Friday Inspiration: a Vogue Vintage Wedding from 1929

Dear Reader,

A charming story for our inspiration today: this beautiful bride is Francesca Braggiotti, serene and graceful in her 1929 satin and lace wedding dress... 

Francesca Baggiotti in 1929 wedding dress, photo by Edward Steichen for Vogue.

This demure and elegant 1920s wedding dress was made for Francesca's wedding to John Davis Lodge, and was something of a departure from Francesca's usual style. As you can see, Francesca didn't always look so butter–wouldn't–melt...! 

Mrs Lodge wows on stage. 1930s but so glamorous and so modern.

A famed beauty, Francesca and her sister Berthe were a renowned Italian dance duo, who ran a dance studio above the barracks of the Brookline Fire Department in Massachussetts. Francesca's costumes required special authorisation by the Mayor himself – as they were deemed too small to be worn on a public beach! All in the name of art, of course…

A fan photo of renowned 1920s beauty, Francesca

Francesca met her husband–to–be on the set of a movie; John Davis Lodge was the grandson of a famous Senator and would himself go into politics in later life. But in 1929, at the time of their wedding, he and Francesca made a fabulous glamour couple – the IT couple of 1929! 

Francesca and husband John Davis Lodge

Once his career in politics began to take off, Francesca successfully transformed herself into a very respectable Mrs John Davis Lodge. The papers called her 'the First Lady of Connecticut' and 'a popular member of New York society's younger set'.

A popular member of New York's younger set!

Francesca and John had a long and happy marriage. Here they are in 1971, while John was US Ambassador in Buenos Aires… Still looking rather fabulous.

In the grounds of the US Embassy, Buenos Aires

Francesca lived to the grand age of 96. What a fantastic character, and what a life she must have enjoyed!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you'd like to see more original 1930s wedding dresses and vintage–style dresses,
try my new Etsy store...

And for more vintage–style wedding dresses, 
please check out my Heavenly Collection here…

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Gorgeous vintage bride Sophie wears one of my 1950s–style wedding dresses...

Dear Reader,
Remember gorgeous vintage bride Sophie, utterly fabulous in one of my 1950s–style wedding dresses for her wedding to Jeremy…? 

Well, I'm enjoying Sophie's pictures all over again – since I've found a great feature about their wedding on one of my favourite wedding blogs. I only gave you a glimpse of Sophie's vintage–inspired style, with her silver Jimmy Choo 'Luna' peep toe pumps, chic birdcage veil and bright Spring flowers...

But if you like what you've seen so far, you can find much more on cool wedding blog RockMyWedding.

Don't miss stylish groom Jeremy, too – in his blue Reiss suit, Thomas Pink dress shirt and Alexander McQueen tie and cufflinks...

Check out the feature on RockMyWedding to see much more of their day – from the London Bus Tour to the 'Molly Bakes' cake-pops!

For a glimpse of more real vintage–inspired brides, visit my website. And if you love Sophie's 1950s style dress, you can find more like it here and in my new Etsy store.

It's always nice to take a moment's breath, to look back and admire some of the beautiful women who've worn my vintage–inspired wedding dresses!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

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Clare wears a charming 1950s / 1960s vintage wedding dress in Broderie Anglais.

Dear Reader,
A very sweet real bride for you today: Clare, who chose a pretty late 50s / early 60s wedding dress in cotton eyelet lace or Broderie Anglais. 

1950s wedding dresses in cotton lace are so fresh and pretty. Perfect for vintage bride Clare.

With its pretty boat neck, neat white bodice and crisp white cotton, this lovely dress had a Riviera feel… like something Bardot might wear in a 1960s movie. And it fitted Clare so beautifully, it might have been made for her!

Clare's 1950s/60s wedding dress fitted perfectly, with its neat bodice and pretty boat neck.

These charming cotton wedding dresses from the 50s and 60s have stayed the course so well. Cotton is a wonderful fabric for a wedding dress – delicate and crisp, yet still strong and easy to wear. Cotton has fantastic longevity and can even be washed by hand if you're careful. A cotton wedding dress will last so well, you really can save it as an heirloom for your children.

White cotton dress and candy pink shoes – a gorgeous 1950s look for vintage bride Clare.

And of course, this lovely style is quite timeless. 1950s and 1960s style wedding dresses are so fresh and pretty they'll always be in fashion. 

Simple accessories for a chic and pretty dress: just a chic birdcage veil and satin ribbon.

Clare certainly made the perfect choice, and of course all her friends agreed. In Clare's words,

"I absolutely adored the dress. It was so comfortable to wear and fitted just perfectly. We had a wonderful day and I got lots of flattering comments on the dress and its pure elegance and simplicity in design."

Pretty as a picture: real vintage bride Clare in a 1950s / 1960s cotton lace wedding dress.

I love the simple accessories Clare chose to wear with her dress – the sweet birdcage veil, crystal hair accessory and candy pink peep–toes! Thanks for sharing your pictures, Clare – you look pretty as a picture!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you'd like to see 1950s and 1960s wedding dresses for sale,
check out my Etsy store here…

And if you'd like to see more real vintage brides,
check out my website here…

Read more

A 1930s style lace wedding dress, for Vintage Bride Amy.

Dear Reader,
A mini takeover from fabulous vintage bride Amy today. For her Autumn wedding, Amy wore 'Butterfly' – a romantic 1930s style lace wedding dress from my Heavenly Collection.

Full length veils are so pretty with 1930s style wedding dresses.

Amy's Butterfly dress is made in the prettiest beaded lace. The lace itself is a soft and delicate off–white. And the beads are matched perfectly. So the effect is the subtlest shimmer of texture – like sunlight on snow. This romantic and charming dress was just right for beautiful bride Amy, a real English Rose. 

Amy wears Butterfly, a 1930s style wedding dress in sumptuous beaded lace.

Amy has some great words of advice to share on her day...

What went well…? The most important thing for us when we started planning our wedding was to plan a wedding day that was fun and laid back, and to make sure that everyone was fed and watered well. The day turned out exactly how we imagined with only a couple of tiny bumps along the way. 

Amy, radiant in 1930s inspired lace wedding dress and veil.

What didn't go well…! We wished we'd done a more detailed plan of the day and communicated this with everyone involved, as at some points the day felt a little unorganised. However, this sort of added to the charm! 

A gorgeous view from behind.

The best thing about my dress…? I loved wearing my beautiful dress – and so many people complimented me on how different it was. 

1930s dresses are so romantic!

The best thing about the day…? We had such a lovely day, I just wish I could do it all over again! The best thing was being surrounded by all our favourite people, and seeing all our hard work over the past year pay off. 

So stylish!

And our most important advice…? It's very hard but try not to get too hung up on the little details as you then start to lose track of why you're doing it in the first place. At the end of the day, your guests are only there to see you!

                    Amy x :) 

Thanks so much for your tips, Amy – you look amazing!
And for any readers who love this dress, check out my Etsy store. I have some beautiful 1930s dresses available at the moment.
Love 
Helena 
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, please try…
More Real Vintage Brides on my website…

And check out my Etsy Store!

Read more

Two original lace wedding dresses – just made for dancing – for our real vintage bride Annie...

Dear Reader,
Remember our lovely vintage bride Annie? Annie is a professional dancer – so being able to twirl prettily in her dress was very important!

Annie rocks the dance floor in fantastic 'Betty Draper style' 1950s wedding dress

We solved the problem by finding not one but two original vintage wedding dresses for Annie to wear on the day.

Pretty as a picture, Annie in original 1940s lace wedding dress, with gorgeous bridesmaids

Annie getting ready for the ceremony in our  lovely original 1940s lace wedding dress

Well, I've just found lots of lovely new pics of Annie and Dickie's Buckinghamshire wedding, on great wedding blog RockMyWedding… check it out here.

Check out Annie's original vintage wedding dresses here

1940s lace wedding dresses are always a romantic and chic choice.

Happy Days!

And of course you can see more of gorgeous Annie – and both her vintage lace wedding dresses! – in my original post here, too...
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

To see lots of 1940s and 1950s lace wedding dresses for sale
click here for my new Etsy page...

And to see more gorgeous real vintage brides
click here for my website…

Read more

Have you seen these darling vintage-style wedding head-dresses? Each one is handmade and unique...

Dear Reader, 
Last year, a lovely bride called Ruth shared her wedding pictures here on my blog. You might remember her?

Vintage bride Ruth in original 1950s lace wedding dress, from my West London studio.

Since then, some of my brides have asked about this darling flower crown Ruth wears. It makes the perfect complement to Ruth's original 1960s wedding dress – and would look equally beautiful with many other styles, from 1970s floaty boho wedding dresses to slinky 1930s styles.

Ruth wears a unique bridal flower crown to complement her 1950s wedding dress.

I'm delighted to report it was made specially by Ruth's mother, Julia. And I now have a few of Julia's gorgeous creations available for brides in my new Etsy store.

One of Julia Mason's delicate hand-made bridal crowns, from my Etsy store.

Julia made the first head-dress for her daughter's wedding in the summer of 2015, and now makes them to order. She has various styles all with subtle differences, and each one is completely original.

Delicate flower crown – the perfect complement to vintage wedding dresses.

Her delicate creations are light and airy – not quite like any other bridal headdress I've seen. They have a very ethereal quality, don't you think?

Three delicate tiers of dainty flowers – from my new Etsy store.

Delicate flower crown worn low, with Angel 1930s style wedding dress.

Handmade flower crown, available now from my Etsy store.

Stunning three-tier head-dress – a future heirloom, £195 from my Etsy store

Each piece is entirely hand-made and completely original (Julia creates every individual flower herself). Many, many hours of work goes into each one. They really are beautiful heirlooms of the future, to pass on to your children.

A beautiful two-tier headdress, priced from £145 in my Etsy store.

Visit my new Etsy store for vintage wedding dresses & accessories

I'm delighted to be working with Julia on her new venture, and to have some of these stunning pieces available at my new Etsy store. Do drop in and have a look – prices are from £85 for a comb, £155 for a two tier pice and £195 for a three tier band. Or if you'd like to try one on, contact me to make an appointment at my studio in West London.

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, check out
A History of Vintage Flower Crowns...


And check out more real brides 
on my website, here...

Read more