My Top 7 Vintage Brides of Last Year

Dear Reader,
While I'm thinking about my trends forecast for 2015, it often helps to look back over past seasons. It shows what worked best, which classics will always be in style, and what new ideas evolved…

It's always a pleasure looking back at my brides. It's almost impossible to choose favourites - I can honestly say they ALL looked fabulous. But here goes (drum roll, please)… in no particular order, my very favourite 7 Real Vintage Brides of last year!

1. MOLLY in ORIGINAL 1960s 'PRISCILLA' WEDDING DRESS

Molly was a real angel, so unassuming and beautiful. We found the perfect dress for her - a high neck, long sleeve, willowy Priscilla of Boston dress.

I love a high neck dress with long sleeves and a slim-fitting skirt. It's such an elegant combination, so modest and charming. And vintage dresses do it best - just like Molly's.

High necklines don’t flatter every figure - I find they work best with a small bust. But when it does work - as here - it looks amazing. 

These gorgeous pics also showcase a big trend from 2014 - the natural flower circlet. How refreshing to see all those beautiful flower crowns and circlets, after a few years in the wilderness (sorry, just couldn't resist the hopeless pun!)

2. FELICITY in 'BUTTERFLY' 1930s STYLE LACE WEDDING DRESS

Lovely Felicity chose Butterfly from my own collection. I never tire of seeing girls bring my vintage style wedding dresses to life. I feel immensely proud of each bride, they all wear the dresses so differently and bring their own personality and style.

Felicity's dress really shows off her fantastic figure. And to me, her own style makes it looks the epitome of a perfect English summer wedding.  

3. JANE in 1950s LACE WEDDING DRESS

Jane married her charming partner George last summer, in a stunning original 1950s blush lace dress.

I admit to being a bit greedy here. When I met these two lovely and very impressive women, I wanted them both to be Heavenly Vintage Brides! I tried to tempt George as well as Jane, but it was not to be! 

Instead, they cleverly coordinated their styles, both wearing 1950s silhouettes in tea length. And I'm delighted with the results. Jane looks devastating in her 1950s tulle and lace vintage wedding dress - so stylish, and the perfect complement to her dramatic red hair.

4. CHLOE in 1950s STYLE 'BLANCHE' LACE WEDDING DRESS

Chloe looks fabulous in the Blanche 1950s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection. 

She chose the ballerina length, with a three-quarter sleeve and we finished it off perfectly with a beautiful silk ribbon and handmade silk rose. It's such a classic beauty - and so is Chloe! 

Chloe and her family were really fun to work with, I loved being a part of their brilliant day.

5. SELINA in SLINKY 1940s STYLE 'BETTE' WEDDING DRESS

Beautiful Selina is a teacher. With her lovely athletic figure and even lovelier sweet nature, she suited the Bette dress from my Heavenly Collection so well.

It was a complete pleasure to be involved in Selina's special day. I loved watching her transform from a charming, kind teacher to a fabulously slinky and glamorous bride!

6. BECKY in 1930s LACE WEDDING DRESS

Dainty Becky was married last summer in a delicate lace peach coloured original 1930s dress.

I'm a big fan of pastel coloured lace and vintage has plenty to offer in the way of pretty shades of palest pink, peach and champagne. Inspired by this, I offer a similar choice with my own Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses. Becky’s dress was so simple and just perfectly lovely for her, she accessorised it very well with the long veil and pretty silk flowers, made by my lovely seamstress Grace.

7. LUCIE in BEAUTIFUL 1940s LACE WEDDING DRESS

Lucie chose a stunning 1940s original vintage dress. I've rarely found such a fabulous dress - with its long net train, beautiful corded lace, and those little cap sleeves.

Lucie really shone in her dress at her wedding last summer - a truly beautiful bride and a wonderfully colourful, sunny wedding.

I often feel the 1940s gets a little forgotten, between the slinky 30s bias cutting and the flirty fun 50s dresses. But it's a decade I'm really fond of - sophisticated and glamorous without being fussy.

So there they are, in no particular order. Forgive me if I missed out your own personal favourites - I'm proud to say every one of my brides looked beautiful in their vintage wedding dresses. Take a look at more stunning real vintage brides here… and make your own impossible choice!

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

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Vintage Wedding Dresses at the Movies: the countdown continues...

Dear Reader,
Here we are... the second instalment in my Top 10 vintage wedding dresses from the movies. So many glorious gowns to choose from!

7. High Society (starring Grace Kelly, 1956)
Another fabulous dress by Helen Rose, one of the great Hollywood costume designers of the 1940s and 1950s. First, take a look at the designer's original sketch...

And now, at the dress itself... Perfection!

Aside from her Hollywood costumes, Helen Rose is of course most famous for designing Grace Kelly's own iconic wedding dress. What a beauty.

6. The Godfather (Simonetta Stefanelli as Appollonia, 1972)
The Godfather includes two gorgeous wedding dress scenes. Appollonia's demure head-to-toe lace dress for the simple Sicilian country wedding is my favourite. (And one of my favourite movie wedding scenes too.)

5. The movies of screen goddess, Billie Dove (1920s)
Stunning beauty Billie Dove started as a Ziegfeld Follies girl at the age of 14, and went on to become one of the biggest stars of silent film. So many of her glamorous 1920s dresses would be wonderful for a wedding... 

Some of Billie's films are lost now, so it's hard to choose a favourite. She played a bride in at least two movies. Would it be cheating to include all Billie's gorgeous dresses in my Top 10?

And remember the Juliet cap veils we were thinking about last week, here she is in a stunning example...

At the height of her fame, Billie was more popular than even Greta Garbo. Jazz singer Billie Holliday is said to have named herself after her. Let's remember her with these beautiful images.

4. Come Dance with Me (starring Brigitte Bardot, 1959)

And my last choice for today? La Bardot wearing a classic late 1950s lace wedding dress in this silly French movie...

I've had so much fun choosing. Do check back to see my Top 3, and post your own favourites on my facebook page here. And to enjoy lots more lovely original vintage dresses, click here.

Thanks for looking

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

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1930s Wedding Dresses, the Decade of Glamour

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Really? Thought Catalog's Top 10 Fictional Boyfriends (and Who Might Be Better)

Today Chelsea Fagan's blog on the Top Ten fictional boyfriends got passed around the internet, and wow, some women realy like losers. If you want to check out the original it is here at this link- http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/the-10-best-fictional-boyfriends/ I'm going to work off the assumption that she is talking about all heterosexual men, as in "I am a heterosexual woman and if this person were real I would date them" She got a couple right:

1.Aidan from Sex in the City-Cute, arty laborish, woefully mistreated. Aidan is definitely one of the best Sex and the City men (though I think Steve and Harry are the real winners). And you just have to forgive the hair from the early years. We all have our phases.

2.Tom from 500 Days of Summer-He's fine? I mean, I don't remember much but some pining eyes and then sad eyes. And one dance number. He makes the winner list because I love a man with no shame about public dancing, and Hall and Oates takes it to another level. Also, now that I look for a picture of him I notice there were a lot of sweater vests in play- not a positive or a negative, just something I noticed.

3.Aladdin- He's spunky, voiced by the guy from Full House, and is certainly more interesting than most of the turds Disney princesses have to deal with. Sure, he lies to his girlfriend the majority of the movie, but all in all, not her worst pick.

4. Ron Weasley-For a long time, Ron Weasley was my favorite Harry Potter character, until I realized that Neville actually owns my heart. I'm telling you, the nerdier are, the better. Ron is a ginger, loyal, funny, and appropriate levels of afraid of Hermoine. All in all he is a definite winner. Written and on film, Weasley is probably the best of the bunch.

 Borderline, but I am as guilty as anyone:

 1. Mr. Darcy- An ass like 80% into the book. Looks like Colin Firth even as you read the book (somehow, his Firthiness shines through- that's probably why he played the part again in Bridget Jones Diary- he is so good at that stare). I think maybe it gets more credit than others because she doesn't love him to his gooey center. She basically tells him to screw off and he has to go off and learn to be better before she ever gives him a chance. That's a key difference here.

And then there are the other ones:

1. The Beast- Holy crap, are you kidding me? Beauty and the Beast is an absolute mainstay in every Into to Feminism class ever. It is the perfect example of Disney's absolutely warped models of relationships as presented to little girls. The guy locked her father in a tower! He screamed at her and threatened her with violence!  This sets up one of the worst girlfriend dynamics- the good old "you don't understand him like I do." Really? Because what I understand is that your boyfriend is an emotionally abusive asshole. Major boyfriend fail.

 2. Jesse Pinkman- Yes, he does have pretty blue eyes. He is also a drug dealer. And he's killed people. Again, ladies, no gooey center is going to save you from outside crazy or stupid. Let's shoot for men who can function on both levels! It's not an impossible dream!

3. Josh from Clueless- Trust me, I love Paul Rudd as much as the next girl, and he is ridiculously cute in this movie. But don't we all know the guy in his 20's who are dating high school girls? They usually have HPV and all sorts of crazy business. I don't necessarily think age is a primary issue, but there are milestones in life that turn into a great divide. If you have lived on your own, you should not  date someone who has only lived with their parents, etc.

4. George from George of the Jungle- Did she just run out of movies? It's a weird choice, which she pretty much admits, but we are missing exactly why he makes the list. Because Brendan topless is not even sort of a good reason. He's not cute! Also, anyone with more than one fart joke is pretty much out.

So here are my admittedly heteronormative counter-ideas:

1. Turk on Scrubs- I am pretty sure he falls for Carla on the very first episode. He is a work in progress, he never quite gets it right, but he is kind and he is always trying. This is the key people.

2.David Huxley in Bringing up Baby- Ok, this is an odd one, because on the one hand, he does blow off his fiance on their wedding day. But, he is open with his feelings, ready for an adventure, dresses sharp, and he looks like Cary Grant while being wonderfully weird. I love it.

3. Aragorn from Lord of the Rings- First of all, he is played by Viggo, who is a ridiculously beautiful man. Aragorn's role as a loverboy doesn't really show in the books, but they really pushed it in the films. His girlfriend Arwen gives up eternity to be with him, but rather than just be totally pumped about it, he seems sad, as if he really understands what she gave up. He also treats women with respect and never says anything stupid about fighting in a woman's honor. That's a quality man.

4.Wall-E- How can you talk about animated boyfriends without bringing up this one? Have you seen this movie? Unbelievably sweet and loyal, doesn't talk too much, and saves the human race from their passive consumerism. He even dresses Eve around and brings her around.

5. Cory from Boy Meets World-  A Classic. That guy loved his Topanga, even as she changed all of her character traits from start to finish in the series. He also loved Sean a lot.

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