Vintage Week Recap

Afternoon, happy Sunday folks. I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

What a week it has been on the Bow Occasions Weddings & Events Blog. I think you’ll all agree that Vintage Week has been a great success. If you missed any of this weeks posts, just click on the links below:

Monday AM Love Vintage – Handmade Vintage Inspired Wedding Bouquets & Accessories
Monday PM A Vintage Affair – Chloe & Simon’s gorgeous vintage inspired wedding
Tuesday AM Vintage Scoops – A Traditional 1950′s Style Ice Cream Van
Tuesday PM An Interview with Rosewarne Cox Photography
Wednesday AM Emmy Custom Made Wedding Shoes
Wednesday PM Guest Post: My Favourite Vintage Eras {Queens & Bowl}
Thursday A Fabulously 50′s Style Wedding :: Charlie & Ant
Friday Claire Pettibone – Couture Bridal

Louise ♥

Claire Pettibone – Couture Bridal

Morning!

I can’t believe Vintage Week is nearly over. Are you sad? I am! Well maybe this will cheer you up. I thought it was about time some gorgeous wedding dresses graced the pages of the Bow Occasions Blog.

Today is Los Angeles based designer, Claire Pettibone.

One of my favourite dresses from Claire Pettibone’s Spring 2010 Cherry Blossom Collection is featured below left. I have a real thing for strapless dresses and adore the bow detail on the back.

Bow Occasions Weddings & Events Blog – Image Copyright Claire Pettibone

Claire Pettibone was born into a creative family; with artist parents it was inevitable that Claire would enter a creative field. At the age of 4, Claire Pettibone attended a wedding in Manhattan that left a lasting impression. Claire was so enthralled that she began drawing brides and begged her mother to make her a wedding gown!

After graduating from Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles with a degree in fashion design, she and her husband Guy Toley set out to bring Claire’s ethereal vision to the world of fashion. The company began with a luxurious collection of fine lingerie featuring delicate laces and the special details that have become Pettibone’s signature.

“A wedding gown has to be the most beautiful dress in a woman’s life, make her look and feel amazing, and capture her essence,” says Claire Pettibone who manages to achieve this complicated and extraordinarily special task. Her gowns have a vintage quality, but the references are combined in a way that is truly modern. “When I create a dress, it’s all about the fabric and the woman, and how these elements are combined to enhance each other,” says Claire Pettibone who works exclusively with couture European embroideries and laces. “So many brides want an intimate and individual feeling for their wedding, and the dress really sets the tone,” says Claire Pettibone who has created gowns for ceremonies in castles, forests, beaches and gardens in addition to the traditional church and hotel ballroom.

For a full list of UK stockists, visit the Claire Pettibone website www.clairepettibone.com.

Do you have a favourite Claire Pettibone Wedding Dress? If so, I’d love to know which one.

Louise ♥

A Fabulously 50′s Style Wedding :: Charlie & Ant

Morning, happy Thursday! I hope you’re all enjoying Vintage Week on the Bow Occasions Blog.

I have always said that I LOVE weddings that stray away from tradition and are true to who the couple really are, today’s wedding  is one of those.

Over to you Charlie…

Our wedding had a vintage/50s/country wedding theme. We decorated the garden with handmade bunting, and my mum also made favours filled with sugared almonds to hang from the trees – something she saw when in Italy. We also had a traditional ice cream trike in the garden for guests to help themselves to ice-cream and sorbet, which proved very popular! In the marquee we had hanging baskets, lots of tea lights and sweet peas in colourful vintage jugs. My dress was 50s-inspired, and I made a 50s birdcage veil to go with it. We also had a jukebox instead of a DJ in the evening – a huge hit with the guests!

Bow Occasions Weddings & Events Blog – All images courtesy of Matt Foden.

Our wedding was not conventional as such. I had always wanted to get married in the house where I grew up, and we had a humanist ceremony under a gazebo in my parents’ garden. We didn’t have a first dance (much to Ant’s relief!), had cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake, and guests were seated at long wooden tables. We had a BBQ buffet and served a delicious selection of our favourite foods including seafood kebabs, local award-winning sausages, cheese and fresh summery salads. It was typically English weather, and we did get the odd sprinkling of rain, but at least it gave us the chance to use our 50s spotty umbrella! We had a wonderful day, and having a vintage wedding was so much fun to organise!

I’d like to say a big thank you and congratulations to Charlie and Ant and to their wedding photographer Matt Foden for sharing this gorgeous wedding day with Bow Occasions.

Update: Charlie and Ant had so much great feedback from their wedding that Charlie and her mum have decided to set up a Fifties Wedding Blog to provide inspiration to those planning a Fifties inspired wedding. Visit the Fifties Wedding Blog www.fiftieswedding.com/blog

Louise ♥

Suppliers
Photography: Matt Foden Photography / Catering: Mark Anthony Baines Catering / Flowers: Greenlines Nursery / Cupcakes: Sweet & Fancy Cupcakes / Jukebox: SM Jukeboxes / Marquee: The Pearl Tent Company / Ice Cream Trike: Matt Benecci Ice Cream Co

My favourite Vintage Eras {Queens & Bowl}

Hi, I’m Kate Bowl and I run Queens & Bowl wedding accessories – an online boutique offering gorgeous wedding shoes, jewellery and headpieces. I love vintage style and all of my products are either inspired by vintage fashions and trends or are created from genuine vintage pieces. I stock amazing, award-winning designer names including Rachel Simpson, Halo & Co and Magpie Vintage.

One thing I’m really keen to do on my site is to provide inspiration for brides planning or thinking about having a vintage wedding. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from brides on my ‘Inspiration Pages’ so I thought I’d share a couple of my favourite eras here as part of Vintage Week on the Bow Occasions Wedding & Events Blog!

First up are the 1920s….

I love 1920s for the dramatic change in women’s fashion that took place during this period. Women were asserting the independence and liberty they’d tasted during WW1 and there was a real sense of rebellion in the air! It was also the decade that first brought us the Art Deco movement and screen legends like Greta Garbo and Clara Bow who are still mysterious, enigmatic figures even today.

The most iconic 1920s fashion was of course the Flapper style which became popular in the mid 1920s. This look is probably the most recreated ‘20s look for modern brides and needs these key touches to pull it off:

♥ A loose knee-length shift dress that shows off bare arms. They were often heavily beaded with a scalloped hemline. The alternative if your figure doesn’t suit this style is to choose a drop-waist dress of longer length.  Drop-waists were popular throughout most of the 1920s.
♥ Mary-Janes with a single strap or T-Bar shoes like the Hettie or Mimi styles by Rachel Simpson
♥ Pearls – and lots of them. Long length pearl necklaces, made famous by a certain Coco Chanel, are ideal. Our Luxe Pearl Necklace by Stephanie Browne is made of Swarovski crystal pearls and features 2 Swarovski crystal Deco brooch pieces that are detachable.
♥ A close-fitting headpiece worn low down, towards the forehead. The Tiffany pearl and diamante headpiece by Ivory & Co is perfect.
♥ Feathers – Headpieces with feathers (try our Vienna headpiece by Ivory & Co) or a shrug like the Paris by Sasso add an authentic 20s vibe.

Finish the look with finger-wave hair and dark red lips, re-applied at regular intervals!

Image credits: Rex, Rosa Clara, Photorazzi, Ritz Hotel London

Next up, the 1950s….

….another period of fun mixed in with elegance and I love the pure glamour of the decade. Speaking of glamour, how much more glam can you get than Hollywood screen siren Grace Kelly marrying into royalty in the South of France!

So many enduring icons came to fame in the 50s – Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and of course, Marilyn Monroe. The timeless fashion of the 1950s also became iconic and is very much growing in popularity amongst brides. Here’s what to focus on for a ‘50s wedding theme:

♥ A knee-length dress with plenty of under-netting to give the A-line shape. If you have a bigger bust, a strapless style top is idea, if not, go for a higher neckline like a boat-neck or slash-neck. Lace or taffeta were the signature fabrics.
♥ Pearls – but keep it simple. Go for either small pearl stud earrings or a short, single strand pearl necklace. We have some beautiful freshwater pearl necklaces by Magpie Vintage featuring original vintage ornaments.
♥ Sparkle – As Marilyn Monroe could testify, the ladies loved their diamonds, so look for vintage-style jewellery featuring large crystals or diamante, such as our glamorous Boucheron earrings or detailed Astor bracelet.
♥ Bows and lace details. Both were popular in the ‘50s and contributed to the femininity of the look. The appropriately named Marilyn bridal shoes by Rachel Simpson fit the bill perfectly.

Image credits: Rex, Shutterstock, Photorazzi, Candy Anthony

Whichever vintage era you choose, you’re sure to have a truly timeless and elegant wedding. For more vintage inspiration, visit the Queens & Bowl blog and feel free to leave your comments!

Kate. xx

Thank you so much to Kate from Queens & Bowl for this fantastic guest post. Be sure to stop by the Queens & Bowl Website www.queensandbowl.com

Emmy Custom Made Wedding Shoes

I know that for a lot of women, the wedding shoes can sometimes be equally as important as the wedding dress. As a fellow bride-to-be with just over 18 months to go, I already have my shoes, however, if I didn’t, I would certainly be taking a trip to custom made shoe designer, Emmy Shoes.

Luxury brand Emmy Shoes offers custom made shoes and hair decorations for brides, or anyone who is looking for elegant and beautifully crafted footwear.

Appointment only consultations are held at the gorgeously girly Emmy showroom in Islington, London. Known for her glamorous vintage inspired style, brides can choose from a 40’s peep toe to a 20’s round shoe, a delicate 30’s sandal to a super high 70’s slingback.

Aside from a wide choice of styles and fabrics, including vintage fabrics and a rainbow of sumptuous suede’s, the Emmy ‘details’ are what make each pair individual. A dramatic peacock feather, a bold crystal fan or a cheeky beaded bow are just a few of the dazzling finishes add by hand to your custom made shoes. Emmy and her team work closely with each client to ensure that their shoes are perfect for their look, and they can feel confident in knowing that they have been created exclusively for them.

About Emmy

Emmy Scarterfield  started out designing shoes and accessories for Bottega Veneta and Georgio Armani before returning to the UK to set up accessory ranges for French Connection, Reiss and small high fashion labels such as Jessica Ogden and House of Jazz. Emmy always wanted to launch her own label but understood the financial problems and difficulties for fashion labels so needed to find a niche that she might survive. Emmy saw that the wedding market lacked a well designed, shoe brand where the same attention to quality and detail was given to the shoes thatthe dress was given.  She decided to open a high end custom made wedding shoe company 6 years ago selling custom made shoes.

Emmy has since made shoes for Liz Hurley, Autumn Kelly who married Peter Phillips (Princess Anne’s son and brother to Sara Phillips) and most recently Clare Danes.  She has also made shoes for many fashion editors and stylists.

For more information about Emmy Shoes or to arrange an appointment, visit www.emmyshoes.co.uk

Rosewarne Cox Photography

This afternoon brings an interview with the lovely Shaneen from Rosewarne Cox Photography. Bedfordshire wedding and portrait photographer Shaneen Rosewarne Cox takes a unique approach to capturing images of you and your loved ones. Fresh yet classic, contemporary yet vintage, it’s a timeless way to enjoy photography – you’ll discover a new memory in every image, just waiting to be awakened.

I thought I’d do a little interview with Shaneen, so here it goes…

What got you into photography?
I used to paint and sell portraits. Sitting at a canvas for hours on end was my idea of heaven and whilst photography was always an interest I never really focused on it until my son was born. Having a baby around made it impossible to sit and paint. Of course, like any new parent I took lots of photo’s of my son. It snowballed from there. I now have my own studio in Bedfordshire and have been lucky enough to cover Weddings, Bridal shoots and even a Destination Wedding this year.

How would you describe your photography style?
I think my photos have a vintage edge without being too over the top. I want people to be able to look at their photo’s in years to come without thinking “they look so 2010″. I like my images to be clean and fresh but to also represent whoever I am photographing at the time. I love to hear that people love their photo’s. Its the most important thing to me! I think us ladies, especially, can be really self critical. Its the best feeling in the world to have a client say to me “wow, I never knew I looked like that”.

Which has been your favourite photo shoot to date?
My favourite shoot always changes! I recently did a Rock The Dress shoot to celebrate a Bride’s 6 year anniversary to her husband. We chose Ivinghoe Windmill, Herts, as our location. Everything went to plan, the light was really dramatic and the Bride was totally relaxed. It was just a girly afternoon full of giggles and gossip. The photo’s from that shoot have been received so well not only by the client but also by people in the industry. They are actually banked at a well known Bridal Magazine for future publication. Another shoot I adore is a recent Boudoir. It was for a Bride to be who planned to give a book of the images to her husband on their wedding day. My studio wasn’t ready at the time so we ended up using a friends house and set up a portable studio with lots of props and 1950′s inspired music. The Bride to be had fabulous accessories and outfits and the whole pin up look just worked beautifully. At the last moment I decided to play around with my lighting and get a shot of her wrapped in a union jack flag. This is one of my favourite images to date. Boudoir photography has a reputation of being a bit brash and trashy but the great thing about Vintage Boudoir is that minimal flesh has to be on show to make the images authentic. Its all about setting the idea.

Where do you get your inspiration?
I draw inspiration from the most random of places. I spend hours watching music videos and reading fashion magazines (like I need an excuse!) but also draw inspiration from galleries. I love to people watch, I could spend hours sat on a bench in Central London watching the world go by. The seasons also have a massive influence on my photography. I’m really looking forward to Autumn, its my favourite season. The colours and light are the best for outdoor shoots.

If you could take a picture of anyone who would it be and why?
Good question, at the moment Lady Gaga really intrigues me, she is so unique and out there. I think she’d be fun to photograph. Elizabeth Taylor would have been amazing to photograph too. She really wore her emotions on her face and had a very dramatic look about her.

For further information about Rosewarne Cox Photography, visit www.rosewarnecoxphotography.co.uk or email  Shaneen shaneen@rosewarnecoxphotography.co.uk.  You can also follow Rosewarne Cox Photography on Twitter and Facebook.

Vintage Scoops – A Traditional 1950s Style Ice Cream Van

I love Twitter. It is through Twitter, that I have found many great individuals and companies – one of which is the lovely Hayley from Vintage Scoops.

Hayley Southwood, the name behind Vintage Scoops is a girl, who bought an old 1973 Bedford CF ice cream van, painted her in pretty shades of blue and cream, decorated her with Cath Kidson oilcloth and pretty bunting and then named her ‘Betty’, after her Grandma and her hubby’s Nan.

Hayley entered a competition ran by Country Homes & Interiors and found out she had won the competition when she left her Nursery Nursing post in May of this year. Hayley won a fantastic new business advice package from Business Smiths, worth £6,000.

Bow Occasions Weddings & Events Blog – Images courtesy of Vintage Scoops

Vintage Scoops is wholly concerned with providing your event with a feast both for the eyes and the taste-buds, combined with the highest standard of personal service. As well as the locally sourced ice cream supplied by Beechdean Dairies, Vintage Scoops also supply a range of vintage ice lollies and traditional soft drinks. All served from a 50′s style ice cream van festooned with bunting, by Hayley in her best floral frock!

No event is too big or too small and Hayley will be able to advise you at every step, from deciding how much ice cream you want to selecting flavours to suit your event.

Betty can drive 30 miles from MK but can be trailered elsewhere!! Her top speed is 35-40 mph

If you’re looking for something extra special for your wedding or event, be sure to book Betty.

For further information, visit the Vintage Scoops Website or email Hayley info@vintagescoops.co.uk. You can also follow Vintage Scoops on Twitter and Facebook.

A Vintage Affair

I bring you the first of two vintage inspired real weddings this week. There’s more than just a few things I love about today’s wedding. Chloe’s gorgeous dress has to be mentioned first – absolutely stunning. I also love how everyone is having so much fun!

All images are all courtesy of Timm Cleasby.

Where and how did you propose?
Necker Island, BVI – New Years Eve 2009, on the strike of midnight on the Moroccan themed beach with lanterns, champagne and Take That’s Rule the world in the background – followed by NYE fireworks.

Most memorable moment of the day?
Simon getting his vows wrong – a mixture of nerves and me not telling him in advance which vows I’d chosen for us. It was endearing and very funny.

What advice would you give to brides who are currently planning their wedding?
Don’t panic about the last minute details – you might know that you missed the pink ribbon on the favours, but your guests are none the wiser and if you don’t manage to finish or include something, no-one will know. It will still be a perfect day.

First dance song?
Take That, Rule the world - Simon’s proposal song.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Pankor Laut, Malaysia.

Thank you so much to Chloe & Simon for agreeing to be featured on the Bow Occasions Blog and also to Timm Cleasby. for providing the gorgeous images.

Much Love,

Louise xx

Love Vintage

It’s finally here folks, Vintage Week on the Bow Occasions Blog.

Starting off Vintage Week is Love Vintage – an online boutique specialising in handmade bouquet and accessories.

Love Vintage creates romantic, vintage inspired wedding bouquets and handmade accessories for the truly stylish bride looking for the ultimate vintage wedding. Each handmade bouquet and accessory is made with the intention of becoming a keepsake to preserve special memories of beautiful vintage wedding days. We take inspiration from periods as diverse as the Victorian era through to the 1940s, 1950s retro and beyond, using a pick-and-mix of materials – from vintage fabrics, pearls, crystals and vintage finds – chosen to meet whatever the bride needs.

Love Vintage creates vintage inspired bride and bridesmaid bouquets, buttonholes, corsages, fascinators, wedding favours and table centrepieces.

To find out how Love Vintage can help create your ultimate vintage wedding, visit the Love Vintage website or contact Chloe direct at info@love-vintage.co.uk

That’s not all, I have the pleasure of featuring Chloe’s gorgeous wedding on the blog later on today. Check back later for some vintage inpsired real wedding loveliness.

Much Love,

Louise xx

Bow Occasions loves… Vintage Week!

I am really excited to announce that come Monday, we’re having a Vintage Week here on Bow Occasions. And, as there are so many lovely things to blog in the vintage word, there will be two posts a day.

Here’s a sneak peek from one of two real weddings coming up this week.

Get excited folks… It’s going to be fabulous!

Much Love,

Louise xx