Gorgeous vintage bride Sophie wears one of my 1950s–style wedding dresses...

Dear Reader,
Remember gorgeous vintage bride Sophie, utterly fabulous in one of my 1950s–style wedding dresses for her wedding to Jeremy…? 

Well, I'm enjoying Sophie's pictures all over again – since I've found a great feature about their wedding on one of my favourite wedding blogs. I only gave you a glimpse of Sophie's vintage–inspired style, with her silver Jimmy Choo 'Luna' peep toe pumps, chic birdcage veil and bright Spring flowers...

But if you like what you've seen so far, you can find much more on cool wedding blog RockMyWedding.

Don't miss stylish groom Jeremy, too – in his blue Reiss suit, Thomas Pink dress shirt and Alexander McQueen tie and cufflinks...

Check out the feature on RockMyWedding to see much more of their day – from the London Bus Tour to the 'Molly Bakes' cake-pops!

For a glimpse of more real vintage–inspired brides, visit my website. And if you love Sophie's 1950s style dress, you can find more like it here and in my new Etsy store.

It's always nice to take a moment's breath, to look back and admire some of the beautiful women who've worn my vintage–inspired wedding dresses!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

Read more

Clare wears a charming 1950s / 1960s vintage wedding dress in Broderie Anglais.

Dear Reader,
A very sweet real bride for you today: Clare, who chose a pretty late 50s / early 60s wedding dress in cotton eyelet lace or Broderie Anglais. 

1950s wedding dresses in cotton lace are so fresh and pretty. Perfect for vintage bride Clare.

With its pretty boat neck, neat white bodice and crisp white cotton, this lovely dress had a Riviera feel… like something Bardot might wear in a 1960s movie. And it fitted Clare so beautifully, it might have been made for her!

Clare's 1950s/60s wedding dress fitted perfectly, with its neat bodice and pretty boat neck.

These charming cotton wedding dresses from the 50s and 60s have stayed the course so well. Cotton is a wonderful fabric for a wedding dress – delicate and crisp, yet still strong and easy to wear. Cotton has fantastic longevity and can even be washed by hand if you're careful. A cotton wedding dress will last so well, you really can save it as an heirloom for your children.

White cotton dress and candy pink shoes – a gorgeous 1950s look for vintage bride Clare.

And of course, this lovely style is quite timeless. 1950s and 1960s style wedding dresses are so fresh and pretty they'll always be in fashion. 

Simple accessories for a chic and pretty dress: just a chic birdcage veil and satin ribbon.

Clare certainly made the perfect choice, and of course all her friends agreed. In Clare's words,

"I absolutely adored the dress. It was so comfortable to wear and fitted just perfectly. We had a wonderful day and I got lots of flattering comments on the dress and its pure elegance and simplicity in design."

Pretty as a picture: real vintage bride Clare in a 1950s / 1960s cotton lace wedding dress.

I love the simple accessories Clare chose to wear with her dress – the sweet birdcage veil, crystal hair accessory and candy pink peep–toes! Thanks for sharing your pictures, Clare – you look pretty as a picture!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you'd like to see 1950s and 1960s wedding dresses for sale,
check out my Etsy store here…

And if you'd like to see more real vintage brides,
check out my website here…

Read more

Two original lace wedding dresses – just made for dancing – for our real vintage bride Annie...

Dear Reader,
Remember our lovely vintage bride Annie? Annie is a professional dancer – so being able to twirl prettily in her dress was very important!

Annie rocks the dance floor in fantastic 'Betty Draper style' 1950s wedding dress

We solved the problem by finding not one but two original vintage wedding dresses for Annie to wear on the day.

Pretty as a picture, Annie in original 1940s lace wedding dress, with gorgeous bridesmaids

Annie getting ready for the ceremony in our  lovely original 1940s lace wedding dress

Well, I've just found lots of lovely new pics of Annie and Dickie's Buckinghamshire wedding, on great wedding blog RockMyWedding… check it out here.

Check out Annie's original vintage wedding dresses here

1940s lace wedding dresses are always a romantic and chic choice.

Happy Days!

And of course you can see more of gorgeous Annie – and both her vintage lace wedding dresses! – in my original post here, too...
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

To see lots of 1940s and 1950s lace wedding dresses for sale
click here for my new Etsy page...

And to see more gorgeous real vintage brides
click here for my website…

Read more

Are These The Most Stylish Weddings of 2015?

Dear Reader,

How's your Christmas going? All ready...? No, me neither. No matter how early you get started, doesn't it always seem a rush. Well, let's steal a minute away from the festive frenzy to draw breath and enjoy a few vintage moments from our year. 

Kick off those high heels, swap your spiced rum cocktail for a nice cup of Earl Grey, and relax while I show you the Most Stylish Brides of 2015 according to the Daily Telegraph... 

Heiress Beatrice Borromeo in Armani Prive… just one of her five couture wedding dresses!

As it's The Daily Telegraph these are crazy society weddings. All the brides do look stunning – but at what a price! One wedding dress is encrusted with 15 carats of Chopard diamonds. Another wedding dress is rumoured to have cost over £50,000. And heiress Beatrice Borromeo wears not one or even two – but five couture wedding dresses! A tad excessive... non?

Hilary Rhoda in Carolina Herrara dress, encrusted with 14.7 carats of Chopard diamonds!

However, most of these fabulous couture wedding dresses are based on vintage originals. And it's perfectly possible to achieve equally stunning looks on a more realistic budget. So – of course – I can't resist showing you how...!

Beatrice Borromeo in blush Valentino vintage–inspired wedding dress and cape

Beatrice Borromeo

For her official wedding ceremony, Heiress Beatrice Borromeo chose a pale pink Valentino silk tulle gown with a delicate beaded cape (above). I'm always looking for similar antique beaded capes from Victorian to 1930s. And if you too love this look, do call me to see what little treasure are in my current stock. 

An original vintage wedding capelet, from my West London studio.

A week later, Borromeo said 'I do' again – this time on one of her family's islands! For this ceremony, she wore a beautiful ivory-coloured dress with a flared silhouette in Chantilly lace from Armani's luxury Privé label. The silk chiffon layered gown was paired with a delicate silk tulle veil, also with a Chantilly lace border.

Beatrice Borromeo in Armani Prive wedding dress

Full length lace wedding dresses like this one are always in style. I have a range of lovely figure–flattering dresses in my Heavenly Collection made from exquisite lace (and you don't even need to be an heiress to afford one!) As well as some wonderful original lace wedding dresses like the 1960s one shown below…

Full length, 1940s–inspired lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection.

Original 1960s vintage wedding dress in lace, from my West London studio.

Long lace veil from my Heavenly Collection

Allison Williams

Another featured bride is Girls actress Allison Williams. Allison married entrepreneur Ricky Van Veen in September at Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming, in a ceremony officiated by actor Tom Hanks. Her 1950s–inspired Oscar de la Renta gown was created by the fashion house's British creative director, Peter Copping. The heavily embellished gown featured a sheer, long-sleeved overlay atop a full-skirted strapless dress.

Allison Williams in Oscar de la Renta wedding dress.

These 1950s wedding dresses are so feminine and flattering, whether original or simply vintage–style like my Heavenly Collection version below. These styles really are timeless. Look out for the cinched waist, full skirt and neat bodice.

Original 1950s wedding dress from my West London studio.

One of many 1950s inspired lace wedding dresses in my Heavenly Collection

Nicky Hilton

Not only Allison's but several other dresses in the Most Stylish list had their roots in classic 1950s styles. Nicky Hilton married banking scion James Rothschild in Kensington Palace Gardens in London. Her 1950s–style couture lace Valentino gown that is said to have cost £50,000 and with its high neck, full skirt and long sleeves has echoes of everyone's favourite brides Grace Kelly and Kate Middleton.

Nicky Hilton in lace Valentino wedding dress

1950s style lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Noor Fares

Fine jeweller Noor Fares also chose 1950s style for her wedding to artist Alexandre Al Khawam at a beautiful ceremony in Normandy in June. Her first dress – yes, there were two – was this beautiful haute couture Giambattista Valli gown. 

Noor Fares in 1950s style wedding dress by Giambattista Valli.

1950s lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Noor also wore an Azzedine Alaia wedding dress, speckled with delicate pearls...

Noor Fares in Azzedine Alaia wedding dress.

Bar Refaeli

The next bride featured in the Most Stylish list is Israeli model Bar Refaeli. For her lavish wedding to business magnate Adi Ezra this year, Bar wore a custom-made, 1970s–inspired bohemian Chloe gown.. and looked every inch a supermodel!

Bar Refaeli in Chloe vintage–inspired wedding dress

But you don't have to be a model marrying a millionaire to look gorgeous in a boho–style original vintage wedding dress, like this beautiful original 1970s dress from my collection...

Original 1970s wedding dress from my West London studio.

Original 1970s wedding dress from my West London studio

Hilary Rhoda

Model Hilary Rhoda wore an elegant and simple 1930s–inspired Carolina Herrera wedding gown to marry NHL player Sean Avery in the Hamptons. But – you guessed it – this chic and 'simple' dress also featured beading with 14.7 carats of Chopard diamonds!

Hilary Rhoda in Carolina Herrara wedding dress

For similarly chic and elegant 1930s–inspired silhouettes try my Heavenly Collection… (Real diamonds come as extra!)

1930s style lace wedding dress with fishtail, from my Heavenly Collection.

1930s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Riley Keough

Model and actress Riley Keough wed stuntman Ben Smith-Peterson in Napa Valley in Feruary. She wore a Delphine Manivet Couture gown featuring double levels of soft French lace, long sleeves with vintage-style buttons and a stunning open back. Truly lovely and very 1940s.

Riley Keogh in 1940s style full length lace wedding dress

1940s lace wedding dress & jacket, from my West London studio

1940s inspired lace wedding dress, from my Heavenly Collection

1940s inspired lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Sophie Hunter

Theatre director Sophie Hunter and actor Benedict Cumberbatch may have kept their wedding pictures under wraps, but thanks to US Vogue we got a good look at the bride's heavenly dress. The Valentino gown was Medieval-inspired with long sleeves, a high neck and formed of delicate silvery-grey lace.

Sophie Hunter in grey Valentino lace wedding dress

While I can't promise to find you an original Medieval dress (!) many 1960s styles are based on this timeless silhouette – with its flattering empire line, high neck and elegant lace sleeves. This original Priscilla of Boston 1960s wedding dress was recently sold from my collection, but do contact me if you're a fan of this beautiful look…

Original 1960s wedding dress by Priscilla of Boston, from my studio.

Detail from Priscilla of Boston 1960s wedding dress.

Sabine G

For her wedding to billionaire Joseph Getty, Lebanese–Egyptian jewellery designer Sabine G wore a wedding dress and cape by couture house Schiaparelli. The outfit was hand–embellished with no less than 500,000 sequins. A fabulous dress to end the list – and one I'm afraid I can't match. But I guess when you're marrying into the Getty family, you really need to pull out all the stops! 

Sabine G wears Schiaparelli couture wedding dress and cape with 500,000 sequins

Well, did you agree with their selection, and which is your favourite? At New Year (not so long now!) I'll be delighted to show you my own personal favourites from my real vintage brides – looking every bit as beautiful and radiant as the selection here! A happy wedding day, a room full of loved ones, a proud groom and a beautiful vintage dress – these are the things that can make every bride look as beautiful as any supermodel!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

With thanks to The Daily Telegraph

Read more