For those of you who didn’t check in yesterday afternoon, we shared this sweet Camden pub wedding with a bride rocking an original 60’s vintage wedding dress – and which featured some lovely wedding ideas (wavy wants instead of confetti anyone?). This morning, it’s all about this very glamorous and stylish 1920s jazz aged inspired affair held at Iscoyd Park on 31 May this year, when Marketing Manager Jo-Ann married James, who works in professional football.
I think Jo-Ann looks absolutely knock-out in these images and I adore her glamorous style – born in the wrong era maybe? I’m also 100% behind her determination to pull off her ‘vintage’ vision, despite being criticised for having this vision in the first place. It’s such a shame that overuse of the term and misunderstanding of the true concept of a ‘vintage wedding’ has been so shamefully trashed over the past few years. But those with a genuine love and appreciation for the styles, fashions and aesthetic of a beautiful bygone era will see through all that nonsense – just like we do, and just like Jo-Ann did. And just look what she did!
“We wanted a sophisticated old Hollywood glamour feel. I have always been inspired by the jazz age of the 1920s and 1930s and really wanted to evoke the oh-so-chic speakeasy vibe. But with ‘vintage’ weddings a hijacked trend all of its own I found myself defending my ‘vintage’ wedding to anyone who showed a casual interest. This included a florist who told me ‘you’re not the only person who thinks she’s quirky’, when I dared to suggest I might like ‘something unstructured’ other than agree with the traditional, boring bleugh. But with a genuine ardour for all things vintage that far exceeds a stolen phase, it became important, no essential, to have a day that reflected us as a couple. But as much as I longed for the elegant and inimitable we also just wanted to have fun!”
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, On Love and Photography
“James and I met through work. James was working at Everton at the time, and as I’m a big Everton fan it was the perfect excuse for us to get to know each other! And as our wedding invite said ‘a year (and lots of Everton games) later, they got together.’
Fittingly for the eventual style of the day we got engaged against the backdrop of the spirit of the roaring twenties, in a boutique Art Deco hotel in Greenwich Village, New York. The aesthetic of Art Deco with a hint of relaxed boho style for the day was born right there and then! We were engaged for just under a year, and it was a whirlwind year of pre-destined obsessions with wedding blogs (which does not go away after you get married!), a new financial commitment to wedding magazines, of course endless episodes of ‘Don’t tell the bride’, and excel spreadsheet heaven!”
“We got married at the beautiful Iscoyd Park on the Cheshire Shropshire border. Venue hunting was probably the most stressful part of the entire planning process. Mainly due to the fact I hadn’t had it picked out since I was 12, I didn’t have a Pinterest board for it (OMG!), and really it could have been anything – a beach, a field, a castle?!
It took a marquee pushing, chair cover wielding venue manager; who inadvertently thought James (my future husband) was my Dad (and was quickly crossed off the list); to make us re-focus on what was actually important to us. As soon as we saw Iscoyd Park I realised it was everything I hadn’t known I wanted. The perfect mix of glamour and opulence but equally a totally unpretentious family home. I didn’t just want to get married there I wanted to live there!”
“We had a three tier rose covered cake from Marks & Spencer. I can’t remember the last time I ate cake at a wedding but cue undeniable Bride-zilla moment. A nonsensical, insane, amount of time was spent searching for ‘the perfect’ cake topper. I kid you not! Me, laptop, wine and a very accepting husband to be. However endless hours trawling the interweb, with all the eBay stars to prove it, did lead me to find some wonderful frills and titivations on Etsy – a smorgasbord of vintage wedding suppliers! Ergo, my cake topper was handmade in Vancouver by Jolie en Rose.
If the postage costs more than the item, when you have an Art-Deco-inspired-crescent-moon-and-stars-outlined-in-silver-glitter-with-customized-redhead-bride, who cares?!”
“I was totally aware that the bridesmaid dresses were very much my own strange sartorial preference (I am pretty gutted I didn’t have one made for myself!) so I wanted the girls to wear whatever style and colour shoes they wanted to feel fabulous! The power of the shoe!
I had seven bridesmaids, and two flower girls. Second to the venue hunting my only other indecision was with the bridesmaid’s dresses. There is an overwhelming amount of choice, even for what is expected to be a ‘bridesmaid’s dress’, where do you start for seven uber-cool, individual, yet loyally ‘happy to wear whatever you want us to’ chicks!?
I wasn’t going to be able to afford 7 Leluxe 1920s beaded gowns (sorry girls!), so where to go next? Googling ‘vintage’ , ‘alternative’ ‘NON BRIDESMAID BRIDESMAID DRESSES’ which are now as commonplace as anything conventional I was in a state of apathy; when my mum found an independent dress-maker (not as expensive as you would think) to make a Mrs Depew tiered once-piece 1920s pattern that I bought online for £4.50 that was the prefect fringed All-That-Jazz dress. Hurrah!”
“Inspired by the 1920s headpieces featured in the film ‘Singing in the Rain’ my headpiece was ‘Kelly’ by Ivory Tuesday also at The Case of The Curious Bride. Melanie is wonderful and makes some magnificently lavish stand out head pieces including giant fabric bows, and ostrich feathers, so I nicknamed my more tame choice an ‘understated statement’. It had beautiful detailing of tiny silver glass seed beads, a mother-of-pearl flower centre, and a gathered spotty birdcage veil. Delish!
I was sold and didn’t look anywhere else. I wore it the day after the wedding to open our cards and presents and would wear it every day or just to do the dishes in if I could get away with it! The tear shaped base which was very light green also set the colour palette for the bridesmaid’s dresses and the groomsmen’s tie’s early on. Result!“
Jo-Ann’s slinky and rather sexy gown was ‘Mimosa’ by White Threads at The Case of The Curious Bride.
“Maybe it was luck, maybe it was fate or maybe I knew ‘The Case of The Curious Bride’ would have just the thing for me but the first dress I tried on was THE dress. Of course I had to try on a whole bunch of others just to be sure! But nothing came close – even the long admired Jenny Packham. When you know, you just know!”
“Giulia and Sophia from On Love and Photography are quite simply bloody brilliant. Angels with cameras… and fine art degrees! We couldn’t stop smiling and they have captured the happiness and laughter of the day in the most perfect way – even the tears of joy during the very emotional speeches!
From the moment we met for a ‘consultation’ and ended up yakking on way past the cappuccinos and pastries were gone we knew we wanted them at our wedding! I am eternally grateful. The photos speak for themselves.”
“Hiring a professional hair and make-up artist was one of the best decisions I made. I was uber-relaxed on the morning of the wedding knowing I was in safe hands (sorry to all of those of my lovely friends and family that I know were busy bees dressing the venue whilst I was being pampered! A bride’s prerogative. Thank you!)
Bethany Jane Davies is a true pleasure and I can’t recommend her highly enough.”
“I wore my Mum’s pearl stud earrings – my something borrowed. And of course rocked my beautiful engagement ring, and fabulously new (and as a lover of all things vintage I don’t use that phrase often but it truly is) one of a kind baguette diamond wedding band hand made at Slack & Andrews Jewellers in Manchester.”
“With Dame Vivienne Westwood as one of the iconically named (in our opinion) wedding breakfast tables my shoes couldn’t have been anything else. My shoes were actually my something old – my favourite Melissa White Lady Dragon Heels with Red Hearts. Nevertheless sacrilege to a self-obsessed shoe addict not to spend an obscene amount on some once in a lifetime Loubs or Choos but I couldn’t wait for him to put a ring on it and had to have these bad boys a long time ago!”
“I wanted a ‘just picked’ feel for the bouquets, so we decided to do the flowers ourselves! When I say ourselves I mean my Mum! With the ingredients (Lily of the Valley and White Freesias) but no recipe it could have been a disaster so we enlisted an ex florist friend of my mums who made the most beautiful natural garden bouquet of my dreams! It smelt amazing! My mum also lovingly cared for bucketful’s of white Lilies for weeks in only a way a mother can, and they looked exquisite in two large ginger vases at the front of the ceremony.
James’ Grandmas handmade vintage lace was used to tie Gypsophila, to match the bridesmaid’s bouquets, to the chair ends along the aisle so it really was a floral family affair!”
“James looked hot – Jay Gatsby hot! He wore a bespoke Gieves & Hawkes suit. James, the Best Man and the special men in our lives all wore matching ties and pocket squares in a Liberty of London print from Stag Handmade on Etsy.”
“My Dad walked me down the aisle, but it was important to have both my Dad and Step-Dad involved in the day so I asked my Step-Dad to also do a speech. I adore both of the photos of their reactions to seeing me in the dress for the first time!”
“James meticulously created a playlist for each part of the day, including songs chosen by our guests that we had requested with the RSVP. We had a collection of Swingin’ 1920s classics for the guests to be seated to before the ceremony, I chose to walk down the aisle to ‘Til There Was You’ by The Beatles, and we signed the register to ‘To the Aisle’ by Five Satins.”
“James’ sister read the lyrics to ‘Dance Me To The End Of Love’ by Leonard Cohen, and my brother read ‘How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog’ by Taylor Mali – a poem that will make any dog owner smile and nod their head in agreement! I love that the readings are so different to each other but equally precious.”
“There weren’t may ‘must-have’ photos on my list as I really just wanted to tell the story of the day, but having seen all the magical moments shared on Love My Dress®, I must admit I love a good confetti shot! We used natural Delphinium petal confetti in a mix of icing sugar and lady grey supplied by Shropshire Petals.”
“Our catering company was Rupert Frazer Worden. A 1920s soiree wouldn’t be complete without canapés…darling! So we opted to substitute the starter from the sit down wedding breakfast for more canapés (1400 in total!) and of course to allow for more time for quaffing champagne and croquet on the lawn!”
“After the ceremony we walked out to ‘Grow love’ (Derek Gust feat. Esther Scott), so for favours for the guests we had charming ‘Let The Love Grow’ personalised retro sunflower seed packets from Wedding in A Teacup. Sow the seeds, grow the love!”
“Flung in to another Bride-zilla cliché I found myself saying I don’t want, ‘I NEED’ giant illuminated letters of our initials from Vowed & Amazed! But for the few extravagant indulgences (they were worth it tho right!?), and the wonderfully imperial plinths and floor standing candelabras borrowed from my stupendously talented art director bridesmaid and her ITV store room treasure trove, we did everything ourselves.
Months trawling through vintage shops for picture frames and trinkets; hours gluing (and re-gluing) lips to sticks; and everyone from Grandmas, Great Aunts, and their next door neighbour’s dogs collecting jam jars to be painstakingly decorated with pearls and ribbon made it unique and wonderful!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom…
“Make time for the stolen moments and be present in every single second – the times when we found ourselves alone laughing and just kept repeating ‘wow this is crazy’ were so special; as was the unexpected sight of a misty-eyed James at the front of the aisle which was a moment I can remember feeling like my heart was so full and I felt so thankful.
Also, wedding blogs became a daily ritual and Love My Dress® was my bible! So much of the detailing of the day came from the inspirational real weddings featured on this blog – thank you!”
What a simply exquisite day, I adore the glamour of it all! Immense thanks to On Love and Photography for sharing these inspiring images and thank you so very much Jo-Ann for sharing so much of your beautiful day so passionately and for saying such kind things about Love My Dress® I hope you guys are still bobbing along in that beautiful post-wedding bubble and have the loveliest first year together as man and wife.
I’d love your thoughts on this beautiful day readers – what about those alternative style bridesmaids dresses? I adore them – might you be persuaded to try something similar?
Love Annabel
Photographer – On Love and Photography
Venue – Iscoyd Park
Dress – ‘Mimosa’ by White Threads at The Case of The Curious Bride
Veil + Headpiece – Ivory Tuesday
Shoes – Shoes – Vivienne Westwood
Bride’s Scent/perfume –
Grooms Suit – Gieves & Hawkes + Stag Handmade on Etsy
Bridesmaids – Mrs Depew
Flowergirls – Autograph
Flowers – DIY
Cake – Marks & Spencer + topper via Jolie en Rose on Etsy
Entertainment – Retrosettes Sister Band
Catering – Rupert Frazer Worden
Hakr & Makeup – Bethany Jane Davies
Giant Light Up Letters – Vowed & Amazed
Favours – Wedding in A Teacup
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
Absolutely gorgeous wedding, love the pictures! looks like a beautiful day, good luck to the happy couple!!
I love how you started this feature with Jo-Ann’s words in, I suppose, defence of vintage weddings. I find it so sad that vintage has filtered down to a theme like any other when for many many couples it is not a theme but a true reflection of their everyday loves and lives. I still feel annoyed thinking that people think we had a theme on our wedding day when the only theme we werw conscious of was a wedding theme. I really need to let that go. I don’t know how this will come to an end so that people can feel comfortable again with unapologetically having the wedding style they love but I hope whatever it is, it’s soon. The authenticity of this day shines through and I for one love the unusual bridesmaids dresses even if the girls in question didn’t 😉
I’ve not heard of the designer before *slapped wrists* but that wedding dress is unbelievably beautiful! I can’t stop looking at it. Of course, it helps that the bride is a total knockout 😉 but wow!
Congratulations you two lovely people.
Ps. That florist’s comments were unbelievably rude, I’m glad you didn’t book them!
Hi Lucy! Thank you so much for taking time to comment on this.
I too find it really sad that the term ‘vintage weddings’ has become somewhat synonymous with something not so cool these days, simply because the media have presented it as a trend, a passing fad. I am seeing small signs of change from my perspective though – women who see past the fashion and fads and trends and observe timeless beauty, classic designs and who want their love of all things beautiful, old and nostalgic to shine on their wedding day too. I’m here ready and waiting to blog these weddings loudly and proudly!
To me, this wedding is just *so* ‘Love My Dress’ – it is authentically glamorous and the bride writes so passionately about her vision and style, I just love it, and she sure is knock-out beautiful!
Also, I completely sympathised with Jo-ann and her florist – I had exactly the same problem with our first florist – I didn’t want traditional roses and she was dumbfounded and not only wanted to provided roses, but red ones, specifically. She simply wouldn’t listen to me so, we wrote to her thanking her but told her we were moving on – we lost our £100 deposit but it was worth it, we found a wonderful other florist and I was so happy with her service and floral design. Please readers if you are reading this now, always go with your gut when it comes to suppliers – it’s so important the suppliers you choose really want to work *with*, not against you.
I was really touched that you took time to leave such lovely words today Lucy – thank you so much again.
Annabel xXx
I have just been spending some blissful time scrolling through your gorgeous blog and stumbled upon this absolutely stunning wedding and unbelievably cute photo of our seed packet favours! It’s made my day! Thanks so much for the mention and huge congratulations to Jo-Ann (you stunner you) & James xxx