A Fun Day Out at the Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair

Dear Reader

On Sunday I had the most enjoyable day out at the Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair, which takes place every year at Bristol Zoo. It's one of my favourite events in the vintage wedding dresses' calendar.

The fair is organised by Ali, a most lovely and well organised lady, and is always a great success. I took about fifty of my original vintage dresses with me, here are a few shots of my stand.

Phew! All set up just in time for the lovely crowds to arrive...

And I was helped by my ace team: my sister Kathy who is invaluable on my stand, and my clever photographer husband Robert who took all the pictures. (You can see more of his wonderful wedding photography here.)

A snap of me with my dresses, taken by fellow exhibitor Delia from Flo-Jo

Let me tell you about some of the nice people I met, with their quirky ideas for making weddings special. First, Steph from Sweet & Pretty who sets up sweet tables to keep your guests amused - especially the children I imagine! I was stopped in my tracks by the smell of all the delicious offerings.

Steph had some beautiful floral arrangements on her stand done by Adele who has her own business called Tin Can Floral. I love flowers and I really thought Adele had a great touch with the delicate little grouping of arrangements.

Opposite my stand was a lovely lady called Delia from Flo-Jo, who had a fun idea for hen parties: lovely vintage-knicker-making parties! Here are some pretty shots of her stand and the lady herself! 

I then spotted a very pretty vintage-styled model and asked Robert to photograph her; it’s always good to have a bit of vintage style inspiration! I was impressed by her feather headpiece, made by Tricia Hamilton, it was a perfectly balanced little thing and suited the model so well.

The model is Lauren, and the dress is by Pearl Bespoke. The lovely vintage hairdo is by Fiona at Beehive Brides, and I did notice it stayed very nice all day!

I mentioned that the vintage wedding fair is organised by Ali, who also has a company hiring out vintage crockery. I'll leave you with some pictures of her gorgeous vintage china, and if you love them, you can find lots more on her website here.

So that’s a round up of my very enjoyable day in Bristol Zoo. Thanks for sharing it with me! 

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

Photography by Robert Lawler, www.robertlawler.co.uk
Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair, www.bristolvintageweddingfair.blogspot.co.uk
Sweet & Pretty, www.sweetandpretty.co.uk or 07725 656682
Tin Can Florals, www.tincanfloral.co.uk
www.facebook.com/tincanfloral.co.uk or 07722 383601
Flo-Jo, www.flo-joboutique.co.uk or 01179041498
Tricia Hamilton, www.triciadesigns.com or 07826333103
Pearl Bespoke, www.pearlbespokedressmakers.co.uk or find her on twitter
Beehive Brides, www.beehivebrides.co.uk
Bristol Vintage, www.bristolvintage.co.uk
And not forgetting Bristol Zoo! www.bristolzoo.org.uk

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Beautiful, ethically made AND affordable? My newest Heavenly lace wedding dresses mean you CAN have it all...

Dear Reader,
I hope 15 May is in your diary! My first vintage wedding fair of the season is only a few days away, and I'm in the middle of planning what delights to take. 

Perfectly boho! Original 1970s lace wedding dress.

Original French lace wedding bolero, priced £235 

In the elegant surroundings of Charlton House, I'll have over fifty romantic and boho vintage wedding dresses to show you. As well as samples from my own collection of beautiful boho dresses.

Original 1970s lace wedding dresses available from Heavenly Vintage Brides. So boho!

And completely new for the fair, I'm delighted to be launching an affordable line of the most beautiful, ethically–produced lace wedding dresses. All my vintage and boho wedding dresses are handmade here in London, using only the finest quality English laces. And now they're amazing value too – priced from just £950!

Butterfly floaty lace wedding dresses, now available from just £995

I've spent SO many hours researching, refining and talking to new suppliers to make this line possible – at amazing value (from just £950 including a pretty underslip) with no compromise on quality or principles. 

Violette, shown here in satin, is now available in lace from just £950

The dresses are all ethically made here in London, by hand, and feature the most beautiful silks and laces. Even the buttons are hand–covered in real silk... and their teeny–tiny delicate button loops too! All are created by a wonderful team of skilled traditional seamstresses here in London for the best possible quality and ethical credentials.

Angel lace wedding dress – beautifully handmade in England.

So by choosing these dresses you're supporting local industry, and helping the planet a little... as well as choosing the most fabulous, romantic lace wedding dresses possible!

Boho lace wedding dress Butterfly, now from £995

One of the pretty tulle and lace wedding dresses for sale at my stand on 15 May.

I'll be showing affordable – and stunning – new versions of my most popular dresses: Angel, Butterfly and Violette. I'll have samples of these beautiful new wedding dresses with me on the day (as well as many beautiful vintage boho wedding dresses, of course).

Angel, one of my new romantic lace wedding dresses

Butterfly, one of my romantic and boho lace wedding dresses from £995

My new Violette is now available as a lace dress over a satin slip (it's shown here in satin only, as it's so new I don't have the photos yet. So you'll have to come and see if for yourself!) It's in the most beautiful delicate 'cobwebby' cotton lace for a supersoft feel and a lovely drape – and still priced from just £950.

Violette, shown here in satin, is now available all in lace from just £950

Violette is similar to Butterfly and Angel (both pictured below), both of which are always very popular. But with its higher back and more structure, Violette is exceptionally flattering to a curvier figure.

Violette (shown here in satin) is now available in lace from just £950

My new Butterfly is in a gorgeous cotton blend lace, with a geometric 'art deco' style pattern. It's available for £995, including a pretty underslip in a choice of three colours. 

Butterfly lace wedding dress, so romantic, available from just £995

One of my other most popular lace dresses, Angel, will now be available in a very soft floral lace – very flowing and SO romantic – priced from £995 including a pretty underslip in choice of three colours.

Angel floaty lace wedding dress – now available from £995

The dresses can be bought online and will soon feature in my Etsy shop or you can find them at my studio in Brentford, West London. I'm proud to say they're all made as one–offs here in London, and the lace is also made in the UK. I really believe you can combine amazing beauty, quality and still use UK suppliers and manufacturers.

Angel lace wedding dress, handmade in England and priced from just £995

Look forward to seeing you on 15 May at Charlton House, or just contact me to visit my studio!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you'd like to see more of my lovely lace wedding dresses for sale, 

click here to visit my Etsy store...

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Vintage wedding dresses, and vintage-inspired jewellery

Dear Reader

You may remember a sneak preview of this photo-shoot from a few weeks ago...?

Jeweller Judith Brown recently used some of my vintage wedding dresses to help launch her latest collection of pretty vintage-inspired bridal accessories. 

'Violette' 1930s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Model wears Heavenly Vintage Brides original 1950s wedding dress

'Butterfly' 1930s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Model wears Heavenly Vintage Brides original 1950s wedding dress

Model wears Heavenly Vintage Brides original 1950s wedding dress

Model wears Heavenly Vintage Brides original 1950s wedding dress

Model wears Heavenly Vintage Brides original 1950s wedding dress

Model wears Heavenly Vintage Brides original 1950s wedding dress

'Butterfly' 1930s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Three of my dresses are featured here: BUTTERFLY and VIOLETTE from my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired dresses, and an original vintage 1950s wedding dress with fitted lace bodice, sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves and tiered tulle skirt. All the lovely delicate jewellery is of course from Judith's collection.

'Butterfly' 1930s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

'Violette' 1930s inspired wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection

Thanks to Judith, and to photographer Holly Booth for these lovely images. To see more of any of these dresses, please do contact me or check out my Heavenly Collection blog pages and website.

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides



Jewellery by Judith Brown or www.judithbrownjewellery.co.uk
Photographs by Holly Booth

Venue Dunwood Hall or twitter

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Vintage Treats – A Glimpse Inside Luella's Boudoir...

Dear Reader, 
There's something I haven't told you. It's not that I've been keeping secrets, just waiting for the right moment…

And here it is. I'm delighted to announce that my Heavenly Collection of vintage inspired wedding dresses is now available at Luella's Boudoir.

Luella's Boudoir is a wonderfully chi-chi bridal boutique in London's Wimbledon Village. There you can view (and try on) my range of dresses in gorgeous girly surroundings – with luxurious decor, chandeliers and pretty antiques to get you in the vintage wedding mood!

1930s style wedding dress Violette, in silk satin and French lace

The boutique is filled with a sumptuous collection of vintage and vintage-style bridal accessories from shoes to veils too… 

1930s style lace wedding dress – Butterfly

So you can plan the perfect wedding outfit – from the top of your head to the tip of your white satin-clad toes...

1930s style lace wedding dress – Butterfly

1930s inspired lace wedding dress, Angel

1940s inspired satin and lace wedding dress, Florence

1930s style lace wedding dress, Butterfly

1930s style wedding dress Violette

(And they have red kid suede too, if that's more your style…!)

1940s style wedding dress – Bette

1940s inspired wedding dress, Florence

All Luella's range are carefully picked by their team of stylists, and are chosen for their originality and beauty. Many designs are exclusive to Luella's, and they also source a range of original vintage pieces. They work with UK and international designers, and I'm thrilled that you can now see my Heavenly Collection in this gorgeous vintage wedding treasure trove!

1940s style wedding dress, Bette

All the pretty accessories featured here are available at Luella's. You can see more of them and read about our exciting collaboration on Luella's vintage wedding blog here. And if you're feeling inspired to go and try on some fabulous vintage wedding dresses, then just click here to book an appointment. 

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

All dresses above from my Heavenly Collection, available now at Luella's Boudoir. 

With thanks to Robert Lawler Photography

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