Dear Reader
For our first real vintage wedding post this year, I have some lovely pictures from Jennifer, who married Neil in Ireland last summer.
Beautiful Jennifer was the first bride to wear 'Butterfly', one of my Heavenly collection of vintage-style wedding dresses. I was delighted she was the first to choose this new dress as Jennifer is herself a textile designer, and really appreciates exquisite fabrics.
I based 'Butterfly' on an original 1930s gown (you can see more images of it here) and knew I wanted a very special and old-fashioned lace for it. I had heard about two brothers based in Nottingham - the heart of traditional English lace-making - where they continue their grandfather's business making the finest quality old-fashioned lace. I had been searching for the perfect material for some time, so off I went to visit them in Nottingham. The brothers were charming, and I immediately fell in love with two patterns from their original catalogue. These vintage lace patterns had not been in production for many years, but they agreed to recreate them exclusively for my Heavenly collection.The lace is a particular type which used to be called 'English Net'. It is very similar to the lace originally used in 1930s wedding dresses. It seems so fitting for lovely Jennifer. She looked simply stunning in the dress, and her own creative business is all about beautiful, old fashioned, hand-finished crafts. As Jennifer says so eloquently,
“I appreciate pieces that have survived the test of time. My work is a celebration of the everyday heirloom.”
Jennifer creates her own lovely textiles from her studio in Dublin, see below. You can see more on her facebook page
here, and her website,
here.
I asked Jennifer if she had any reflections on her wedding planning to share, "My tip to other brides is to keep things simple and focus on what is most important to you and your fiance on the day. Don't get stressed trying to create the perfect day because it will be perfect. We wanted a relaxed party with great music, food and vino, I didn't worry about the little details after that.
I wasn't your typical bride to be and didn't love the idea of dress shopping and make up and hair trials. When I arrived at Heavenly Vintage Brides I felt so at home. I tried on some of the beautiful vintage wedding dresses before Helena picked a dress out from her new collection and I fell in love with it.
I loved my dress on the day, it was comfortable and elegant and felt so special."
I'll sign off, with these happy images of Jennifer and Neil's wonderful relaxed Irish wedding.
Thanks for visiting today.
Love
Helena
To me, Joan is one of the most beautiful of all the classic Hollywood actresses, with her luminous complexion and elegant vintage glamour. I'll sign off with a picture of Joan at her happiest, at her own 1939 wedding to actor Brian Aherne.
