Tag Archives: Wedding dress

The Designer Vintage Wedding show returned to Birmingham in style

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Last weekend saw the return of the most stylish wedding show on the Calender. The Designer Vintage Wedding Show had a new home, Edgbaston County Cricket Ground, lots of new exhibitors and a whole host of stylish brides and guests who were totally wowed with the beautiful wedding goodies on display. Throw in a host of fabulous fashion shows organised by different eras, bridal make-up tips by the wonderful Emily Jayne, and a goodie bag that included Molton Brown goodies and cake pops by ‘We are Delish‘, and you have a wonderful event. Here are some of my highlights.

Cherished

Jewellery that carries ‘the patina of age’, Cherished is the brainchild of Abby Gadd and Debbie Hayes. This is truly beautiful vintage bridal jewellery and accessories that are created from original antique pieces of jewellery, often from the 1920s, and also uses old millinery flowers to create new headpieces and fascinators. The Cherished stall just glistened with an array of pearls and diamante stones and  looked like a complete treasure trove. I wanted to buy everything on this stall!

shopbackdrop photography backdrop

Tallulah’s trinkets

Annie, the talented designer behind Tallulah’s Trinkets had been involved with jewellery design for 10 years before launching the brand. Inspired by nature and by flowers(Annie’s mom is a florist), the range incorporated the most exquisite vintage inspired headpieces, from bands to mini veils. Each piece is handmade, but is also very wearable, the headbands can be manipulated for true comfort as well as supreme style. Each piece is also bespoke, flowers and beading can be added as you wish. My friend Dawn, soon to be a bride herself, so fell in love with one piece that she wanted to buy the sample. Myself, I was enthralled by the 1920s style large floral band which looked like something from The Great Gatsby.

KATE SLATER

Dudley based Kate Slater creates beautiful handmade lace creations that are totally unique. Using old lace, metal, leather and old buttons Kate has created headdresses, collars and vintage style shawls that are very beautiful and original in their character. Kate’s work is very adaptable, can be created in any colour and with any imagery worked into the design. I loved the shawls and scarves, and think that the collars would be an amazing additional to a simple little black dress.

Emily Jayne

Colour me beautiful trained image consultant, fashion blogger and all round lovely person, Emily Jayne was on hand to dispense lots of hints and tips to brides-to-be in one of the areas that can often be troublesome, the perfect bridal make-up. Emily was on hand to answer questions and offer advice on how to look fabulous on your big day.

We are Delish

I was wowed by the sumptuous cake pops created by We Are Delish. These are gorgeous and oh so delicate cakes on a stick, the perfect sweet treat for weddings, where you really don’t want to get cake on your beautiful outfit. The flavours were delicious, chocolate cake, red velvet cake, Vanilla…and each one tasted beautiful. The fantastic thing about cake pops are  that you can have any colour, or combination of colours on the icing, and this means it can match anything – the bride, the bridemaids or your favourite football team!

The bloggers

The wedding bloggers were a big success, sharing anecdotes, and offering all manner of advice to the brides-to-be.  Rock n Roll bride Kat Williams was resplendent, with her bright pink hair and a tutu. Warm, funny and down-to-earth, it was great to have a catch-up, admire her beautiful photographs and get a copy of the inaugural Rock n Roll Bride magazine.

Sharper Millinery

Another person who it was lovely to see again was Sally Harper Kenn, the lady behind Sharper Millinery. Sally’s hats, headpieces and mini veils are all inspired by the glamorous stars of yesteryear, and use vintage materials where possible. I adore the artistry behind them, you can almost see Bette Davis and Joan Crawford fighting for first choice of these hats. These are perfect mother-of-the-bride wear, but I also noticed lots of new pieces that were 1920s inspired, headbands with beads and feathers that just suit ultra-modern gamine brides.

Wedding dresses

Of course, a wedding fair wouldn’t be a wedding fair without wonderful dresses. The fashion shows gave ample opportunity to view dresses from different eras. I attended a show from one of my favourite eras, the 1950s. This contained a whole host of beautiful dresses from the likes of Tobi Hannah, The Wedding Club, Lyndsey Fleming couture, Jenny Packham, Sarah Willard Couture and  Charlotte Casadejus. Here are some of my favourite looks, the ones that could almost tempt you to become a bride again.

With Emma Case creating more of those fabulous, quirky wedding images, and bright pink wedding tents called Yurts at the centre of everything, this was no ordinary wedding show. And the team behind it, deserve extra praise for creating such a fabulous new environment for brides in such a short space of time.

A full feature on one of the exhibitors, Terry Terry accessories to follow..so watch this space!

Nancy Shevell – one stylish bride!

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The most stylish women of the past week has to be the new Mrs Paul McCartney. Last Sunday Paul made the American heiress Nancy Shevell his third wife, and she looked absolutely amazing. Wearing a knee-length, 1940s inspired dress created by her new daughter-in-law Stella, Nancy showed off the sort of ageless glamour that so many of todays starlets can only dream of. (Yes..I mean you, The Saturdays…)

I tweeted about how fantastic I thought Nancy looked in that simple yet elegant dress, and was amazed at how many other people seemed to be of the same opinion. Words like timeless, chic and sophisticated were used, and everyone seemed incredulous that this stunning woman was really 51. She sort of resembled the much older Middleton sister that no-one had ever heard of, with her thick  and shiny flowing locks and deceptively simple styling. I say deceptively simple, because so many women would have over accessorised this look by adding more jewellery, or a too  elaborate hairstyle. Nancy let the beautiful dress do all the work,  and quite frankly wowed me completely.

Many have commented that the gown had echoes of that worn by Wallis Simpson when she married Edward, Duke of Windsor. I can’t see that myself. The button detailing on the gown is similar, but the dress was ivory, not blue, it has an open neckline rather than the rather austere high neck that Wallis sported, and of course, Wallis wore a full length gown. Where they do seem to tally, is that both are fairly demure and ladylike, another step away from the Kardashian Meringue styles and busty bodices.

I have been searching the net to find dresses that emulate this new style, covered up on the arms, knee-length and demure, and I have found a great site called Lightinthebox.com, which sells some absolutely stunning dresses for those who like to keep things elegant and simple. Here are my key picks, and just look at those amazing price  points!

A-line 3/4-length Sleeve Knee-length Satin organza Wedding Dress 

A-line Scoop Tea-length Satin Wedding Dress £97.96 

There are also some other gorgeous white dresses around that could make beautiful wedding dresses. Just look at this Stella McCartney  gown currently available from Selfridges.

STELLA McCARTNEY Panelled dress £1,115 

 

 

Coast Rapunzel dress £115 

Reiss Lorna wrap front dress £189 

 

The Designer Vintage Wedding Show is Back!

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One of the most glamorous events of the past year was the inaugural ‘Designer Vintage Wedding Show’ that was held in Birmingham‘s Beautiful Highbury Hall. This event was an amazing success that was just crying out to be repeated. Well, I am happy to report that The DVB Show is BACK.

Clear your diaries for the weekend of the 8th to 9th October 2011, This is when the Designer Vintage Wedding Show opens its doors at its new venue, Berrow Court in Birmingham.  There were be treats galore for Brides-to- be to relish, from sumptuous vintage gowns by the likes of Vintage Crocks and Frocks, Lyndsey Fleming Couture and the Wedding Club, Jewellery from the Wonderful Terry Terry,  amazing accessories from the likes of Sharper Millinery and Rachel Simpson shoes and wonderful music from Nero String Quartet. You can spend a whole day wrapped up in pure vintage delight, meeting designers, delighting in a cocktail or afternoon tea, taking time out to watch the catwalk shows of designer gowns and vintage originals and talking to the experts.

Emma Case photography

The event has again been organised by Rachel Simpson and Clare Guest, along with PR extraordinaire Bran Cook, and this year the event is sponsored by Molton Brown. This means you can expect a fantastic goodie bag filled with glorious Molton Brown goodies.

If this hasn’t wetted your appetite yet, here is a rundown of just some of the people, services and companies involved so  far;-

Stationery: Alilia; Dotty Creations; Love Illustrated; Lucy Ledger Designs; Pocket Typewriter;

Photography: Ann Kathrin Koch; Eleta Newby; Emma Case (our official show photographer); Julian Marment Photography; Liezl Croft; Maria Lynne Photography;

Event Styling: Ava Event Styling; Gill Bourbage – Cotton and Roses; Real Models; Vintage Glamour Days; Wren’s Tea Party;

Floristry: Blush Floral Design; Little ‘a’ Floristry;

Jewellery: Cherished; Laurel Lime; Magpie Vintage; Talullah’s Trinkets; Terry Terry Jewellery;

Gowns: Charlotte Casadejus; Lindsay Fleming Couture; Lizzy Jayne; The Couture Company; The Wedding Club; Vintage Frocks n Crocks;

Cakes, Sweets and Treats: Delish; Emily’s Best; Raw Chocolate Parlour; The Boutique Baking Company;

Accessories: Kate Slater; Natasha Jane Headwear; Rachel Simpson Shoes; Sharper Millinery; Soapy Jones;

Music: It’s a Wind Up; Nero String Quartet;

Make-up: Leona Seymour;

Bridal Bloggers: Beyond Beyond; Boho Events; OMG I’m Getting Married; Love My Dress; Rock n Roll Bride

 

Credit Antonia the photographer

 

If you haven’t purchased your tickets for the show yet, they are just £8 when you buy them online (or £12 on the door), simply decide which day you would like to come and visit us and then click to buy. For brides-to-be bringing friends and family with them, we also offer a group ticket discount.For further information or to purchase tickets, log on to http://www.designervintagebridal.co.uk or email info@designervintagebridal.co.uk

 

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