Bridal Style

Today if I were to have my wedding again, it would most certainly be the dress of choice. Which makes me wonder, does age change the way we visualise our bridal style.

I was 25 when I got married, and my dress was certainly different from the strapless gowns going around at that time. As I designed it myself it obviously had a twist, but it wasn’t miles off the trend. The overall look was understated princess. Yet if I were to do it all again (maybe renewing my vows!!) I would certainly be going for the vintage look.

I LOVE all things from yesteryears and always have. To my husband’s dismay I love wandering around castles, old buildings, churches, graveyards, you name it. So when I designed my 2011 collection of vintage inspired wedding hair accessories and jewellery, I was pleased to hook up with the wonderful Audrey Russell who understood my love for vintage and sentimental things. It seemed that typically the younger bride still goes for the princess style dress, so I wanted to express through the shoot that ANY AGE can rock the vintage trend.

Creating a vintage style

With fresh faced models Brogan and Kati, we headed for the stunning St Andrews in the Square – equipped with props that I had at hand as well as borrowed from industry colleagues. The look was completed with an array of stunning dresses by  Justin Alexander supplied by Wedding Wise and the fantastic hairdresser Catherine Hastie and Make – up Artist Lynn Meenagh who completed the dream look.

When planning a wedding it seems natural to delve into what your mother and grandmother did for their big day. Looking at treasured photo’s and investigating heirloom jewellery really does get most girls caught up in the nostalgia of things bridal.
Cameo brooches, lace veils and pearls in abundance really are the essence of a vintage inspired wedding. Heirloom bouquets are also starting to be a big trend. This concept came about through recycling, cutting costs and raiding the jewellery box to find a handful of treasured brooches.

Converting these brooches into everlasting bouquets that any vintage bride would love to carry, has become a way of remembering a loved one and having them involved in the wedding ceremony. But fear not if you don’t have a stash of old brooches, you can have a new brooch bouquet created that will become tomorrow’s heirlooms.

Guest Blogger Louise Graham is the Director of bespoke accessories company, Wedding and Baby

Photographs copyright of Wedding and Baby.

Wedding & Baby – Bespoke Accessories

Wedding and Baby launched in January 2009 and is now gaining recognition from Wedding industry experts for providing a range of vintage inspired headbands, combs, tiaras and jewellery. Wedding and Baby was also shortlisted in The Bridal Magazine Awards for Best Accessory supplier of the year 2010.

Gorgeous Wedding Accessories from Wedding and Baby

In the beginning owner Louise Graham decided to build her business by working with extremely talented designers to establish her business. This decision was purely due to her time commitments being limited as she cared for her young son. However as a Product Designer in trade (having graduated from Napier University Edinburgh with a BSc Hons in Industrial Design) it wasn’t long before Louise’s creativity was bursting alive and her desire to get hands on again increased, so she launched her own range of tiaras, headbands and jewellery in September 2009 to add to the business.

Eleanor Headband, from Wedding and Baby

Amazing Accessories

Around this time she also gained recognition from X – Factor contestants which resulted in her designs being worn to the premiere of Shrek 3D in June 2010. Within a year and a half in business Wedding and Baby have launched a wholesale option, allowing the designs to be available to try on in bridal boutiques throughout the country. Already within a month of setting this up Louise has shops eager to stock her designs.

Inspiration

Louise focuses on vintage inspired pieces with a twist. Her work is renowned for being more than just a wear once accessory. In fact many of her designs can be converted into a brooch and worn again. As well as the website, Louise offers appointments in Glasgow for bespoke orders.

Deco Headband, from Wedding and Baby

The Spring/Summer 2011 collection is causing a stir with the media. As always Vintage is the essence of the collection, although this season sees more fabric and feathers. You can be sure to see Louise’s designs gracing Bridal magazines and Wedding T.V programmes throughout 2011.

What makes Wedding and Baby so unique is that Louise becomes part of the style team. She instinctively uses her design qualifications to create a headpiece that will suit the bride, the dress and the ceremony. Hugs from happy customers are a regular occurrence from brides who are blown away by their breath taking bridal accessories.

Clam Headband from Wedding and Baby

What’s more Louise keeps in touch with most brides long after the big day and is always delighted to see the baby photo’s that follow!  Follow Wedding and Baby on Twitter and Facebook