1960s William Cahill Wedding Dress for fabulous vintage bride Carolyn.

Dear Reader
This week's Real Vintage Bride is darling Carolyn…

For her Hambleden wedding to Jim, Carolyn chose this fabulous 1960s mini wedding dress, by iconic 60s designer William Cahill. 

The dress is a perfect example of swinging 60s style - in gorgeous lace with a flattering wide boat neck and swingy cape back. What a groovy bride!

We knew this was the right dress for Carolyn as soon as she tried it. In her words…

"I wanted to say a huge thank you for my beautiful Cahill dress. From the moment I tried it on it felt just right for the feel of for the wedding we wanted – beautiful and fun all at once. And I  especially love that it came from such an important time for women.

The whole experience of  choosing and fitting the dress with you and seamstress Grace was absolutely wonderful. Thank you again for being such a positive part of the whole wedding planning experience.” 

Handsome groom Jim was rather fabulous too in his traditional kilt – perfect for a cosy country wedding...

Their day looks wonderful down to the last details. From Carolyn's teal fur wrap, perfectly toning with Jim's tartan, and even with the scrumptious nature-inspired cake made by talented bridesmaid Jenny!

And of course, one of the big advantages of a mini wedding dress – aside from being extremely fabulous and groovy – is there's no holding back on the dance floor!

Happy days. Congratulations Carolyn and Jim!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, please try…

A Guide to 1960s Vintage Wedding Dresses

And for more Real Vintage Brides, check out my website page here...

Read more

Vintage Wedding Dress Trends for 2015 - Number 4...

Dear Reader,
My next tip for 2015 is a trend I really love. I'm so pleased to see it right back in style...

1940s style silk satin wedding dress, Florence - soft, womanly and flowing.

4. SOFT SATIN SLEEVES, 1940s STYLE

Long fitted lace sleeves have been very popular for the last few years (perhaps influenced by McQueen's fabulous dress for Kate Middleton). But now my clients are beginning to ask for a more flowing, 1940s style of sleeve in a soft satin.

1940s inspired Florence wedding dress, with soft silk sleeves

You may already know how much I love this look - with its sexy, womanly glamour and its roots in the golden age of Hollywood.

1940s style icon Lauren Bacall, in sophisticated white.

Plus this trend has another fabulous feature: it's SO flattering and easy to wear! 

1940s style icon Lauren Bacall in soft silk evening dress.

Here's Florence again (from my Heavenly Collection of vintage inspired wedding dresses), showing long soft sleeves in silk. Florence is inspired by an original 1940s dress and has that same soft-fitting glamour. 

Florence, 1940s style wedding dress in silk with long sleeves, beading and lace trim.

For 2015, I am making this sleeve style in a transparent silk chiffon - very in keeping with the 1940s origins of the dress. Watch this space!
Love 
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, try…
Vintage Wedding Dress Trends for 2014 - Part 1…

Vintage Wedding Dress Trends for 2014 - Part 2…

Vintage Wedding Dress Trends for 2014 - Part 3…

Thanks to Robert Lawler for the beautiful photography
and to Abby at Cherished for the lovely headwear.

Read more

Vintage Wedding Dress of the Week: 1950s-style Chantilly.

Dear Reader,
Today I'd like to show you 1950s-style Chantilly, from my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses.

Chantilly is based on a classic 1950s silhouette, with its slim-fitting lace bodice and beautifully swishy skirt - elegant, feminine and fun to wear at the same time!

What really sets Chantilly apart is the gorgeous quality fabrics that give it such great fit and movement. The skirt is made in a specially-sourced Italian silk organza, and the bodice is made from the finest French Chantilly lace (shown here with a mocha lining for a pretty vintage colour effect).

I've shown it here in tea length. But it looks equally stunning in ballerina length or for a really dramatic look in full length.

And just to round off this post, here's real vintage bride Sophie looking fabulous in Chantilly on her big day!

If you'd like to see more of this gorgeous 1950s-style dress, check out my Heavenly Collection here or just make an appointment to visit my London studio. 

Love 
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, see more of vintage bride Sophie here

Read more

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

Read more