It’s my first wedding anniversary today! I’m a V-E-R-Y lucky girl, as my husband tells me so frequently…
This isn’t a blog about bridal styling or maybe it is in a way, but it’s mainly about buying vintage and trusting your gut.
For my wedding I wore a 1930s silk bridal gown which I bought on the spur of the moment from the Vintage shop at the bottom of my street. I was not looking for a wedding dress that day, but I saw it, fell in love with the fabric, and was hooked (Nothing to do with the fact all I’d had to eat that day was two sconces and a glass or two of Prosecco, another legendary shopping trip with my best friend).
TAKE A GAMBLE
Vintage shops are a wealth of amazing fabrics with patterns and embellishments that you simply cant get anymore. They are one off items that are just waiting to be reimagined and reinvented.
This was my wedding but for any event you’re going to where you can’t find something that’s just right you might find a piece of vintage heaven. Or better still, go rummage now when there is nothing in your diary to plan for and you will feel less pressured. Buy something that makes your heart sing then you have it to pull out when you need it.
I got my dress in Starry Nighton Ruthven Lane in Glasgow, she has the most amazing collection of dresses, coats and accessories go for a rummage. Tell her I sent you!
FIND THE RIGHT TAILOR
As you can see from the images my tailor was able to remove the sleeves, alter the neckline, the length, build straps and reinvent the neckline of the dress. It was speciality cleaned twice and the 90 year old silk was brought back to life. The secret to taking a gamble is finding a good tailor.
I used Fabricated Bridal wear in Partick who sadly are now closed, but there are many amazing tailors not necessarily bridal alterations places all over the UK. If you use an independent tailor you are helping support local businesses.
My dress once complete was dupe of an incredibly successful Australian bridal designer Johanna Johnnsonwho has the most beautiful dresses. I didn’t plan it that way it just happened...
TRUST YOUR GUT
Not everyone is a fan of vintage, even I was stressed about the idea of wearing it on my wedding day and I’m confident about choosing clothes and trusting my gut. But whenever I went for a fitting or tried the dress on again it felt right, my gut instinct was go with it.
I went for a rummage in a bridal store with my sister, just to scratch that itch and make sure. I tried on every be-sequined lacey number they had, they were not me, I'm confident to trust my gut on things like this.
However, if being swayed by other people on shopping trips or Instagram is your problem, or wearing and choosing things because you think its what is expected of you, or HORROR OF HORRORS its in fashion… go on your OWN.
Or take a PERSONAL STYLIST like me who can be impartial, honest, and brutal if we have too and has a better and more clear version of your style, and wont allow you to conform to fashion and influencers, which aren’t your style.
BRIDAL STYLING
In my case was simple and minimal. I wore a Missoma bangle, no necklace; I found vintage looking Swarovski earrings online and wore shoes that I had owned since 2010. They were a gift from the man I was marring and went perfectly with the dress – coincidentally. And that was that.
My bridesmaids wore charcoal dresses from Ghost, these ones are not available online anymore but the amazing Melle Cloche in Glasgow, stock a fantastic range of dresses and accessories. When I have my third wedding (hahahah) I will buy everything there!
We married, we partied, we hired a mechanical bull and I managed to stay on it the longest. Yes really a mechanical bull...
And the dress survived 90 years, countless weddings, my wedding and a mechanical bull. You just can’t make them like that any more!
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