Annie dances in 1940s AND 1950s wedding dresses!

Dear Reader,
You may remember me showing this gorgeous original 1940s vintage wedding dress...

Well today, I have a treat to share - the pictures of lovely dancer Annie wearing it. And wearing a beautiful 1950s wedding dress too!

Annie described the pleasure of finding her perfect dress... sorry, dresses! (nobody says you're only allowed one!)

"I had tried on various dresses in some lovely boutiques, but it was when I visited Helena at Heavenly Vintage Brides that I knew vintage was the way for me. 

There was something very special about finding a vintage dress that hardly needed any alteration, I liked to think back to the dress’ first owner and wonder about them, if they were at all like me.  

So when a white lace 40s dress fitted me almost perfectly, I had my ‘it’s the one’ moment. I also fell in love with a 1952 buttermilk dress Helena had dubbed her Betty Draper. And with two wedding days it was clear I needed two dresses!  

The fact that the two vintage dresses came to less than one modern boutique dress was all the additional persuasion needed." 

The wedding took place in the wonderful surroundings of Annie's parents' Buckinghamshire garden, (with an intimate event at The Compleat Angler in Marlow on the day before). Annie's parents even built a romantic summer house specially!

And as you'd expect at a dancer's wedding, they certainly knew how to cut a rug. No Dad-dancing allowed...

Scotsman Dickie was no sartorial slouch himself. Here he is, looking very dapper in a Douglas family tartan kilt...

Happy days! If you'd like to see more of dancer Annie's wonderful wedding, check out her post on Rock My Wedding, here.

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you liked this post, please try:
Olivia in 1960s Lace Wedding Dress


With thanks to:
Photo: Peachey Photography
Shoes John Lewis,  Rachel Simpson Outlet 
Hair Accessory Lily Bella
Jewellery Baronessa 
Bridesmaids Warehouse
Groom MacDonald Kiltmakers & John Morrison 
Venue Compleat Angler Hotel 
Marquee Hire Joseph Benjamin Marquees 
Decor Pom Pom Studio & Preloved
Table Names The Literary Gift Company
Florist Green & Gorgeous Flowers
Macarons Pierre Herme
Band Juke Joint Jump
Catering Hibiscus Food

The prettiest wedding flowers and cakes, at 'Brides The Show'.

Dear Reader,
Last week I had the pleasure of attending Conde Nast's Brides The Show in Islington. If you've never been, it's a fun evening or day out with gorgeous wedding flowers, fabulous cakes and so many pretty things to enjoy.

My companions were two lovely ladies who are also both bridal experts: Sally Laycock, designer of beautiful Edwardian style dresses, and Abby of Cherished, who hand-makes wonderful bridal accessories.

We really enjoyed seeing familiar faces and admiring the high standard of work. But what most impressed was the quality of the flowers. All the florist stands were a joy to behold! I do love flowers, so I'd like to show you my favourites...

First, I admired the bright and bold contemporary styling of Hackney-based florists Rebel Rebel (photo above, and below)... 

The Rebel Rebel girls were so nice and chatty. And I have never seen roses as large and beautiful as the amazing purple blooms on their stand...

In a complete contrast, Richmond florist Zita Elze's stand almost gave me goosebumps! Zita's display was so beautiful and ethereal, like a fairytale glade of trees filled with gypsophilla.

Zita's style is very unique - I haven't seen flowers arranged quite this way before...

I also loved the approach to wedding cakes taken by two ladies in partnership, Fondant Fox and Meringue Girls. Together, they combine delightful quirky colourful meringues with gorgeous cakes. The results are really different and delicious.

I particularly loved their towering sponge cake, covered in the prettiest flowers and meringues...

There were so many wonderful cakes and flowers and fun weddingy things to admire. I hope you enjoyed seeing my own personal favourites!

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

Vintage lace wedding dresses - featuring gorgeous Felicity!

Dear Reader,
As our Bride of the Week is Felicity, I thought we'd take a minute to look again at the beautiful lace she is wearing...

For this 1930s inspired Butterfly dress from my Heavenly Collection, we use a family firm of lacemakers in Nottingham. They have been producing some of the world's finest lace for over five generations...!

Elegant 1930s shoppers look at my exclusive lace!

When I was sourcing the lace for my vintage-style wedding dresses, I looked at ateliers worldwide. It was so exciting to find this wonderful Nottingham company and see their original pattern books - the equal of any couture atelier in France or Italy. (After all, Nottingham was the heart of the world's lace industry for 150 years.) 

We agreed on an exclusive license to produce this stunning quality lace from the 1930s, for my Heavenly Collection dresses. (I was thrilled to find the photo of two elegant 1930s shoppers looking at the exact same lace, recently.)

The lace they make is elegant, strong and drapes beautifully - as you can clearly see in these pictures of gorgeous Felicity who looks so fabulous in it! 

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this, please check out 

Angel and Butterfly 1930s Wedding Dresses in Nottingham lace