Friday Inspiration – 1950s Wedding Dresses and Original Vintage Kisses!

Dear Reader,
Romance is in the air today at Heavenly Vintage Brides, as we take our Friday Inspiration from a charming new book, Hackney Kisses…

Original 1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

Created by Sweden–based photographer Stephen Gill, the book has a lovely back-story too. While browsing on ebay, Stephen came across a single 1950s photograph that interested him. He bought it, and then saw another listed. And another. And so on. 

1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

Eventually, he contacted the owner and offered to buy the entire archive – a treasure trove of over 9,000 vintage wedding photographs from the mid to late 1950s. The photographs were all in packets addressed to the bride's parents, but with no other details.

1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

Some packets had many photographs, some just three or four...

1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

But in every packet, the image that really leapt out was the kiss.

Original 1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

Of the brides, Stephen says "I've never gone looking for relatives, but wouldn't it be great if someone recognised their aunt, or their mum."

Original 1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

1950s wedding dresses and original 1950s kisses!

If you'd like to see more of these delightful rediscovered pictures, click here...

Love

Helena

Heavenly Vintage Brides

Sophie in 1950s Wedding Dress… and Cool Converse Sneakers.

Dear Reader, 
Today's fabulous vintage bride is Sophie, who married Jerome in April…

Sophie chose a 1950s wedding dress, in tulle and embroidered cotton – sweet and girlishly pretty.


And in a brilliantly inspired choice, she made it totally her own by pairing it with Converse sneakers. Well, she does live in them…!

And – see for yourself – they give the whole outfit a super-pretty Back to the Future 1950s vibe. So cool!

With her pretty dress, cool shoes and tightly-packed roses, Sophie made all the right choices. In Sophie's words… 

"I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful wedding dress and your help selecting it. The dress fitted perfectly on the day and felt fantastic."

With thanks to David at Married to My Camera for these lovely photos. And thanks to you, lovely reader, for dropping in! Have a lovely weekend and hope to see you next week. 
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

To see another gorgeous 1950s–styled bride, try
More Real Vintage Brides…

And for a snapshot of many more Real Vintage Brides, check out my website page here...

Vintage eyewear, 1950s-style. Funny AND fabulous!

Dear Reader

Welcome back from the Easter break. I hope you enjoyed a little time off, a little sunshine, and a lot of chocolate.

To brighten our first day back at work, I'd like to share this short and sweet film with you. It's a fabulous vintage 1950s feature on wearing glasses. Seems those 1950s ladies liked to choose a pair for every outfit!

I'm loving the "unorthodox Kiss style"... spectacular in every way! Thanks for checking in... and see you soon.

Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides

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.