The Designer Vintage Wedding show returned to Birmingham in style

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!

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!

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