Tag Archives: 1950′s

1950′s wedding dresses – a sneek preview….

At the weekend I was lucky enough to meet up with David and Grace from award winning designers, Lindsay Fleming, who were down from Scotland meeting up with brides. I got to chat to them about their gorgeous 1920′s inspired wedding collection, their celtic dresses and to have a sneek preview at the amazing designs for their new 1950′s collection.
I first heard of Lindsay Fleming, when I was sent some amazing photos of their 1920′s inspired wedding dress collection, photographed by Archibald Photography at House for an Art Lover, in Glasgow and The Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh. This has gone on to be one of my most popular posts ever on LMW and you can see why – the photos and the dresses are stunning.
When we met last weekend I was able to have a look at their stunning 1920′s inspired dresses from the ‘All That Jazz’ Collection – each one beautifully designed, handmade by Grace and some with incredibly intricate detailing. These dresses are fantastic value, starting from £1150 and going up to £2400.
Unsuprisingly, the ‘All That Jazz’ Collection brought with it a good deal of PR coverage in many of the glossy bridal mags, with dresses from the collection featuring in bridal shoots, and all the wedding blogs (like mine) desperate to get a piece of the action. I hear from Grace and David that brides travel from far and wide (US, Holland, France, Italy) to come to their bridal shop in the tiny Scottish Village of Abington to buy the dress of their dreams.

Now Grace is hard at work on her new collection of 1950’s wedding dresses. It’s a natural move on from her recent 1920’s inspired collection, and something that she and Mark Archibald (the photographer) believe will be much in demand. I had a look at some of the sketches for the new collection (which you can also see on Love My Dress blog) and some photos from a recent fashion shoot. Grace and David are lucky enough to have a daughter-in-law that looks stunning modelling these dresses, again, photographed by award winning photographers, Archibald Photography.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the collection. Do make sure that you check out both their sites – whilst Grace is the dress designer, her husband, David, looks after all the marketing and the website for Lindsay Fleming – he is clearly a busy man as there is loads there, including photos and sketches of the new collection. And be sure to take a look at award winning photographers, Archibald Photography for lots of other gorgeous wedding photos and inspiration.

What do you think of the sneak preview – do you like the idea of a 1950′s dress??

Betty The Vintage Ice Cream Caravan For Hire

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I love this. I was really pleased when Hayley approached me and asked me if I would feature her and Betty on LMW as its such a fun and unique addition to any wedding. Picture this, she rocks up at your wedding with Betty, a 1950′s themed ice cream van, decked out in Cath Kidston and bunting a plenty. Inside, the vintage ice cream van is packed full of old fashioned goodies to treat your guests.

Guests can choose from locally produced farmhouse ice cream and retro flavoured lollies (cherry brandy, cider, lager and lime), old fashioned sweets from the jars, pretty glass bottled drinks such as dandelion and burdock, cloudy lemonade and her grandma’s favourite ginger beer!
Fabulous idea and no suprise that Hayley and Betty have just won Country Homes magazine’s Run Your own Country Business of the Year award and will be featured in the mag this September! Congrats to you both!This is vintage heaven and I imagine a popular attraction with the kiddies too.
I asked Hayley how she came up with the idea (it is a great one) to restore this 1973 Bedford cf, and then use it to serve up old fashioned fabulousness around the country.
“I started up as I just love vintage/ retro style….Betty is just an extension of all my passions!!! I love my job…I can smile, poodle along driving her to pretty garden parties, weddings and summer fetes!!!! And wear the most floral frocks and flowers in my hair xx My Mum died last year age 53 and I decided to do something fun…my mum would love it!!!!”

Betty can be hired for events in Bucks, Beds and Northants and can even be transported further afield should she be needed. Prices start from £200 but obviously depends on location, number of guests etc, so its best to speak to Hayley about your personal needs – for more info have a look at the site, Vintage Scoops.

What do you think ladies (and gentlemen if you are reading) isn’t this just the cutest idea? I’m trying to conjure up some events so I can get Betty down to London.

Vintage Wedding Make Up Tips

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Getting the vintage bridal look without feeling overly made-up or ‘costume’ can be tricky, but it is achievable with some careful thought and chic inspiration. Here are three key looks from 20th Century vintage decades to give you some ideas and help you on your way to perfecting vintage bridal styling on your big day. Lynsey LeKeux, our resident vintage guru, shares some top vintage make-up tips with us all.

* No 1 – Cutesy 1950′s wedding make up.
I have penned this look Sugabilly© because I think it’s a perfect combination of rockabilly styling and classic pastel tones. Use hot pink lip stain and gradients of blended soft mauve shadows to create this look, with plenty of pink blusher in the right shade for your skin tone. Eyebrows are softer as are eye liner lines so this is much softer and subtler than the other two looks. This looks great on blonds but can be toned for darker hair and skin.

* No 2 – 1940′s wedding make up.
I adore the glamour and impact of red lip stick teamed with naked eyes with a huge flash of eye liner. With this dark hair it’s stunning and it works for most skin tones and colourings. Play around with the thickness and length of the eye liner sweep for the perfect look for you. Use a soft cream shadow all over the eye then shade in a soft brown/mauve around the eye socket to provide some shape and depth and to frame the open eye along with the liner. Add lashings of mascara and fake eyelashes for true drama. Red lipstick also comes in hundreds of shades so don’t be afraid to ask in shops to try them and go outside in the light and take a photo of yourself to judge the best tone for you. To create a look as dramatic as the one picture take the lip liner just outside the lips and colour eyebrows in dark creating a pin up arch for authenticity. Victory rolls pull this look perfectly together for absolute 40s glamour.

* No 3 – 1920′s/30′s wedding make up.
This is quite a look, with inverted eye shadow shading, thinly drawn eyebrows and dark red lips. I personally love it. It’s chic and memorable and at nearly 90 years old this look is pure vintage. Team with finger waves in the hair and unusual head dresses like this one pictured (available to purchase on our website LeKeuxEvents).

Not sure which to go for? Give LeKeux Events a call for a free consultation on the vintage bridal styling right for you. Or try Emily Jane our favourite make-up artist and colours stylist. All the photos featured here were taken by Siren Photographic whose Sasha captures these looks authentically and will always snap you in your best light and angles.
And if you are looking for more inspiration make sure you check out this recent post on 40′s and 50′s vintage glamour make up for a London hen party. And also this page on LMW which is full of vintage wedding ideas.

40′s and 50′s Vintage Glamour Make Up

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For those of you that cringe at the thought of a hen party with tiaras, L plates, pink, fluff and cheap veils… well what about getting a bit more stylish and turning to the 40’s & 50’s for some retro, vintage glamour? That is exactly what this Hen party did – check out the pics below for 40′s and 50′s hair and make up.

I was called in by a friend of mine to style her Hen party in exactly this way, she wanted something different and loves to dress up, plus they were off to the All Star bowling lanes in Brick Lane and to a 40’s themed night after. So we gave the 14 girls the vintage twist – how delightful.

I called in the services of my gorgeous friend Beatriz who is a fellow makeup artist and hairstylist and together we worked our magic!
Tongs, Elnett hairspray, grips, MAC Ruby Woo lipstick, plenty of black liner and dustings of powder and blush…

And best of all we got to do the makeover in the most fantastic setting of 40 Winks – the über cool, stylishly designed mini-boutique hotel – mini, mini as there are only 3 rooms! Check it out as they have some great little soirees and events on there.

You can find out more info about my services and view a portfolio of make up shots on Emma D Makeup. I guest blog for LMW on a regular basis on hair, make-up and styling – check out my previous post on Wedding Make Up Tips.

The Perfect Vintage Wedding

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We all want to know how to achieve the perfect vintage wedding, I know you do too because you love reading about vintage wedding ideas on LMW. The 1920′s vintage wedding shoot is one of my most popular posts, which has had me thinking for a while that I need to find a specialist or two who can help me out in this area. I have to admit I’ve got a lot to learn when it comes to talking vintage. So I was over the moon to find Lynsey Le Keux, a Vintage Wedding Planner for LeKeux Events who is going to blog on all things vintage from now on – Happy Days.

So you want to go vintage? You won’t regret it! The perfect vintage wedding can be achieved by anyone; it just needs some careful planning and lots of research around your inspiration! The challenge you face in successfully creating a tasteful era-inspired and unique celebration, is to not make it seem like a ‘themed’ wedding. A vintage wedding isn’t a costume party, but instead a nod to the glamour of eras gone by and a chance to have fun with fashion and styling for your big day. But fear not, this article will give you all the tips you need to get started.
Your first stop in creating a vintage wedding will be your original inspiration. As a wedding planner, I always ask brides to bring a photograph, movie or book that represents the fashion, era, backdrop and feel of the vintage wedding they are dreaming of. From this we create the entire wedding design from the dress (which is often the centre of the inspiration), to the decor, transport and well…everything really.

You don’t have to get original pieces from your chosen era to get the look you want (although this is, of course amazing if achievable), but I would recommend at least some vintage items. For example, if you have a new dress in a period style, choose a vintage hair piece or millinery. You could even get a veil made from some old lace from your chosen era. For the backdrop to your day, think about hiring vintage crockery, at least for the cake and other food on display, or mirror the beading in your accessories through the table decorations to achieve a consistent look. Little, and actually quite inexpensive details, such as vintage mirrors around the venue, can also really pull the look together. For details on vintage suppliers please contact me (details at end of post)

Consistency is also key to truly achieving a vintage styled wedding that feels authentic. For example choose a car or transport reflective of the era. A classic Ford Mustang is perfect for 1950s/60s styled weddings. During one of our weddings, the car actually got nicknamed the fourth bridesmaid because it was the same beautiful shade of electric teal as the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Music is also a fabulous way to celebrate an era and there are lots of authentic bands out there from 1960′s Motown to big brass bands. If you can’t afford a band, style the DJ and equipment as vintage as possible to keep with the style. Always choose something your guests can dance to and playing pre-recorded popular music in between the band sessions will get everyone dancing – even those who are not familiar with the music of that era. Modern music has replicated genres such as Swing Jazz and songs such as Candyman by Christina Aguilera are perfect for a 1940′s wedding and will get all the young ones dancing too.

I often get asked how to bring guests into the wedding design; whilst I don’t recommend asking everyone to go out and buy a 1930′s outfit for an art deco wedding. I think your wedding photos and more importantly the feel on the day, will benefit from your guests taking consideration over what to wear at your vintage wedding. You can invite your guests to join the look by using your inspiration on the invites. For example take a still from a movie from your chosen era, one which encompasses the fashion you are inspired by and use this to make a card with the words ‘join us in our 1950′s inspired wedding…’ inside. Politely mention to friends how lovely it would be to have authentic photos together if they wore 1950s dresses – but remember no costumes… many high street stores stock clothes inspired by the 20′s, 50′s, 60′s and 70′s. Shops stocking fabulous vintage style dresses at the moment include Cath Kidston for summer informal florals, Ghost for a fabulous modern take on 1920′s glamour and for ultimate 1940′s and 1950′s style try Rose and Co. in Leeds.

In my next articles I’ll introduce how to achieve the perfect vintage hair and make-up for your wedding, how to style vintage bridesmaids and vintage décor. If you’d like to find out more about our vintage wedding services contact us on info@lekeuxevents.co.uk or visit our website at Lekeux Events.

All the pics on this post were taken by Andy Doherty of Doherty Photography

Oh and before you forget did you get to check out the post on the vintage caravan for hire. It looks fab!

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