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...

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Wedding Wednesday- Tips for getting Fit for your Wedding (especially if you aren't the kind of person who generally cares)

I am not going to say I am expert on this- clearly I am not. But over the last 3 years I have lost a good chunk of weight in a very slow way. Now, in preparation for the wedding, the Fancy has put us on a pretty strict diet plan and I push us on the Zumba.

I think the wanting to feel on top of your body for this makes sense to a certain extent, and it kind of annoys me that people constantly tell other getting married to not try for this at all. If nothing else, the transition gives you the opportunity to look at how you are living your life and what you can do better. I think it is a good thing. And if exerting more effort in any exercisey/ foody direction makes you feel better or at least more in control of the whole making a spectacle of yourself thing, then that seems fine to me too. We have taken advantage of the whole- this is the payoff structure to actually try, which is new, and has mixed results that generally I feel good about. So that's that.We are not sporty/outdoorsy/ particularly showy people, but we both have watched parents struggle with weight, and I know I don't want this to be a continuing narrative for the rest of my life. I at least want to understand it. 

Now that I am a little bit less than a month out, and honestly I think we will let up rather than bear down (people, it gets stressful at the end!) I thought I would give the tips that actually worked for us.

1. Learn to Pay Attention- A few months ago I signed up for Livestrong, and diet-wise, it is the best thing I ever did. I force myself to be totally honest on there, and it makes me so much more aware of how I eat. I like to sneak things, snack a little, but those things build up. By writing it all down, I really became aware of how much I was getting in my own way. It was a big paradigm shift. It also helped me shake off pop, hopefully forever, because I realized even the diet stuff sucked away my daily allowances for things. It is not worth it. I would say if you want to lose weight, start on a program like that, and there are many of them. The best you can do is set a standard for yourself and then be honest.

2. Find Something Exercisey that Isn't Too Horrible, and then Do It until it gets Horrible- Ugh, did I mention I also hate exercising? I like group classes, I don't mind aerobic-y stuff, but I hate to run, bike, etc. I find it all so boring. I need something that is changing to keep my brain busy so I am not just thinking "Man I Hate Exercise." I would highly recommend switching up what you do, but never doing nothing. One day might just be a simple walk with the fancy, but once you make it part of your routine, you just know you can't go to bed having done nothing.

3. Give Yourself Lots of Time, and Just Make Little Changes- This one is HUGE. Honestly, I have never dieted, but I know those things don't last. You know what is a good decision and what is a bad decision, and those should shift over time. A year ago I would have thought we were doing perfectly well if I had 2 cups of juice and pasta. Now, that would be a borderline bad day. There are definitely things we do now (tonight we got pizza and salad) that may not cut it a year from now. You are not a crazy actress on a microbiotic diet. Just start identifying 1 thing you could do better and do it. Build up momentum, but you should never be taking huge leaps. It's like that with exercise too. Even if you only do a little bit, it is better than doing nothing.

4.Fish- I love fish and seafood and it is super good for you. And it is not chicken. Chicken is so boring.  And it can be easier to get good information on what is most ethical to eat. It is also often one of the best healthy options on any menu. I realize this is more convenient in California than elsewhere, but the key is finding foods you love that are still good for you.

5. Buy a Dress You Already Love on Yourself- Ugh, how many times I stood in the bridal salon and thought "well maybe my stomach will be flat by then!" We are a month and change out. I still have my faithful companion the pooch. It is never going away. And even if it did, if I had worn the dress that was tight to my stomach, I would have thought every bunch of fabric was my chubby middle. It's not, but it is where I feel less secure. I do not want to play those games with myself. It's another one of those things, where you have to feel beautiful from the get, and everything else is bonus. No bargaining, or hoping, or starving. That's it.

6. Practice Making an Effort to Look Pretty- Like I said in an earlier blog, I am not the girl who generally cares about this stuff, but honestly I have enjoyed learning more about it as I get into wedding stuff. Take steps that make you feel good about how you look, whether it be wearing your favorite outfit or trying new makeup. You have to figure out how you already feel good about yourself, and focus on that stuff. This isn't about figuring out how to "fix" anything, but just actively making the decision to notice the things you like about yourself and focus on those things. That good feeling, rather than the blergy feeling I mostly feel when I look at myself, pushes me forward and motivates me to keep trying.

I feel like this one is really important, but there is no way to talk about it that isn't riddled with platitudes. In general, we are always willing to treat other people with love, to understand their beauty as being enhanced and nuanced by things they might perceive as flaws. I feel like we can accept the uniqueness of other's attractiveness easily because we look at a lot of people, so variety makes sense and feels good. On the other hand, we are stuck with ourselves, and that intimacy seems to more easily push us to just see good old flaws. We want ourselves to be everything, and no one is that way. If you are going to decide to commit to getting healthy, exercising, whatever, you pretty much have to commit to appreciating all the good stuff that is already there, because if you can't do that you will go crazy. It will never be enough. You owe yourself moments where you feel great and unique and beautiful and whatever else you are already. This isn't lady-centric either.  It doesn't have to be the center of your universe, but the more you can connect with that confidence, the less it has to be.

7. Every Day is a New One, Just Try to Do Better- You are going to mess up. Everytime we go home, I am sure this is the time we will actually be good. Then we get to my in-laws house and they have the best bread in the world. And I go out to dinner with my Dad, and just can't skip the Calimari. Or we decide on a whim to have a late night date and get drinks and dessert. I do my best not to feel too guilty about these moments. The next day will be better. Or we will skip out on Zumba 10 minutes in because we are just sick of Beto (this happened last night). Tonight, we will do better.

8. Don't Deprive Yourself, Because Getting Married Is Crazy Enough- Have your carbs at lunch. When you really want to have whatever that thing is you love, just have it. Who cares. If you are working harder on exercise, you won't self-sabotauge in the same way, because it is like throwing all your work away. But, for goodness sake, somedays planning a wedding is stressful, and if you are a stress eater (like I am) some days it is better to just give yourself a break. Not to mention, going crazy takes away the fun of the whole event, and if you aren't having fun, what exactly is the point? You can slave that weight off, but it won't make you all that much happier in the end. Choose your battles, and if you are feeling totally miserable, honest to goodness, you are pushing too hard. You can slowly move toward what you want, and you are so much likelier to stick with it. If you make yourself crabby, crazy, or (the worst) mean, you have accomplished nothing. F You Kate Moss, plenty of things taste better than skinny feels.

9. Fall in love with fruit- Fruit is the best. It is delicious and sweet and wonderful. In the summer it is even not all that expensive. You know what else is great? Zucchini! You can put it in like anything and then pat yourself on the back for eating healthy-ish. Look, you can eat a million kiwis and it will never be as good as cake. But if you eat 3 kiwis first, you may want less cake. At least that is how it has worked for me. I eat a pretty steady stream of sweets from fruit to try to keep my sweet tooth satisfied. Plus, then maybe you can avoid all the freaking greek yogurt and granola that every health website will try to talk you into.

10. And this is the Best Advice Ever... DRINK WATER- Everything will tell you to do this, but for good reason! I used to be the kind of person who would pass out from dehydration before I would drink water (no seriously, I did that). I loved clear pop, juice, really anything with sugar at its heart. I have weened myself off pop over the course of 2 years (I don't even have it at restaurants anymore, which was the rule for a long time). Now I have juice if we go out for brunch or something, but there is none in the house! Tasty crutches are all removed! Now, with the help of a cute Livestrong animation that congratulates me when I have 8 glasses, I down at least 6 to 10 glasses a day. It still tastes like nothing. It still is in no way a pleasure, but it isn't horrible. And my skin looks so so so so much better. No lie. If all it did was clear/ brighten up my skin it would be worth it. And the water fills me up so I don't feel as snacky. Everything will tell you this as its advice, but trust it. They are not wrong. Just cutting the pop business might be enough to help you lose that little bit of weight that makes you feel better and you can happily gain back once you are a married woman.

Anyway, this is my advice, which is not ground-breaking, but svelting up has been a part of wedding prep, and I have learned a lot from it as it has gone on. I think the biggest testament as this goes on is that as much as we talk about eating all cake diets once we are married, we both admitted today that we don't really want to go back completely. But then again, I so do! I am proud of us for sticking with it, which is probably a good long term skill to have in your arsenal. I am mostly happy that we are getting to the parts that are celebrations, and I don't want to be the bride just eating lettuce. Nobody should be that girl! The only thing worse than water is lettuce!

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Bumpwatch Week 37

How Far Along: Just finished our 37th week! The Bump says the baby is the size of a wintermelon, to which, The Boy says baby sites be crazy (he is even more impressed with this week's vegetable Pumpkin, because these vary quite a bit in size). Next time, we will judge the baby's size by desserts. So at 37 weeks, it will be a very very big piece of cake.

Best Moment of the Week: Shelly had Aisley! She is very cute and hairy (who would have guessed!), and fresh babies just look so fresh I can barely stand it. Shelly had a planned induction a week early, but it seems to have gone well, and she generally makes the whole birthing thing seem pretty easy, so I am happy she went first. Happy this sweet baby is here, though it is always a bummer when big things happen, because it just makes you that much more aware that we all live far apart. Still, yay babies!

Most Interesting Prego Quirk: I am barely moving at all now (like getting 6,000 steps or less a day) and have long agonizing debates about whether to eat healthier (Halloween week was great for treats, but now we have that post-holiday regret thing going on) or to just say "F it" and enjoy the last few weeks of not having to feel too guilty eating whatever, because I am ballooned anyway. You get to the end stretch and start thinking about whether to transition where you can or go out with a bang, and I have to be honest, I think maybe going out with a bang is the right choice. I mean, if I commit to carrots and celery now, while I still have a giant riverdancer up in my ribs sucking my ability to spell out of my amniotic fluid, it isn't going to help me feel patient. I kid, but only sort of. May as well embrace the tragic landslide of the third trimester.

I Would Really Like Some: Baby Yoga (God help us all). I missed both of my classes last week for reasons I couldn't help, and I think it actually did really help keep me feeling fresh and flexible and such. Will get back to it this week.

 

Bizarro Thing No One Warned me About: Ok, they do warn you about this, but man, carseats! They also make putting baby furniture together sound difficult, but apparently those people didn't also move into their first house the same year, because it really didn't make a scratch. On the other hand, car seat pamphlets say all sorts of stuff, much of which is pretty confusing and sets multiple goals at once. 

Seattle has a famous Car Seat Lady, Sue Emory, who comes to your house to make sure you do it right. Not only did she make sure our base was put in perfectly, but she became the first person who said our 2005 Neon was actually a great idea for putting a baby in. Truly, she said if The Boy's family talks us into getting rid of it, she wants it. This whole pregnancy, I have felt like I was riding with Vin Diesel in a tin can death trap, so the news and explanation she gave us was pretty shocking, but I think it gave us a bit of a boost, and now the car seat is in, so that took a big thing off our list.

So really, the car seat thing is way harder than it seems like it should be. Nothing wrong with asking for help.

And The Boy?: Still freaking out, but we are reaching a weird point where the must do list is almost completely finished, so his panicking is less clearly directed? Also, the Car Seat Lady loved him (as well as the neon), and it always improves his mood when he can tell he is someone's favorite. Today he needs to put doorknobs with locks into the doors (for the sake of our many visiting parents), and I think we are hanging the art in the nursery, so nothing much will be left to do.

Looking Forward to: SAM date! The first Thursday of ever month, you can do art walks in Pioneer Square and go to SAM for free. So we are planning on doing that this week, and I am psyched about it. Otherwise, I am trying to destroy my quota for work early in the month so later I don't have to worry about it. 

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6 Things I Love Today (and Yesterday)- Jordan, Schmidt, Naps, Hormones, Book Doors,

1.This- transcending failures and keeping on.

2. Schmidt- The New Girl really benefits from a great ensemble, and Schmidt is a definite highlight. That guy definitely earned his out of nowhere Emmy nod. Loved his relaunch, and his danger theme. They are doing a nice job balancing the extreme ridiculousness of his character with a soft and gooey center.
3. Long Naps- I could not sleep last night, but we got an hour nap tonight that was like the best thing that ever happened in my life.
4. Hormones- Sometimes, I kind of think it is awesome when my filter goes away. I think "damn, why did I say that" and then I think "because it was f-ing honest and it needed to be said." If I could treat the people at school like I did today all the time, people would probably wonder if I had gone crazy and become a bitch, but at least I would be treating myself with a lot more respect.

 5. This bookstore doorway- I think we need to do this in our apartment. It would (temporarily) solve the book storage problem we are constantly facing.

 6. Chris Cosentino's makeover- I was going to just talk about how much I really love the newly minted Top Chef Master. I thought he just felt super smart and committed all season, and I seriously loved the way he treated his culinary students with kindness and COLLABORATION a couple episodes back. Someone who can be that successful and still have the humility to really listen seems very rare and refreshing. I am glad he won. Then, I looked for a picture of him for the blog, and got a good look at his old frosted tip punk phase. Thank goodness for the sort of ironic hipster 50's clean cut retro thing that is in now, because he looks much better now. Thank you mainstream subculture for shifting to something where men can look handsome and not like an accountant at once. And men with dark hair- just don't get frosted tips. They will be orange and embarrassing.

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3 Things I Love Today- Raspberry Popsicles, Romans 12:9, and Durer's sketches and etchings

1. Raspberry popsicles- We got a Zoku popsicle maker as a wedding gift, and it has changed our life. It is so simple to use, and now we know actually unstrained fruit juice and a teensy bit of sugar makes the best popsicles in the whole world. Delicious, amazing, and it at least feels not too terribly bad for you. At least not as bad as cake, which is what we would usually be eating.
2. This- "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!"-Romans 12:9

from www.wga.hu/html_m/d/durer/2/13/1/019.html‎

from unseenbestiaryblog.tumblr.com/post/9208752436

from www.wga.hu/html_m/d/durer/2/16/2/01hare.html‎

from fineartamerica.com/art/all/albrecht+durer/prints

3. Anything Albrecht Durer ever made- Italian Renaissance is grossly overrated. Check the North, people. I've been looking at his sketches and etchings today for inspiration. So incredibly detailed and beautiful. Like looking at a photograph hundreds of years before they were invented.

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100 Things I Love this Week Part 3- Wedding Stuff

 

51. Jill at Shear Expressions in Franklin PA- If you need an updo for any reason and you are in Franklin, you would do yourself a big favor to go to Jill. She is so fast and she does a really beautiful job. I am so glad that we went to Shear Expressions for our wedding hair-I have been in plenty of wedding where the hair made things run behind, but they went so fast that we actually started the day ahead of schedule! It was a wedding miracle!

 

52. My whole Bridal Party's hair- I mostly just let the girls do what they wanted, and everyone looked so beautiful. I hope they felt that way too, because who likes not feeling pretty when you put the effort in? I thought they all looked gorgeous!

 

53. Princess Cupcake Charm- A Little nod to original wedding theme (Disney Princess/ Seven Deadly Sins at the FHS Track with a wheelbarrow and Celine Dion). Mostly, they fell apart or got lost, because apparently the charms weren't made to actually be used, but they still made me happy. And I got to kick mine to Shell once it fell off.

 

54. Technology- There is a lot to be said about Aunt Ann not being there, but being there for decorating, for getting ready, for the ceremony, and for the reception. Even if she just looked like a phone with a pretty cool white cover. I know it's not the same as the real thing, but it is a whole lot better than nothing, so I will be thankful for it forever and ever. 

 

55. Getting honked at by cars- it cracked me up. It will probably never happen again for a happy reason, not a mad reason, so I enjoyed it.  

  

56. Getting our picture taken on my grampa's antique firetruck- My grammy was not too excited about the idea when I asked her, but both she and my Grampa looked pretty excited about it on the day, and getting those pictures there will mean more to me than pictures at some random place that is just photogenic. I am lucky that people will humor me!

 

57. Having liturgy we really cared about, and a priest who really seemed to care about us- I loved that Bishop Sean was so open to our changes in the liturgy, because the politics inherent in their wording meant so much to me. He was also extremely caring in the last few weeks leading up to the wedding. But one of the very best surprises of the day was  Bishop Sean's homily. I didn't know it, but I had taught a devotional on one of the same texts we chose, so he spoke about what i had said as this high schooler on a mission trip and applied it to some of the things we had insisted our wedding was about. It was an important reminder of the things that matter to me, which surprisingly haven't changed that much since I was 18. It was just incredibly special, and I will remember it forever.

 

58. The Boy's cousins at the wedding- Is it a pleasure for every bride to see their new in-laws get into the party? Because if only Josephine and Nonno had danced, I think on some level the party would have been a success. I felt it was a major win that they all at least seemed like they were having a good time. 

 

59. These asparagus- this is definitely in the top ten wedding decisions we ever made. They were delicious, and phyllo-y, and cheesy, and amazing. And my Nana was the best and saved me some. I only have good things to say about all of our vendors, but JPC was really the bomb and the food was ridiculously delicious. I didn't hear any complaints. And if someone had complained about the asparagus I would have made them leave! (I kid) 

60. And while we are on the subject of how awesome JPC is, I have to say I loved all the flowers too. They really made some gorgeous miniature centerpieces and I loved our bouquets as well. I was just so happy to see how beautiful they turned out, and I loved all the little vessels they dug up for the flowers as well. I have to say, no that I am slowly gaining some perspective on the event, having great vendors really makes a world of difference, and pretty much all of ours were the bomb.

 

61. Marrying into a family where the Cousins will lovingly help me pick the bugs out  of my dress- The thing turned out to be a bit of a cesspool. But a very pretty one, so I won't complain too much. And I love the Boy's cousins Kristy and Kari, who got in there and picked them out.

 

 62. Chalk and big fluffy white dresses- Mostly I am just happy they talked her into wearing that thing at all, because when we tried it on her she was not having it. Even a little. She apparently freaked out the morning of the wedding too, but with a little encouragement from her dad, she held it together, and she rocked the dress most of the day. Pretty much the cutest kids in the whole world. 

63. Bullyhill Brass- Hearing "Wolverine Blues," even from a distance across Anchor Village, just makes me smile.  Same with "Just a Closer Walk with Thee." The sounds of these guys playing are just pure happiness and home to me.

 

64. Doing family pictures at Cocktail Hour- Sure it made things a little more frantic, but it also marked out a chunk of time with each branch of the family once everyone is already feeling festive and fun rather than stuffy. I would highly recommend this strategy to people who really don't want to spend their day stuck in the church taking pictures. 

 

65. Cornhole- My nana and Poppop made the set and it was a big hit I think. I never got to play at the party, but it looked like someone was always playing! 

66. This man's dancing- Amazing.

 

67. Jeremy Ganss- I think I will write specific notes for all the vendors later, but JG didn't even play ABBA, and I still love him. He was on point all night, never played one of those songs that cleared the floor, and genuinely seemed to be having a good time himself, which makes a big difference. Best DJ ever!

 

68. Also, our photographers. They made us robot heads, and they were amazing.They also actually already put up a blog of our pictures, which was totally unexpected, but is why we can show some of those pictures here! Check out the blog at http://www.firstblushphotos.com/blog/?p=1435 !

69. The Photo Booth Pictures! We got these back the next day and I love them so much they make me want to cry. I am just so happy to see everyone having a good night and I wish I had just camped out in there all night! My biggest regret (well, tied with that I never fixed my bangs!) is that I didn't get in here with my cousins.

70.  The lego cardbox- it turned out to be a real tour de force. I am pretty sure no one has ever seen a cardbox like this one, so I am pretty excited it came out so weird and wonderful. Well done to the Boy and all his brothers, biological and honorary!

 

71.  Reuniting with former tutors! Just seeing all these faces made me smile, and they were such a fun addition to the wedding and reception. Hoping that things go according to plan, and this wedding kicks off real planning for an annual tutor reunion!

 

72. Glow Bracelets- Why do they make people so happy? I truly have no idea, but man, they were all over them. Definitely a good investment.  

   

73. Our dance floor! My dream was that it would look glowy and magical, and it looked glowy and magical. Kudos to my dad and pretty much everyone at decorating for making it happen, but as the sun went down it became really clear that we had made something awesome! I was pretty excited about how it all turned out, not to toot my own horn, but this was one of the coolest parts of the party, I think.

74. Having my Bridal F-ing Powers for one day- I never really got into the center of attention thing, but I did love that badass things can happen when you are a bride! After the reception my dad realized he had lost his car keys, and after excessive collective fretting, a call to AAA, and lots of walking around with cell phone lights, I was walking out to talk to my dad and I just stepped on them. It was AWESOME!!! I never have that kind of luck, but that day I did, so yay bridal powers!

 

75. The Boy- Ok, I promise to keep the gushing to a minimum, but I am pretty excited to have signed up for a lifetime with this person. Anything good that came out of this wedding, at its root, comes from a partner who said " Sounds cool, how do we make it happen?" I feel like it shows one of our most formidable compatibilities; I am always plotting an adventure, and he is ready to help make it happen. Plus, he has great dance moves, real confidence, and looks pretty damn cute in a bow tie and suspenders.

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