Old-school glamour at the Met Gala

Dear Reader,
This week saw one of fashion's biggest annual events in New York: the fabulous opening night for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Manus x Machina exhibition. 

A Chanel wedding dress covered in silk camellias – and 700 hours in the making!

All about the meeting of style and technology, the exhibition features work by Vuitton, Chanel and Dior. And of course, the fashion world turned out in style for the opening – with a 'white tie' dress code. 

I don't know what you think, but there seemed to be fewer really beautiful dresses this year – perhaps the theme made it more difficult. But here's a small taster of this year's standout outfits. 

Blake Lively in beautiful pink Burberry gown.

Although it was neither high–tech nor white, Blake Lively looked pretty and elegant in her 1950s–styled baby pink Burberry dress, that flowed over her baby bump.

Lily–Rose Depp in Chanel, already so confident at 16.

Lily–Rose Depp looked amazing in white Chanel dress and bomber jacket casually slipping off her tiny frame. Only 16 and so confident... But then she does have mum and dad to guide her!

Rose Byrne, in fabulous 1970s style silver dress.

Silver was a big trend on the night, giving a techno feel to even the softest and most floaty of dresses. Here's Rose Byrne looking stunning in a slinky silver 1970s style dress.

Sienna Miller in 1970s style dress by Gucci

Keeping to the 1970s / metallic theme, Sienna Miller looked fab in her Gucci gown. Again, this one is very 1970s style – but still simple and chic. 

Lorde in Valentino tulle floor length dress

Lorde chose a super–pretty Valentino dress in layers of pastel tulle for her Met Gala debut.

Dakota Johnson in 1970s inspired Gucci with star-shaped lace panels

Many dresses have really divided opinions this year – including this kooky Gucci dress worn by Dakota Johnson, with its clashing colours and star–shaped lace panels. Young and fun, or a bit too Camden Market…? What do you think?

Elizabeth Debicki in pretty green Prada – and Tom Hiddleston

Another dress that garnered very mixed reactions is Elizabeth Debicki's green floral Prada gown. Personally, I think she looks darling in it – so fresh and pretty, with a timely hint of boho – and a lovely change from some of more obviously sexy (I'm being tactful… some were really tacky) outfits. What do you think of it?

Nicole Kidman in twinkly 1920s inspired dress by Alexander McQueen

Nicole Kidman stepped delightfully outside her comfort zone this year – leaving behind the severe minimalism of her usual red carpet choices to go for a twinkly, pretty and fun 1920s inspired dress with cape from Alexander McQueen. And the choice really paid off with a winning combination of glamour and prettiness. 

Clare Danes in beautiful 1950s style princess dress… with a secret...

And taking the theme to heart in a spectacular red carpet coup, Clare Danes completely stole the show in this 1950s style baby blue princess dress by Zac Posen. Yes, it was pretty. But more importantly…

Clare Danes lights up the red carpet, literally!

…It glowed in the dark! Truly combining technology with fashion, Clare's (slightly bonkers) dress is made from fibre optic woven organza and had 30 mini battery packs sewn into it.

Crazy… but also kinda fabulous. Fashion, eh!

Love
Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

For more gorgeous dresses, check out my Etsy Store here…

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The Vintage Wedding Fair Season Begins…!

Dear Reader, 
In the last few weeks I've moved seventy, very delicate and precious original vintage wedding dresses to my new base: a gorgeous new studio in West London, neatly situated close to the tube station and the picturesque River Thames. And now the satin and lace is all unpacked, my new studio is pretty as a picture. 

Armfuls of silk tulle to be carefully folded, packed, unpacked, steamed...

And SO much tissue paper for all those delicate little things!

And West London itself is pretty as a picture at the moment. Spring really IS sprung now, isn't it. Outside my window the froth of cherry blossom is sprinkled with snow. (Yes, snow… in April!) And it can only mean one thing: the start of the vintage wedding fair season! 

Come and see my vintage wedding dresses for sale in Charlton House on 15 May!

And here's the first on my calendar for the year – Charlton House in South East London, on 15 May. It promises to be a treat. If you love to browse among beautiful vintage wedding dresses, pretty accessories, gorgeous shoes and all manner of girly treasures, then please put 15 May in your diary and make a beeline for me first!

Come and see us at the Fair. We'll be waiting…!

I'll show you a few of the lovely vintage wedding dresses for sale there in another post soon – as well as a teaser of the other pretty stalls you can find. In the meantime, you can find more of my dresses here on Etsy, or arrange a visit to my new studio! 

Our first Vintage Wedding Fair of the season!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, why not click here to visit my new Etsy store?

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Emily's Spring boho wedding in the prettiest 1940s vintage dress

Dear Reader,

Who doesn't love a Spring wedding? The first glimpses of sunnier days, longer evenings and early Spring flowers are such simple pleasures.

Simply boho, Emily in the prettiest 1940s wedding dress

And perhaps the very best Spring weddings are the ones that keep it simple (and it surely helps that Spring weddings don't need to be expensive!) Here, showing us how to do it SO beautifully, is one of my favourite real vintage brides, Emily... 

Emily's 1930s / 1940s wedding dress with its pretty Peter Pan collar.

In her pretty late 1930s / early 1940s vintage wedding dress, complete with adorable Peter Pan collar, gorgeous pixie crop and bright flower headpiece, Emily is a picture of charm and happiness. 

Vintage wedding dresses are perfect for a simple Spring wedding.

In Emily's words…

"A big thank you for all your help in finding and creating such a beautiful wedding dress for me! We had a fantastic day in April, and I got lots of compliments on my stunning and unusual dress."

Spring flowers for a chic and boho look. 

"I'd recommend Heavenly Vintage Brides to anyone looking for a vintage wedding dress."

She and Peter let their simple, fuss–free style speak for itself. With just a few brighter–than–bright paper pompoms for decor, echoing the colours of the flowers. 

Here's Emily's words of wisdom, on how they made their day so special…

"My advice would be to not get too worked up about it all. Easier said than done, I know! There's a lot of pressure on couples, and especially women, to make the perfect day and for everything to somehow represent you both as a couple. Not everything has to mean something, you’ll probably make some random decisions because you don’t want to devote your whole life to organising a wedding. The most important thing is that you are marrying the person that you love, and that you’re committed to the marriage ahead."

I was delighted to come across Emily and Peter's wedding featured on Boho Weddings recently, a great blog with lots of advice about planning a boho or vintage wedding. If you'd like to see more, you can check it out here.

Thanks too, to Benjamin Mathers for his wonderful photography.
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you'd like to see more, beautiful original 1930s and 1940s 
wedding dresses for sale please check out my Etsy store here.

And to see more gorgeous real vintage brides, why not Like 
my Facebook page here.

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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