Good morning my loves 🙂 You'll probably have gathered by the lower then usual number of blog posts that I'm beginning to wind-down for Christmas. That's not to say that any less number of you are visiting Love My Dress right now (surprisingly – I thought my stats would have taken a dip but they haven't}, but never-the-less, I'm running just a few select features this week before I take a break over the Christmas week to spend time with my family. I so hope you got a moment yesterday to read this incredibly touching blog piece and, if you haven't yet, leave a few kind comments to cheer the spirits of the remarkable couple Victoria and Darren.
This morning I'd like to share with you an inspirational photoshoot that is the result of a collaboration between a team of talented creative individuals, that were lead by Poppy Rogers, the designer behind Connie and Dolly.
Connie and Dolly create vintage inspired, bespoke bridal hair accessories, as well as supply vintage jewellery, gloves, bag, feather fans and masquerade masks. Poppy Rogers is one of the most delightful people to exchange with, she really is the sweetest thing, and I love how her passion for what she does rubs off a little bit each time I catch up wtih her. Poppy got together with Photographer Emma Lucy {who's work I'm keeping a very close eye on – one to watch all!} to work on this photoshoot that showcases Poppy's designs in two very different lights; 'Hollywood Starlett' and Marie Antoinette. Poppy explains more…
"I created Connie and Dolly from a fascination of my grandmother's jewellery box by my mum's bedside as a child.I still have their brooches in my jewellery box now they wore to dances and i played "dress up" with them…"
Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Emma Lucy Photography
"I love the craftsmanship of vintage jewellery its not like the costume jewellery we have today.There is something sublime about wearing a vintage piece. I wanted to channel my creativity and passion for vintage, so I started playing around with sparkly treasures and ta da Connie and Dolly was born! Connie was my grandmother known as Constance and Dolly my other grandmother known as Alice.
I joked with my mum I would set up a vintage bridal accessory business one day and as for the name i said what about Connie and Dolly after my nannies?!My mum loved it! These women were inspirational they didnt have much but they worked hard and always looked effortless with their pin curls and red lippy. I aspire to their feminine and strong image..."
"My inspiration today comes from people like Doris Day, Claire Pettibone and Jennifer Bher.
My collection of hairbands, tiaras, combs, pins, forehead bands and fascinators start from £10 to £150. I particularly like using turn of the century dress buckles, antique lace, vintage glossy pearls and diamante flower brooches to create my pieces…"
"I contacted Photographer Emma after seeing her recent work on a halloween bridal inspired shoot and loved her style.We met in London a week later to throw some ideas around and it was like looking into a mirror our ideas were so similar we just clicked!
Our first shoot was inspired by the 2006 film Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst. This also lent itself to the style of the venue we had chosen to work with, which also happened to be a venue I had had my eye on for ages – Nonsuch Manor.
The feather fan with a vintage cameo brooch, pearls and ivory ostrich feathers.The mask was embellished with paper Hydrangea flowers diamantes and vintage trims. We also used a lace parasol and draped pearls plus a blue velvet neck tie…"
"Emma had recently worked with Charlotte Bridal, who supplied the gowns, on another shoot and remebered the Honey dress which oozed dramatic flair which was perfect for what we had in mind for this shoot! We then started to search for our "Marie" and we found the lovely Petra. Together with Carla we liked the idea of combining traditional georgian hair and make up with a high fashion look. Candy coloured french macaroons naughty cherries and vintage pastel shades of roses were used.
I created both the mask and fan…"
"These shots were taken in the bridal suite at Nonsuch Mansion a beautiful light dressing room for brides and their party perfect for the photograoher to capture pictures on the morning of a wedding. Emma wanted to maximize the venue's potential and the traditional tudor room was used for upclose head shots plus the Orchid room as a backdrop for the dress shots.
Overall it was indulgent, rainbow of pastel coloured, expressive and theatrical…"
For the second we wanted a hollywood starlet feel.I loved the Jennifer dress because it had that twist of art deco but modern touches like the heart on the back of the dress.We also had the fur jacket that matched the dress.Our model Alex was a natural beauty with glossy hair, flawless skin and striking features.Very Hollywood!
Emma wanted to capture the movie siren look so opted for dramatic shots with a cigarette holder.There are some strong looks but also some quite vunerable pictures which i think is like an on/off screen film star….
"Nonsuch Manor has beautiful grounds like the Rose arch and terrace where Alex braved the cold for us the setting of the sun was beautiful.We accessorised with a 1930's diamante bag an alternative to flowers.The pieces i used here were all made from 1920/30's materials for a real deco look…"
"I offer a bespoke service where I can create your perfect hair accessory. I'm working on a vintage inspired range for 2012 and have previously exhibited at The Vintage Wedding fair and i will be at Miss Vintage Wedding Affair (first vintage wedding fair in Surrey) in February.
You can see a selection of my pieces at my two stockists Amante Bridal (Jenny Packham, Claire Pettibone) in Surrey and Look Darling (Fancy New York gowns, Dolly Couture) in The Wirral. I'm also hoping to be involved in a project for Oxfam weddings being curated by Annabel of Love My Dress herself, as well as many other adventures for 2012…"
Ahem, wow! I can't tell you how much I love these images! So very beautifully done ladies and such beautiful designs too Poppy.
A huge thanks must go to the lovely Poppy Rogers and talented Photographer Emma Lucy, for sharing this feature with Love My Dress today.
If you would like to see more from Connie and Dolly with a view to purchasing one of Poppy's beautiful designs, please visi tthe Connie and Dolly website. Connie and Dolly can also be followed on Twitter, and have a Facebook page.
You can see many more gorgeous inspirational photoshoots on Love my Dress here.
The creative teams producing this style of shoot work incredibly hard to bring you these inspirational images, let's show some love and appreciate for them with a few lovely comments below. Starting with, which is your favourite design used in this photoshoot. Will you be wearing a headpiece on your wedding day and which loook do you prefer – Marie Antoinette or Hollywood starlett? 🙂
Answers below please – thank you so very much 🙂
Me? Gotta be a Hollywood starlett. Every time 🙂
Annabel xXX
♥
Creative team credits
Photographer Emma Lucy Photography
Venue – Nonsuch Manor
Accessories – Connie and Dolly
Bridal Wear – Charlotte Bridal
Shoes – Emmy (the Eva and Chloe designs were used)
Hair and make up Carla Ramsey from Masterpiece
Models – Petra from Models Mayhem and Alex
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.
