Jen in original 1940s vintage wedding dress: our Vintage Bride of the Week...

Dear Reader,
Today I'd like to share these charming images from Jen, whose wedding to Dan took place in the romantic surroundings of  Augill Castle in Cumbria...

Jen chose an original 1940s vintage wedding dress in rayon crepe with an elegant 'French knot' pattern – sophisticated and glamorous. With its elegant long sleeves, puddle train and pretty keyhole back, it suited lovely Jen to a T!

Jen prettily teamed it with Rachel Simpson 'Blossom' bridal shoes, roses from Petals of Cumbria and a bespoke jewel necklace. My brilliant seamstress Grace created her pretty headpiece from original vintage brooches. 

The wedding's theme was peacock feathers, so luscious jewel blues and greens were everywhere – from the stunning silk bridesmaids dresses (handmade by wonderful step-mum Susan, with a teeny bit of help from Jen) to the gorgeous cakes by talented sister Vicki… and even personalised bunting created by a family friend!

Beautiful bridesmaids! Chloe, Lauren, Sian and Evie...

…and little Rosie too (bribed with marshmallows to sit still for a moment)!

Jen and her darling family loved the experience of choosing the dress…

"Step-mum Susan, my sisters and I loved poring over your blog and website when I was making the choice of where to find my dress. As soon as we read your pages we knew that was it –  I didn't need to look any further.
And the whole experience of picking the dress at your lovely house was so enjoyable for my step-mum Susan and I to do together... so much so I wish I could do it again!"

The day itself was perfect too: an intimate family wedding with just 46 guests (ranging in age from 6 months to a fabulous 103 years!)…

And with super-stylish Grandma Irene (103 years young!) in raspberry pink cocktail dress

"The castle was gorgeous – the most stunning setting, with lovely vintage interiors and wonderful service. It even snowed bang on three o'clock as our ceremony started! While we were doing the speeches a deer wandered across the front lawn in front of the windows. Just perfect!"

Congratulations from Heavenly and all our readers to lovely Jen – you look stunning. And of course to lucky husband Dan too!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, please check out...
1940s Inspired Wedding Dresses… 

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

Venue  Augill Castle, Cumbria
Headpiece by Grace Lamming
Shoes by Rachel Simpson Wedding Shoes
Necklace by Etsy
Flowers by Petals of Cumbria
Photography by Janet Ridley Photography

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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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1940s–style wedding dress, for elegant vintage bride Terry.

Dear Reader, 
Often, my brides have no clear idea what they're looking for. They love the romance of vintage wedding dresses, or the glamour. Sometimes its the timeless quality of vintage that appeals. Beyond that, they have no picture of which decade or style is right for them. 

That's absolutely fine – showing the many options that vintage offers is always enjoyable. But there's a special pleasure that comes when I meet a bride who has a clear sense of her own style, and knows exactly what she's looking for.

Lovely Terry was just such a bride – a very elegant lady with clear style ideas. Terry came to me knowing exactly how she wanted to look for her Brighton wedding: simple, elegant... and gorgeous.


So we adapted the 1940s–inspired Bette dress, from my Heavenly Collection. It's already a very elegant shape, and we made it just as Terry imagined by raising the skirt a little to show off her lovely jewelled Harriet Wilde shoes. We slimmed the A-line silhouette too, for a very slender line...

The silver beaded trim used for the belt and neckline was a one–off, a vintage find that perfectly suited the dress. 

The same attention to detail went into the choice of dresses for bridesmaids Carli, Sian and Rhian – a different Alfred Sung design to suit each bridesmaid but all in Terry's favourite Bluebell colour.

And of course, the same colour threads through the wedding – from the groom's tie, to the pretty delphinium in the bouquets.

Thanks go to Terry for showing us your lovely seaside wedding. We love your style!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

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

Photographs with thanks to Brian Handford Photography

Hair by Terry's dear friend Mavis

Wedding Flowers: Dazzling Decor

Bride's Bouquet and Bridesmaid Posies: Ginger Lily Floral Designs

Bride's Shoes: Harriet Wilde Wedding Shoes

Bridesmaids's Dresses: Alfred Sung by Dessy

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Kathryn, in 1950s-style lace wedding dress.

Dear Reader,
You may remember an earlier glimpse of Kathryn…? Well, it's high time for a look at her super-cool Liverpool wedding to Greg…

As a successful make-up artist herself, Kathryn has a great sense of style and knew exactly what she wanted for her dress and for the day itself.

Kathryn chose 1950s-inspired Blanche lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection. In her own words…

"The search for the perfect dress took me all the way to London. I always knew I wanted a short 50s style dress because I’m only 5ft 2in. I just felt they suited me and I love the big skirt. I dragged my friend round lots of shops and the very last dress I tried on at 7pm in the evening was the one! 

Helena's studio at Heavenly Vintage Brides is bursting at the seams with the most vintage wedding dresses I have ever seen. Helena was amazing and made sure everything was just perfect for me. The gown I bought wasn’t vintage, it was one of her own designs and it was perfect."

Kathryn teamed her dress with pretty Rachel Simpson Eva shoes, and a neat birdcage veil. Her favourite colour is green (her engagement ring is an emerald of course!) and so all other accessories - from flowers to bridesmaid dresses - followed her pretty green colour theme...

And the theme followed through to the venue, Camp and Furnace - a giant industrial space in downtown Liverpool - with a 'picnic' lunch for sharing, delivered to the guests in baskets. 

Now let's end with a few words from Kathryn about her day…

"I loved the whole ceremony! walking down the aisle and seeing all my loved ones meant so much to me. Seeing my 91 year old Nan on the front row looking up at me that meant the world.

Your wedding day really is the best day of your life so cherish every single minute of it. Don’t be nervous because everyone who is there is there for you and loves you. During the wedding breakfast take a minute and sit back and have a good look around because it’s the only time you will get all the people you love in your life in one room. I just want to do it all again!"

Thanks for stopping by to see Kathryn's wedding. If you'd like to see more, check out the post on Rock My Wedding. 

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Shoes – Rachel Simpson

Hair – David Anthony

Bridesmaid’s Gowns – Rock My Vintage

Groomsmen – Topman and Urban Outfitters

Florist – The Bouquet Factory

Fire-eating / Entertainment – Meddling Pixies

Venue & Catering – Camp And Furnace

Photography – S6 Photography

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