Dear Reader,
Choosing a vintage wedding dress for an English spring wedding can be a challenge. Of course, it must be gorgeous and glamorous. But it also needs to cover enough skin for our goosebump-inducing climate!
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| 1940s style wedding dress, Florence, from the Heavenly Collection |
Actually, I love winter and spring weddings. They’re a great opportunity to wear elegant long sleeves and high necks that may simply be too hot in summer. And with this in mind, I’ve recently made some updates to the Florence dress from my Heavenly Collection of vintage-inspired wedding dresses.
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| The original Florence vintage-style wedding dress, with puff sleeves |
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| 1940s style Florence wedding dress – new keyhole back detail. |
his lovely new Florence has long satin sleeves, set into beautifully detailed shoulders. And the glamour quota stays high with the addition of a subtly sexy keyhole back – just enough to reveal a glimpse of skin.
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| Long and elegant, 1940s style Florence wedding dress in silk satin |
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| Puff sleeves and pretty lace detail at neck of 1940s style wedding dress |
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| And with lace flutter sleeves – 1940s style wedding dress, Florence |
I’ve also introduced a stunning new colour, Sea Pearl – that positively glows in the light of a cold day.
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| Flutter sleeves on 1940s style Florence wedding dress |
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| Long and elegant, with simple puffed sleeves: 1940s style wedding dress |
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| Marabou feather wrap, perfect for a winter or spring vintage-style wedding |
Spring and winter weddings also offer a wonderful choice of vintage accessories. Feathers or fur? Winter blooms in icy hues, or freshest spring flowers? The options are so romantic.
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| Late winter blooms, eucalyptus, pale roses and frosted berries |
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| Swan feather wedding cape – perfect with a vintage wedding dress for spring. |
Try a feather wrap like my own above – made from ostrich and marabou. Or this beautiful swan feather wedding cape from Not on the High Street. Or fur is fabulous – whether a real vintage piece or faux if you prefer…
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| Fabulous original 1960s fox fur stole |
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| Glamorous vintage bride in faux fur, from a charming 1947 photo! |
A cosy faux fur jacket or shrug can also work perfectly with a short-sleeved dress, such as Florence (below) with a lace flutter sleeve. I love the real vintage bride in the photo above – teaming her dress with that super-fabulous faux fur!
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| 1940s style wedding dress, Florence, with lace flutter sleeves |
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| White fur stole – perfect to keep you warm at a chilly spring wedding. |
If you like real fur, you can find wonderful vintage fur wraps and shrugs at Central Park Vintage. Another great place to seek out a fur or faux fur shrug is The Hammersmith Vintage Fair – I am a regular visitor for their great selection of accessories.
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| Glorious pale blooms for an early Spring wedding. |
And each version of Florence works beautifully with the current vogue for natural accessories. From the beautiful blooms from Brides.com to these stunning nature-inspired headpieces by Abby at Cherished.
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| Nature-inspired hair accessories complement a vintage wedding dress |
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| As pretty as real snowdrops! Delicate head-pieces for a vintage style wedding. |
I am used to seeing beautiful hair accessories, but I’ve not seen anything quite like these by Abby at Cherished before – they are small works of art and could have been made to go with the Florence dress. (I can’t wait to feature more of them very soon!)
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| Lovely 1940s-inspired Florence wedding dress, from my Heavenly Collection. |
I hope my brides and my readers will love the elegant new member of the Florence family, as much as the original puff-sleeved and flutter-sleeved versions! If you’d like to make an appointment to see Florence in person, do contact me!
And I’ve hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas for vintage-inspired late winter and early spring weddings!
Love
Helena
Heavenly Vintage Brides
