Vintage-Inspired Wedding Dress of the Week... in dreamy original vintage lace. How romantic is this?

Dear Reader

I hope you've had a good week and have exciting plans for the crisp Autumn weekend ahead...?

Yasmin, one of my heavenly brides, is getting married tomorrow in a pale pink lace 1930s dress, which we've matched with a stunning Biba marabou feather cape. She looks radiant.

I'm sure you'll join me in wishing her a wonderful day!

Now.... drumroll please, heavenly ladies... I'd like to share the first ever pictures of my newest vintage-inspired design, 'Angel'. We only finished this lovely dress earlier this week, so this really is a super-sneak-peek.

ANGEL 1930s vintage style wedding dress - dreamy fluted lace sleeves 

I've called her Angel as she is very dreamy and romantic. She is very closely modelled on a lovely 1930s lace dress, with just a few small design tweaks for a super-flattering fit.

ANGEL 1930s vintage style wedding dress - gorgeous lace back detail 

ANGEL 1930s vintage style wedding dress -  elegant fitted bodice 

I chose this dress to show off one of my happiest finds: the uniquely beautiful lace. It's made exclusively for me by a small family lace-making atelier in Nottingham - the traditional home of English lace-making. Now run by two brothers, the company was established by their Grandfather and handed on to their Father. 

It really is part of the famous history of English lace-making, acknowledged to be among the very best in the world.

I was so excited to discover this pattern in their original catalogue. It has been out of production for many years, and uses a skilful old-fashioned lace-making technique called 'English Net' - really an embroidery onto tulle.

This lovely company also make the wonderful lace for my 'Butterfly' dress. (Angel can also be ordered in that type of lace, which is the same lovely light weight.) 

ANGEL 1930s vintage style wedding dress -  dreamy and so romantic!

Angel comes with its own satin slip - shown here in a deep ivory. But a pale gold, or a delicate blush colour would look equally dreamy and show off this special lace while keeping its romantic feel.

And lastly, see how prettily the skirt drapes - two godets (carefully positioned inset panels) give it movement and another godet at the back forms an elegant train. Just imagine how gracefully it would swish down any aisle... 

If you'd like to see more, I'd love to show you at my West London studio. 

ANGEL 1930s vintage style wedding dress - stunning godet fishtail train

Now, if you have time, I'd also love to show you two new variations on my other dresses. First, 'Chantilly'...

CHANTILLY 1950s vintage style wedding dress in fine French lace

Chantilly is shown here in palest champagne, with a three quarter sleeve in delicate French lace - very feminine and flattering. 

The lace is the same ultra fine French Chantilly lace as in the original 'Chantilly' dress. But the new lighter colour underneath gives it a delicately airy, floaty feel. Don't you agree?

CHANTILLY 1950s vintage style wedding dress design - pretty and floaty

This sleeve can be adapted to any preferred length. It is super-pretty short, and very elegant worn full length. The skirt shown here is 'tea length', which generally means just below the knee. But it can be adapted to the most flattering length for my heavenly client. It is amazing as a ballroom-length dress.

CHANTILLY 1950s vintage style wedding dress in tea length

This summer, one heavenly bride chose Chantilly in the prettiest pale dusky pink, and another ordered it in elegant ivory. Both brides were equally beautiful. It really is a special dress and can be perfectly customised to make it unique to its wearer.

And finally... 'Blanche'.

BLANCHE 1950s vintage style wedding dress in deep ivory lace

Blanche is shown here in a deeper ivory colour, with a three quarter length sleeve. This used to be called a 'bracelet sleeve' and is a very vintage and pretty sleeve length. 

The skirt is Ballerina length (rather than the shorter tea length) - perfect to show off a shapely ankle! Ballerina length does tend to suit taller girls but there are always exceptions to the rule. 

I've made Blanche in several types of lace now, to personalise it for my heavenly girls. Here, it's reworked in slightly heavier, 'corded' lace that has a lovely three-dimensional effect making the dress really tactile. You just want to touch this gorgeous, rich fabric... 

BLANCHE 1950s vintage style wedding dress in 'Ballerina' length

All these dresses can of course be tried at my studio in West London. Just email me with an idea of your requirements, and the date of your special day.

Now, I hope all this heavenliness hasn't worn you out, dear reader. And I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Look forward to seeing you next week, and thanks for stopping by...

Love, 
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

All photography © Robert Lawler Photography 2013

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE WEDDING DRESSES remodelled as a new collection

Dear Reader,

I have so much to tell you. I hope you'll forgive my absence these last few months... I've been busy, busy, busy! Choosing, restoring, and designing the most beautiful vintage-inspired wedding dresses - based on gorgeous original vintage bridal gowns from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. 

But now it's time to turn over a new (Autumn) leaf: I promise to post every week! New dresses, new ideas, and so much to share with you. I do hope you will join me.

To begin, I'd like to show you the full 'Heavenly Collection' so far. Eight gorgeous new wedding gowns, all closely modelled on the prettiest, most elegant and most timeless original vintage wedding dresses.

Each of these gowns can be personalised with a range of carefully chosen options in sizes, skirt lengths, sleeve lengths, colour of dress and underskirt, and fabric - making your dress unique to you, and perfect for your special day.

Whether it's scarily soon, or still a distant dream, take a moment to enjoy picturing yourself on your Heavenly day...

Love, 

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

BUTTERFLY
A romantic dreamy dress made using stunning Nottingham lace, it has a soft mermaid shaped skirt, and a waterfall frill on the neckline. This dress was copied from a 1930s lace wedding dress, and the elegant proportions have been kept exactly the same. 

STARLIGHT

This elegant gown is also modelled from a classic 1930s dress, and has a sensual 'Movie Star' feel. It has a  very low cut back with cross over straps, and fine pleating under the bust. It is handmade in flattering drapey silk satin with a wonderful texture.

VIOLETTE
A beautiful sophisticated style, based on a 1930s original, this time with a slightly updated neckline and a sweet petal-shaped sleeve. 

The beautiful Art Deco seam patterns make this very special, and the bias cut heavy silk satin gives a 'slinky' feel. The skirt ends in small train.

BETTE

Inspired by the glamorous stars of the 1940s, this dress is based on a gorgeous evening gown. It is very well cut, and is a really figure-flattering dress. The silk crepe fabric has a lovely heavy drapey quality, and the soft pleats on the upper section of the skirt create a small peplum effect. It has a subtle cowl neck at the front and a low back  with sparkling ivory and silver beaded trim. A small belt - sparkly or simple - completes the look.

BLANCHE
Based on a perfectly proportioned 1950s dress, a sweet flirty shape in gorgeous French lace, with a pretty sweetheart bodice. The dress has  a boat neck, low back  and flattering short sleeves. This lovely shape flatters most body types.

CHANTILLY
This super-pretty dress is based on a classic 1950s shape. The lovely swishy skirt is made in a really special Italian silk organza, and comes in a range of lengths. The bodice is made from fine french Chantilly lace with a contrasting mocha lining for a pretty vintage colourway. 

STELLA
A classic chic 1960s style, which  flatters many body shapes. STELLA has a boat neck and low back, with a French lace overlay and a neat ribbon bow on the waist.

AUDREY
A beautifully shaped, neat cover-up, AUDREY works particularly well with STARLIGHT and BUTTERFLY. 

The fabric is embroidered silk organdie - made in England by a family firm who have been lace-makers for three generations. The jacket hem is edged with a vintage-style beaded leaf trim.

For more information on any of these dresses, and information on how to order,
please see my 'Heavenly Collection' section.

All photography thanks to Robert Lawler Photography.

Vintage lace wedding dresses - featuring gorgeous Felicity!

Dear Reader,
As our Bride of the Week is Felicity, I thought we'd take a minute to look again at the beautiful lace she is wearing...

For this 1930s inspired Butterfly dress from my Heavenly Collection, we use a family firm of lacemakers in Nottingham. They have been producing some of the world's finest lace for over five generations...!

Elegant 1930s shoppers look at my exclusive lace!

When I was sourcing the lace for my vintage-style wedding dresses, I looked at ateliers worldwide. It was so exciting to find this wonderful Nottingham company and see their original pattern books - the equal of any couture atelier in France or Italy. (After all, Nottingham was the heart of the world's lace industry for 150 years.) 

We agreed on an exclusive license to produce this stunning quality lace from the 1930s, for my Heavenly Collection dresses. (I was thrilled to find the photo of two elegant 1930s shoppers looking at the exact same lace, recently.)

The lace they make is elegant, strong and drapes beautifully - as you can clearly see in these pictures of gorgeous Felicity who looks so fabulous in it! 

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this, please check out 

Angel and Butterfly 1930s Wedding Dresses in Nottingham lace

Real Vintage Bride Harry, in 1930s-style vintage wedding dress.

Dear Reader,

I couldn't wait to give you a preview of this stunning bride... 

Harry is a fashion PR, so she really knows what looks good! For her vintage wedding dress, she chose 1930s-style Angel. I know you'll agree she looks fabulous in it.

Harry - her full name is Angharad - has just married Joe, drummer with super-cool indie rockers, The Horrors. And you, dear readers, are the first to see this gorgeous little teaser from their wedding video.  (I don't even think their wedding guests have seen it yet...!)

I promise to show you the pictures as soon as they're in... Meanwhile, huge congratulations from us all to fabulous Harry and lucky Joe!

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

If you like this post, please see more 
Real Vintage Brides

A classic 1960s wedding dress by William Cahill, and gorgeous flowers.

Dear Reader,

Today I'd like to show two of my vintage wedding dresses in a lovely photo-shoot by new Floral Designer Aisha Vohra.

The first is a late 60s dress by American designer William Cahill - famous for his exquisite craftsmanship and elegant design. 

Cahill of Beverly Hills was one of the finest names in wedding fashion throughout the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. And with its long lace sleeves and sweeping lace train, this is a particularly beautiful example of a Cahill dress. 

This gorgeous Cahill dress is a size 10 / small size 12, and is available now priced at £1100. The lovely floral crowns and rose bouquet in these photos are by newly launched Aisha Vohra and you can see more of Aisha's work here.

The second dress is Angel from my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses. Angel's pretty 1930s-style features include a low back, a lovely fitted shape, a small train and flutter sleeves. It is made to order in the finest quality traditional Nottingham lace, priced at £1495. 

You can see my Heavenly Collection here, and do please contact me if you'd like to know more. 

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

PS. If you like this post, please try

A Guide to 1930s wedding dresses

A Guide to 1960s wedding fashion

Photographs by T-Two Photography
Flowers by Aisha Vohra Floral Designer
Make-Up by Uzma Beauty

Vintage Lace for my Butterfly and Angel Wedding Dresses

Dear Reader

I just found this lovely old photo. It's from the Nottingham company who make the lace for the Angel and Butterfly wedding dresses, from my Heavenly Collection.

 

The lace is made to an original pattern from their archive. This photo looks like it may be the exact same pattern that the rather elegant lady is buying! 

BUTTERFLY lace 1930s wedding dress, from the Heavenly Collection

BUTTERFLY lace 1930s wedding dress from the Heavenly Collection

ANGEL 1930s lace wedding dress, from the Heavenly Collection

Nottingham is one of the world's most famous lace producers. The Lace Market - where my lace-makers are still based - was at the cutting edge of design and manufacture. In the 18th Century there were more than 130 lace companies in this small area. And the cutting edge design connection lives on, as it now also houses Nottingham's trendy boutiques, design agencies, restaurants and apartments!

ANGEL 1930s lace wedding dress from the Heavenly Collection

It's so nice to see this delightful family firm still making wonderful quality lace after five generations! I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into their heritage, and into the history of these vintage-style lace wedding dresses. Thanks for stopping by!

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Photos of dresses c Robert Lawler Photography

www.robertlawler.co.uk

Vintage Wedding Dress Trends 2015 - Number 1!

Dear Reader, 
The year is flying by, isn't it? … high time I made my predictions for the upcoming seasons! So today and all next week, I'll be sharing my Vintage Wedding Dress Trends for 2015. Here's my No 1…

1. SUBTLY SEXY BACKS

Brides often ask how they can be a little bit sexy on their wedding day, and still keep the vintage look. I love an open or low back dress as a way of revealing a little skin while keeping the charm and modesty of a classic vintage wedding dress.

1930s inspired lace wedding dress, ANGEL, from my Heavenly Collection

Butterfly (below) and Angel (above) from my Heavenly Collection both have glamorous - and quietly sexy - low backs.

1930s style lace wedding dress BUTTERFLY, from my Heavenly Collection

Keyholes are also showing strongly in this trend, as in mainstream fashion. I've just updated my lovely Florence 1940s-style satin dress with a keyhole detail.

1940s style wedding dress in satin and lace, FLORENCE, from my Heavenly Collection

As you can see, I kept it very subtle…

1940s style wedding dress in satin and lace, FLORENCE, from my Heavenly Collection

This subtly sexy look translates to most vintage wedding dresses with great success. You probably know by now - I'm all for subtly restyling vintage wedding dresses to make them perfect for a new bride. Just so long as it maintains the beauty and character of the original dress.

Pop back tomorrow to find out my Trend No 2…!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

Thanks to Robert Lawler for the gorgeous photography.
And thanks to Abby at Cherished Vintage for the beautiful headwear.