perfectly the colour matches the satin bow on Alexandra's dress.) Cleverly, they'd already enjoyed a 'pre-wedding honeymoon' in Cambodia, so weren't too worried about the jet lag!

After a few inevitable pre-wedding hitches, the day itself was perfect. In Alexandra's words,

I can't say my example is one to follow: I almost wasn't let on my flight from London because of an airline goof up. They were snooty about hanging my dresses in the plane (yeesh). And we had a mini-drama when the groom temporarily misplaced his ID as we were picking up our wedding license!

But we were incredibly lucky to have 70 F weather and sun for both days, not bad for January! And in the end it was all fabulous: we all had a good time, surrounded by loved ones who were up for a good party. 

So I guess for those finding themselves a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, I'd say relax and don't sweat the small stuff. Your life together is already going to be an adventure so your 'coming out party', so to speak, should be the least of those worries. 

And certainly having the two relatively comfortable and unique dresses helped make it even more memorable. I got endless compliments on both dresses! So thank you, thank you, thank you for helping to make my special day even more fantastic.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better day! 

Huge congratulations to Alexandra, and thank you being such a delight to work with. We loved sharing in your amazing day.

Love 
Helena 
Heavenly Vintage Brides

Photographs with thanks to Sasha, San Francisco

If you would like to see more lovely original vintage wedding dresses, do contact me through my website.

Vintage wedding dress of the week: lovely 1930s 'Daisy'

Dear Reader

On the blog today, my Vintage Wedding Dress of the Week. This pretty 1930s dress is made in cotton lace with so many wonderful details. 

1930s wedding dress, Daisy, in cream cotton lace. Price £995

I call it the Daisy Dress, as the lace is sprinkled with a charming repeat pattern of daises.

The style is a flattering bias cut - very easy and comfortable to wear. It just slips on over the head, with no zips or openings, and moves beautifully with your body. 

1930s wedding dress, with beautiful art deco 'zigzag' panelled skirt, £995

The skirt is a 'zigzag' construction, very popular in 1930s wedding dresses. This gives it a lovely swish, and beautiful art deco seam patterns.

1930s  movie star Ginger Rogers wearing a very similar style.

And with its pretty flutter sleeves - just like those on famous dancer Ginger Rogers' dresses from the period - this is the perfect dress to take you from 'I do' to the dance floor. 

Lace wedding dresses from the 1930s are becoming harder to find in good wearable condition, as the lace dries out and can become brittle. So I was specially pleased to source this gorgeous dress in such wonderful condition. As it's bias cut, it's a flexible fit from size 8 to 10. I've teamed it here with a lovely original 1930s satin slip, included in the price of £995.

1930s wedding dress,  flattering bias cut and art deco seam details, £995

The 1930s is such a fabulous decade for wedding fashion. If you'd like to see 'Daisy' or view original 1930s wedding dresses, please do contact me to arrange an appointment. And keep your eye on my blog, there are lots more lovely original vintage wedding dresses here. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Love 

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Photographs with thanks to Robert Lawler Photography

Edwardian lace wedding dresses: two rare original beauties

Dear Reader

As I mentioned last week in my post on Edwardian flower crowns, I've just photographed these wonderful Edwardian dresses which are new to my collection. You are the first to see them!

Edwardian wedding dress 1.

Edwardian wedding dress 2.

I was thrilled to find these dresses, as original Edwardian gowns are now very rare, particularly in such fine condition. These gowns are each 100 years old! They've lasted so well as both are made from cotton - a lovely strong fibre that has many years of life left in it. And with the popularity of Downton Abbey, Edwardian wedding dresses are very much back in fashion. 

EDWARDIAN DRESS 1

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s under slip), price £1350

Dress 1, pictured here, is a wonderful old-fashioned deep cream colour which used to be known by the French name 'ecru'. It is made in a charming mix of lace styles, all hand-dyed using natural dyes - most probably tea.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1350

In Edwardian times, the dress would have been worn with a whale bone corset, a bodice and petticoat underneath. Here, I have matched it with an original 1930s satin petticoat - a beautiful garment in its own right.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1350

The Edwardian bride it was made for had a 23 or 24 inch waist. But my clever seamstresses have invisibly adapted it to fit a modern 26in waist.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 1 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1350

This lovely dress is currently available from my West London studio, priced at £1350 (inclusive of 1930s satin slip).

EDWARDIAN DRESS 2

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

Dress 2 is a similarly classic Edwardian style, again using a variety of cotton lace styles. The colour this time is a purer white.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

Again, the dress would originally be worn with more complicated undergarments, but I have teamed it with a simple and elegant 1930s satin slip, which gives a lovely warm hint of shine under the lace dress. The white lace is perfectly complemented by a delicate ballet pink silk ribbon tie.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

This dress also was originally made with a 23 or 24 inch waist and has been cleverly and invisibly adapted to fit a 26 inch waist.

Edwardian Wedding Dress 2 (with 1930s satin slip), price £1250

Dress 2 is available now in my West London studio, priced at £1250 including the lovely original 1930s slip. Just email or call to book an appointment if you'd like to see these or any others from my extensive collection of around seventy original vintage wedding dresses. (Some of my original dresses can be found here on the blog.)

As I mentioned in my post last week, I've complemented the dresses with an original Edwardian flower circlet - brought to life by the addition of fresh greenery. I hope you agree that the dresses, and circlet, are each so delicate and beautiful.

A big thank you to Robert Lawler Photography for the images. And - as always - thank you for dropping by today! Hope to see you again soon.

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

All photographs c. 
Robert Lawler Photography

www.robertlawler.co.uk