Back in August, I organised a shoot at the Gonville Hotel in Cambridge, bringing together some of the best partners in the industry.
I had fallen in love with a dress I had taken on from a lovely couple - they found the dress crumpled up in a carrier bag in a drawer. It was 72 years old. When I steamed it up, it was IMMACULATE - I just had to create a romantic shoot around it and show it off to its full potential.
The full shoot can be found over on the Magpie Wedding Blog, here's a few highlights from me and I defy you not to fall in love with the dress.
Parachute silk is exactly that - former World War II parachutes which were turned into wedding dresses. Why? Rationing had meant that luxury fabrics were hard to come by and wartime brides had to get creative with alternative fabrics in order to make wedding dresses.
This dress belonged to a Land Army girl, it was her job to collect the full milk churns from local farms; take them back to the dairy; decant the milk into glass bottles; deliver the milk to the local homes; all in the same day. One of the farms she collected milk from was adjacent to RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper) - where her future husband was based. They met because he took pity on her and helped her with her deliveries. They were subsequently married on 2nd March 1946.
There is a definite heart pounding romance also with regards to how parachutes were often used as part of a proposal. A ‘groom to be’, having been saved by his trusty parachute, would gift it to his bride as he proposed - so she could make her wedding dress from it.
Have you ever heard of anything more romantic?
This wasn't the case with this particular dress as it's thought this dress was crafted from surplus parachutes on the base.
What I love about vintage wedding dresses is how absolutely contemporary they can look today and when you know a little bit about a dress's history, it can add a whole new level of romance to your big day.
How to style a vintage wedding dress? Well, for this one I wanted to create an elegant and romantic feel and bring the dress into the city of Cambridge to see it against all the natural hues and give it day out to remember.
Wonderful to also have Cathy and Will as my models - a real couple. I think you'll agree that their chemistry is wonderful!
I worked with a fab team who totally got my vision...
How to get the look?
Look up these guys on Instagram and BOOK THEM!
LOCATIONS:
@gonvillehotel @greshamhousewellness PHOTOGRAPHER:
@thymelanephoto FLOWERS:
@willowandwolfflowers CAKE:
@onepartlovebakery HAIR:
@kateatalaybespokehair SHOES:
@beyondskin RING:
@london_victorian_ring_co SUIT:
@chimneyformalmenswear STATIONERY:
@dorothys_workshop6
RIBBON:
@bertieandfred
The dress of course, is a Cambridge Vintage Bridal dress but no longer available. It found its bride.
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