This is one for all you serious vintage wedding gown lovers and it comes to you from the delightful Nicola of Daffodil Waves Photography {one of the loveliest peeps in this UK wedding industry!}. Nicola took these photographs on behalf of Birmingham based Gingermegs, who are launching a new services providing original vintage bridal wear.
I am totally loving some of the 40's, 50's and 60's wedding dresses in this shoot, they are divine, and it's extra lovely to see new designer Becky of Beautiful Bird Creations not only modelling, but modelling with her very own bespoke, handmade flower bouquets {one for all you ladies who like an alternative to the traditional wedding bouquet}.
Virginia of Gingermegs told me more...
"Since childhood I have had a love old and beautiful things. This developed into an obsession during my early teens when I had an extensive collection of 40’s and 50's clothes, some never worn, that would be worth a fortune in today’s market. Not that I have ever cared about the value, I buy things because I love them..."
Love My Dress Wedding Blog - Photography Copyright (c) 2012, Daffodil Waves
"Over the years I’ve dabbled in selling online and at vintage fairs and markets but dreamed of having my own vintage heaven and after seeing an advertisement for spaces at the ‘Custard Factory’, Birmingham, with the backing of my wonderfully vintage and talented mother and father and my creative boyfriend, I have now set up shop!
I source from far and wide and each item that I sell has been hand picked because I adore it (sometimes too much, it can be hard to let go - that 50's dress with the little gift print and the blue trim nearly killed me!).
The 1940's and 50's are my specialism, as those are the eras I most like to wear clothes from myself, but I also search out items from the 1920's and 30's and also find the occasional 60's item that I love..."
"The natural progression for a girl who loves all things that sparkle and swish is to start a collection of Bridal wear so that is what I have done. I have a range of original vintage wedding dresses and accessories dating from the 1920's through to the 1920's that I am very proud of, and I am actually moving to a bigger shop so that they can be housed alongside my range of day to day and evening wear..."
"The key to finding these items is being able to see beyond the yellowing, crumpled fabric that droops, unloved and forgotten, and see instead the dress that once filled a room with gasps and tears of joy. When one of my favourite dresses arrived, it could best be described as looking like a dirty dish cloth. In reality it was a 1920's dress that had never been worn, made from silk tulle with the shop tags still attached.
It took a lot of love and a lot of time to get it clean and make it beautiful once more, but boy was it worth it, it’s simply stunning...."
"The Gingermegs Vintage bridal shoot came about after I met the team on a photoshoot for The Vintage Henhouse, for which I provided clothes and my body. I got talking to Nicola from Daffodil Waves Photography about the collection and she very kindly told me that she’d be interested in working with me on a shoot (after seeing her work I was over the moon about this).
I asked the make up artist Emily Jane of Emily Jane Image Consultancy and the hair stylist, Claudia of Butterfly Styling if they would be interested in being part, and I was overjoyed to hear that they would..."
"After posting online that I was planning the shoot, La Belle Epoque Vintage contacted me to see if I’d like to use some of her pieces on the shoot, and they are just perfect. I’d been an admirer of Miriam’s work for a while, she makes head pieces from antique and vintage jewellery, and uses a lot of Deco pieces which I just adore.
I fell for the little hair combs made from diamante Deco pieces and am to be carrying a range of her bridal headpieces in the shop, as I am utterly in love with them..."
"All of the dresses are cleaned and repaired by Gingermegs, my mother uses Mrs Beeton’s housekeeping book to create the cleaning products that would have been used in their day. My mother is also an amazing seamstress so she can alter, repair and even re-model dresses to fit their future bride.
Another favourite, in fact my absolute favourite is a Liberty’s 1960's silk dress with a fabulous train. I wore it in the photoshoot and whilst I’m generally a sucker for 1930's bridal wear, this one really does it for me!"
"So what’s next for Gingermegs? Well the new shop is set to open and I will be taking my stash to The Birmingham Vintage wedding Fair, at the Fazely Studios on October 7th, and I will be taking La Belle Epoque's pieces, and Beautiful Bird Creations bouquets with me - they will be a permanent fixture now I hope, and I’ll continue on my quest to find beautiful things that sparkle and swish..."
Well done girls, this is a super shoot, and Virginia, I wish you so very well in your new business venture!
Readers, for further information, please visit the Gingermegs website, Facebook or Twitter page.
I'd like to thank lovely Nicola from Daffodil Waves for submitting these images.
Do we have anyone one wearing original vintage on their wedding day? I'd love to hear from you if so!
Much love everyone,
Annabel
Credits
Photographer - Daffodil Waves
Dresses - Gingermegs, Birmingham
Hair Stylist - Claudia at Butterfly Styling
Makeup Artist - Emily Jane Image
Consultancy
Jewellery - La Belle Epoque Vintage
Felt Bouquets - Beautiful
Bird Creations
From now until Monday 3rd September 2012, Love My Dress will deliver a lighter, but just as beautiful set of content - whilst Summer breaks are taken. Thank you so much for your patience during this time.
