Our wedding day: the ceremony

We have received all the photos from our photographer James Davidson and could not have been happier – he has captured the essence of our wonderful day and all the details so beautifully, and all with the minimum of fuss on the day – thank you James!

The ceremony was so special, surrounded by family and friends in the beautiful sandstone church in Burton Village. Our fabulous florist James at William and Benjamin, expertly tied jam jars filled with flowers to pew ends and arranged a garland of flowers over the church door (he also made my beautiful bouquet and the bridesmaid’s sweet pea posies).

The real talking point was the porch strewn with a carpet of lavender stems (the groom’s idea) that filled the church with a wonderful scent and had an amazing calming affect on the little flower girls before they walked down the aisle. My friend Lindsey had also hand made lavender-filled heart-shaped cushions for our two chairs at the front of the church.

The vintage block print letters that had taken so long to hunt down were put to good use - we hand-printed the order of service booklets with them on kraft card tied with twine.

There were so many moving moments during the ceremony – but one of my favourites was our friend Fiona singing her own version of the Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody accompanied by Matt on the piano – I don’t know how she held it together with me blubbing a few steps away!

My mum made the vintage-style floral silk bridesmaid dresses, and the little flower girls wore traditional smocked dresses, embroidered with tiny roses, and flower crowns in their hair.

My dress was a tulle 50s design by Kate Halfpenny, which she beautifully remade for me, customising it with a huge handpainted silk flower corsage and long dusky pink washed silk sash. My vintage-style pale pink net veil was handmade by Rio designer Muggia. The gorgeous groom looked dapper in his traditional morning suit and Jil Sander polka dot tie and baby blue double-breasted Gieves waistcoat.

We left the church (having dodged aggressive confetti throwers!) in a vintage green MG borrowed from my godfather and bunny-hopped our way to the reception…..

Back down to Earth

Well, I’m back from a blissful honeymoon in Andalucía (photos coming soon – my new husband cleverly chose each hotel with a vintagey theme in mind). I will post up the official wedding pictures as soon as the photographer sends them through, but in the meantime here’s one of my favourites – taken with the best man’s I Phone Hipstamatic app:

Vintage Bride turns Vintage Wife

I must apologise for my absence over the last few days but I was somewhat caught up in a wedding whirlwind! Our day was the happiest of our lives and beyond any of my expectations. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by all our friends and family - seeing them enjoying every minute and supporting us with so much love.

I’ve still got lots of blogging to do – and of course, I will post up pictures of the day and all the vintage details – but for now, I will leave you with a snapshot of my vintage honeymoon wardrobe (inspired by the Horrockses exhibition). See you in a couple of weeks!

Straw Hat, Beyond Retro

50s swimsuit, Camden Passage antiques market

Vintage-style dress, Joules

Polka dot playsuit, Tara Starlet

Vintage dress, Spitalfields Thursday antiques market 

Vintage top, Camden Passage antiques market; Shorts, Beyond Retro

Horrockses vintage fashion exhibition

The latest exhibition at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum put me in a honeymoon mood – showcasing some fabulous 40s and 50s cotton summer frocks, swimsuits and beach attire from the archives of British design house Horrockses Fashions.

Set out in a seaside-themed display are perfectly preserved outfits plus original prints and sketches, alongside anecdotes behind a dress and when it was worn. The graphic print and colour looks so modern, it makes me wonder why they don’t re-launch the brand for today?

The museum is also running a programme of vintage-themed events to run in parallel with the exhibition, including make-do-and-mend sessions for reviving tired clothes.

My very own Betty Draper

I’m a huge (and slightly obsessive) fan of Mad Men – the US series about late 50s New York ad men and their gals, with a particular fondness for Betty’s wardrobe (fit-and-flare dresses, marabou-trimmed house coats, corseted underwear and the occasional Capri pant).

So my colleagues struck gold yesterday by presenting me with none other than a Betty Draper doll as a wedding present! They had some how managed to convince the lovely people at Mattel to send one over even before they hit the shops in the US and UK. The floral dress is absolutely beautiful with a huge bow at the back, she’s wearing fish-nets and has her own little clutch bag, complete with make-up compact! From the expression on her face, I think she may have had one too many martinis though. I can’t quite bring myself to remove her from the box as she looks so perfectly Betty in there!

Vintage pampering at TART

The inimitable David Carter – hotelier, interior designer and dandy extraordinaire – hosts a range of imaginative events in his beautiful 40 Winks mini-hotel in Mile End. There are Bedtime Story Nights (pyjama-clad guests are entertained by storytellers, while feasting on Godiva chocolates and cocktails), life drawing classes (accompanied by more cocktails) - and then there’s TART, a whole afternoon of pampering, vintage-style – with cucumber sandwiches, cakes and bubbly; vintage hair and make-up sessions; a 50s dressing-up box and massages for when it all gets too much. Set in this gorgeous Georgian townhouse bedecked in all things eclectic, quirky and surreal, it would make a fantastical hen do for a vintage loving bride.

The Vintage Emporium

I love this fantastic vintage space that recently opened just off Brick Lane – it really does live up to its name, with an upstairs café decked-out like an old fashioned tea parlour and a basement beautifully stocked with handpicked vintage wares that range from the Victorian Era to the 50s/60s. There are plenty of Mad Men-style dresses, some great party shoes and accessories and pretty lingerie, all handpicked for their quality (so no sifting through horrible overpriced 90s gear then).

Run by Ollie and Jess, who have spent years trawling markets around the UK and France, it also hosts regular events – life drawing, Victorian bingo, drama classes and knitting nights. The Vintage Emporium is a truly inspiring destination!

A Summer Feast

With just three weeks to go, my fiancé and I decided we needed a treat and headed down to the Pavilion Café in Victoria Park, which is hosting a weekly pop-up restaurant called Elliot’s. The Pavilion is one of our favourite east London spots for coffee or breakfast overlooking the lake.

Elliot’s is a tester for a permanent restaurant soon to open in Borough Market – and all the food was market-fresh, summery and creative (I’ve never tasted such interesting tomatoes – see below!). We had champagne and canapés in the balmy sunlight, made friends with some fellow foodie locals, sat down at long tables laid with pots of flowers picked from the park - and tucked into the perfect summer feast!

Vintage scrapbooking

I’ve long been a fan of Jessie Chorley and Buddug’s beautiful handmade books, jewellery and stationery. Beginning life as a stall on Broadway Market, the creative best-friends since opened a tiny space called The Shop on Columbia Road in London’s East End - recently up-sizing to a "proper" boutique on the same street at number 146.  

Jessie takes fusty old books and re-vitalises them, adapting the body of the book by adding collage, embroidered threads, buttons and stitched pockets to create one-of-a-kind scrapbooks, travel journals or wedding guest books. You can buy one from about £30 or learn how to make them yourself at one of her workshops (which would make a nice creative hen idea too!).  

She’s recently launched a wedding service – offering handmade invites, stationery and favour boxes, all following the old-fashioned collage theme.  

Meanwhile fellow welsh designer Buddug creates whimsical jewellery, plates and tiles from enamel, all adorned with a handwritten script.

A vintage wedding car

I love this super cool vintage wedding car that my friend Sarah photographed on a research trip to Antwerp (another gorgeous city for vintage inspirations). You can imagine a lot of demure retro sundresses in that suitcase on the back, but the married couple were leather-clad bikers! A gang of their mates were waiting outside on Harleys and revved their engines like crazy when the happy couple came out of the church!