Aunties Vintage China

According to the fashion forecasters, vintage shows no sign of wavering. In fact one of the most sought after products in wedding planning this season is vintage crockery. Sourcing vintage china can be a lengthy and costly process, but fortunately Aunties Vintage China is on hand to help create your dream wedding.

The company allows authentic fine china from the thirties, forties and fifties to be hired for weddings and special events. True to the company name, these one-of-a-kind pieces are treasured family heirlooms belonging to company owner Sue Fyfe-Williams

To capture the true appeal of vintage dining and to promote the company, a bridal photo shoot was organised within the grounds of Goldney Hall last year. I was invited along to take a peek and keen to see Aunties Vintage China in action, promptly RSVP’d, especially as you rarely get the promise of afternoon tea and burlesque in the same invitation

On arrival, I was greeted by Sue and offered a cup of tea, naturally. Before me, vintage wedding scenarios had been created and three round tables were adorned with vintage cutlery, crockery and glassware. Flowers spilled from antique vases and cake stands were decorated with miniature desserts from Mmm…Yummy Cakes (07732 989622). Ambience Venue Styling provided chair covers and, pulling the whole look together, there was a selection of flowers including rose amnesia, lisianthus and hydrangea from Claire Nicholson at The Wilde Bunch (07966 183530).

A vintage wedding calls for a very special wedding dress. The Handmade Corset Company created the gowns, corsages and fascinators for the photo shoot. Penn O’Gara and Cathy Price offer a bespoke dressmaking service, specialising in vintage and theatrical pieces. Cathy says, “We hope that people come to us with a dream to be realised.”

The afternoon culminated with the photo shoot as photographers Paul O’Connor and Simon Mosse (07846 711579)  created a narrative for three vintage weddings.

Our 1930s bride wore a plunging silver and ivory bias cut grown gown. Dressmaker Penn used embroidered chiffon over creped-backed satin and designed pearl beaded straps. Hair stylists Sian and Abi from Sk109 salon reworked a thirties up-do to include a handmade floral circlet and a vintage veil.

Our 1950s bride wore a strapless ivory gown made from Thai silk and duchess satin. The ballerina-length dress had a vintage lace underskirt and was styled with elbow length white gloves. She wore a string of pearls and a  headdress with a floor-length veil.

Make up artist Annabella Hodge spoke about the role of make up 
during the photo shoot; “It’s amazing how you can transform someone with the stroke of a brush.” Annabella wanted to modernise the vintage imagery by merely enhancing the model’s natural beauty. Citing burlesque star Dita Von Teese as a vintage inspiration, Annabella accentuated the eyes with false lashes and went for bold lip colours.

If hearing about all this has whetted your appetite for some more vintage styling, Aunties Vintage China is supporting the first Wedding Fayre to be held at Goldney Hall, Bristol. Sunday 17 April, from 11am-4pm.

Make your own wedding cake!

Here’s one for the bride who likes the simple things in life. 

I’ll not prattle on about how much I want a small intimate wedding or how much I love D.I.Y. (I love D.I.Y. by the way) instead I’ll just share this recipe with you.  This is an adaptation of my Mother’s chocolate cake recipe, I wanted the icing to be white and include fruit so there are a few tweaks here and there.  I’m picturing this cake at a smaller, intimate wedding.  You could make several tiers with a different fruit in each or have a deconstructed wedding cake with the different tiers on pretty cake stands.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

(If you can’t get 10” tins you could use 3 № 5” tins and make a higher smaller cake. 2 № 8” round baking tins will be too much mixture for the tins.)

INGREDIENTS

Cake

10 oz butter

14 oz caster sugar

12 oz self raising flour (or plain flour with 3 tsp baking powder)

1 bar of quality white chocolate

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp salt

1 cup single cream

4 eggs

1 punnet of raspberries

Icing

8 oz butter

10 oz icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

2 bars of quality white chocolate

(5 tbsp of chocolate powder would give you a rich, milk chocolate cake)

METHOD

Cake

Heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas mark 4. Prepare your cake tins.

Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and salt till the mixture is light and creamy.

Beat the eggs and add to the cup of cream, then add to the butter and sugar mix alternately with the flour ensuring that some flour is kept to add in last. This stops the mix curdling which can happen because of the high volume of liquid being added to the mix; mix until well blended and smooth.  

Add the raspberries to the mix (keep a few back for decoration).

Turn the mix into the greased lined cake tins and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Once baked leave to cool completely before icing.

Icing

Cream the butter and the egg together until completely blended, giving a whipped cream appearance.

Add the vanilla essence and icing sugar, blending together till the mixture is smooth and spreadable.

Break up the chocolate and place in a microwavable bowl then heat in the microwave for 45 seconds.  If not all the chocolate has melted then put back in for ten seconds at a time till all the lumps are gone.

Mix the melted chocolate to the rest of the icing mix then spread on top of the cake.  Don’t worry if it looks rough, it adds to the cake's charm.

Top with the raspberries and voila!  A cute, home-made wedding cake!

P.S.  Why not use any scraps of cakes to make a delicious cake in a cup!  Left over icing and a raspberry are the finishing touches.

There's something special about a man in a kilt...

... so to celebrate the birthday of famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns, we've gone all tartan for you.  West Wedding's writer Sally Middlebrook explores this popular tradition.

The Classic Highland

Who’s wearing them? Ewan McGregor, Sean Connery, Kiefer Sutherland.

Think... Braveheart, The Way West.

Designer inspiration: House of Tartan, Kilts of Caledonia.

In recent times, Scottish highland wear has witnessed a growth in popularity at weddings across the country, and grooms and the other male members of the wedding party now have to field more “what’s under your kilt?” questions than ever before. Of course, no bride wants to be outshone by her groom, but she will be impressed when she sees a handsome brute in a kilt waiting for her at the altar. Believe me, there is nothing feminine about man in a skirt, you’ve just got to look at the most masculine men in Hollywood to see that. If Ewan McGregor, Kiefer Sutherland and Sir Sean Connery can do it, then you certainly can too. Available in a huge range of coloured tartans, wedding kilts are essential dress items for any groom planning to wear a Prince Charlie jacket, Argyll jacket or Ghillie shirt on the day of the wedding. Take a look at the classic patterns offered by House of Tartan and Kilts of Caledonia, but it’s worth having something specific in mind as there are estimated to be several thousand tartans in existence. Formal hire firms are likely to carry only a handful in stock, with bespoke highland wear outfitters sometimes able to offer you a choice of several hundred designs. It’s tradition, where possible, to choose the tartan for your wedding kilt that is associated with your ancestral clan, but again there are no strict rules about this.

The Contemporary Highland

Who’s wearing them? Samuel. L. Jackson, Daniel Craig, George Clooney.
Think...The 51st State, Intolerable Cruelty.
Designer inspiration: 21st Century Kilts, Marc Jacobs, Skilt.
For the contemporary groom there is now an alternative kilt style. If you’re not a clansman, a number of national tartans exist (Scotland, Wales and Ireland all have their own versions) and several outfitters have even designed their own, often in less traditional colours such as greys, creams and purples. There are now kilt makers such as Edinburgh based 21st Century Kilts, who have completely revamped the traditional kilt by using fabrics ranging from tweed, hemp and leather to silver snakeskin PVC and denim. So now you can wear one but have it in any material you like and in any colour, which is brilliant for those who want to stick to a colour scheme. American fashion designer Marc Jacobs has got in spot on with his range of versatile and flattering kilts, worn by Daniel Craig on the red carpet. For a little more inspiration (or convincing), take a look at the annual Dressed to Kilt fashion shows, hosted by none other than Sir Connery. Needless to say, kilts on the modern day man are on the up, constantly seen on the big screen on the likes of Samuel L in The 51st State, and George Clooney as he attends a wedding ceremony in Intolerable Cruelty. Go on, get those legs out, your bride will love it!

Don’t do it!

Highland Wear No NoS:

• It’s not necessary for other male members of the wedding party to wear a kilt as well. Although if they do, make sure it’s in a different pattern to the groom’s so he still stands out.
• The rumours you have heard are true, it is tradition to ‘go commando’ when wearing a kilt. That said, if you’re particularly shy or the forecast for the day predicts bitterly cold weather, then underwear is acceptable.
• Even the shyest will venture forth to ask, “What do you have on under there?” so before your big day, think of several comebacks for this time-worn question. For example, “The future of Bonnie Scotland”, “A katana, didn’t you see Highlander?” or, “Give me your hand and I’ll show you”. I think you know where this is going.
• Give yourself time to research and try on different styles, and don’t feel pressured to wear something you’re not comfortable in. Don’t forget to organise your groomsmen, it’s not a good idea to presume they will be responsible enough to remember all dates and details. Keep them updated with emails and calls to ensure that they meet all the necessary deadlines. Have fun treating yourself to a professional shave and haircut, this is not something your friends should have fun doing on your stag night. And speaking of stag nights, don’t down 104 pints like Oliver Reed did the night before his wedding, it’s not big and it’s not clever.

What makes a wedding vintage?

Vintage – 

adj.

1. Of or relating to a vintage.

2. Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.

3. Old or outmoded.

4.

a. Of the best: played songs that were vintage Cole Porter.

b. Of the most distinctive

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as fond of vintage inspiration as the next person.  I love pretty cake stands and flapper-esque dresses worn with feathers and pearls.  I secretly wish we still all went out in cloche hats and Mary Jane high heels with t bar straps as the norm.

 

But in the bridal world, what exactly does someone mean when they use the word vintage?

Vintage does have a specific meaning; see above for the dictionary.com definitions.  In the clothing industry, vintage is anything that’s between 20 and 100 years old which is recognisable as coming from a distinct period.  The wedding industry, however, seems to throw around the word to reference anything that is china, lace or pastel-coloured.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to use objects from, or inspired by, days gone by.  But why is there then this obsessive urge to label them with the “vintage” tag?  If you use china teacups, it’s vintage.  If you have lace in your dress, it’s vintage.  Birdcage veil?  Birdcages?  Diamante clip in your hair?  Yep, all vintage!  The overuse of the word is getting out of hand. 

A true vintage wedding, for me, is when people pick one era and have everything completely based around that – Vicky Rowe’s 1920’s nuptials are an excellent example of this.  With all the small details in place, from choosing a wedding outfit that draws on styles from that period to ensuring the music danced to is from the same era – that makes a vintage wedding.  A mishmash of things from or influenced by Edwardian times, the 1940s and the 1950s, decorated with a birdcage, topped off with pale coloured roses and tied with a lace bow does not

The other problem vintage is facing, along with its woolly connotations, is its ubiquity.  Once something rather different (as Ruffled founder Amanda says, “When I was planning my own wedding in late 2007, vintage inspired weddings weren’t as ‘in’ as they are today”), vintage is now so mainstream that in one national bridal magazine I read last Autumn, I counted the word fifteen times over ten pages.

 

Brides who originally looked to the past for inspiration were doing it to be a little bit different, a little bit quirky, to make sure their wedding wasn’t an average cookie cutter event.  But by becoming mainstream, vintage is biting itself on the bum.  With everyone hiring china tea sets and having table plans in antique framing, vintage is losing the unique charm it had a few years ago and becoming just as omnipresent as cupcakes or strapless dresses.  It’s getting to the point where brides are feeling obliged to include vintage somewhere in their celebration.  It is no longer definition 4b.

 

So in 2011 I predict a vintage backlash.  A rebellion against the overuse of this word and a move away from having the same decorations and accessories that every other bride has.  The question is, what will replace it?

 - Helen

West Weddings wants you!

We're looking for couples who are interested in having their wedding featured on the blog and in the magazine.

Big or small, traditional or alternative, church or register office - we'd love to speak with you!

If you'd like to be part of our Real Weddings section, please contact Harry Mottram on westweddings@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment, and we'll get in touch.

The Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair

Looking for a way to spend your Sunday?  Look no further!

The first great thing about the Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair is the vendors themselves.  Whether or not it’s vintage crockery, a saucy corset or that statement hairpiece you’re looking for, you’ll not be disappointed.  The BVWF has lots to choose from, including (and these are my favourite) Beehive Brides who specialise in giving you perfect victory rolls and the exquisite handbags from Red Ruby Rose. 

The second great thing about the BVWF is the blog; not only is it full of fab ideas for your big day but it gives you a sneaky peek at what’s going to be at the fair.  Rather than turning up on the day and being overwhelmed by all the gorgeous goodies on offer you can sit down, relax and peruse at your leisure.    

And the third great thing?  The venue itself!  Clifton Pavilion is a stunning two storey art deco building with gorgeous gardens, located inside Bristol Zoo.  The Pavilion is a fully licensed wedding venue itself and if you choose it for your big day the guests even get to explore the zoo.

The fair will be held at Clifton Pavilion on Sunday the 20^th of March and entry is FREE.

For more information go to the blog at http://www.bristolvintageweddingfair.blogspot.com/

or for more information on the Clifton Pavilion check out their site at http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/the-venue.

I have always been a firm advocate for blogging; I like to think I am part of the generation that has made it the successful industry it is today.  So it’s no wonder then, that when wanting to research weddings, I turn to the internet so often.  Over the years more and more brides have been sharing their big days online, and what’s more, some of the sites they are creating have become thriving communities of people who have one thing in common: matrimony.  There is something so liberating about the freedom that comes from the tap of a mouse.  You want a rockabilly wedding?  Here’s a site for you.  You’d like bicycles to be the theme of your day?  Step this way.  You’re dying for a chic inner-city wedding?  You’re not alone.  It’s as if the internet has opened the floodgates to a whole new world of wedding fetishes.  I’m a bit of a closet D.I.Y nut myself so am always on the lookout for blogs that feature crafty of kooky weddings.  But who’s out there writing them and what is there to read?  Two of my favourites are Rock My Wedding and Ruffled.

Ruffled is an American blog written by the ever-so stylish Amanda, on her site she says: “When I was planning my own wedding in late 2007, vintage inspired weddings weren’t as “in” as they are today, which made it a challenge to inspiration and resources to plan my 1930s inspired wedding.”  This struggle to find an easy source of inspiration drove her to start writing her own blog and in 2008 Ruffled was born.  “I started this blog in 2008 as a source of inspiration for vintage brides planning their weddings. Today I have the privilege of calling it my full time job.”  But popularity in the blogging world is not easy to achieve and it is Amanda’s keen eye for detail that helps her select beautifully crafted weddings for the site, ensuring her success.  One of the sites more impressive features is the ‘Recycle Your Wedding’ page on which Brides can list any wedding paraphernalia they may have left over; not only this a great way for brides to lower the cost of their big day, but it is astoundingly good for the environment. 

For a blog a little closer to home head over to Rock My Wedding, a UK blog that screams great taste and charm.  The site says: “Launched in October 2009, Rock My Wedding was created by Charlotte O’Shea a newly-wed with a passion for the pretty and the realisation that UK brides would benefit from a frequently updated on-line resource featuring achievable and unique Big Day inspiration.  Having supported Charlotte’s ideas from the beginning and regularly guest contributing since the launch, Rebecca Norris joined the blog in November 2009 and together with Adam Crohill – designer, developer and “blogfather” extrordinaire, they make up the RMW team.  Rock My Wedding aims to bring soon-to-be-brides a wealth of ideas through fresh and innovative content, daily real wedding eye candy and access to the Industry’s most desirable vendors.”  Not only do they feature UK weddings by the bucket loads but they organise get-togethers for their readers to have a drink, meet the vendors and chat the night away.  Sounds perfect?  I thought you’d agree!

Obviously one of the best things about weddings is the running about manically trying to find anything and everything that will make your day unique.  There’s something magical about trying on dress after dress until you find ‘The One’ or smelling the different flowers for the bouquet, but shops, fairs and florists can be intoxicating and overwhelming and therein lays the beauty of the blog.  An hour or two (or week or month) spent browsing your favourite blog can give you a strong sense of what you’d like to create on your own day and saves on the aching feet.  Because a lot of the brides featured have planned their weddings themselves it is reassuring to see that most of your dreams are achievable and for the most part – affordable.  Besides, what’s the next best thing to planning your own wedding?  Sneakily looking at pictures of someone else’s!  So next time you’re online why not pop on a blog or two and see where it takes you.   

Have a good week brides-to-be,

Hannah

If you want to check out the blogs featured then head to www.ruffledblog.com and www.rockmywedding.com and why not check out West Weddings own website http://www.west-weddings.co.uk/ 

Hello readers, welcome to West Wedding’s brand new blog! 

We’ll be filling it with lots of fab goodies, great shops, beautiful venues and much more, all from the local area so make sure you keep an eye out. 

If you’re still planning your wedding then why not take a look at our handy wedding planning tools or our extensive directory, for anything you might need for your big day.  They’re both just a click away at www.west-weddings.co.uk.

Have fun browsing,

The West Weddings Team