Miscellaneous Monday: Sherlock, Hair Colour Rants, and Vintage (of course)

Favourite Twitter find: vintage wedding dresses by Vintage Lane Bridal

Hunting around on Twitter lately - as we do - we couldn't help but stop and notice these gorgeous vintage wedding gowns on display from Vintage Lane Bridal. This Bolton-based Mother-Daughter team have a large collection of vintage wedding dresses and we love the way they've been styled in these photos. Well done ladies!

We have over 60 beautiful vintage wedding dresses in our boutique, each one unique and one-off! 💕 #bolton #vintage pic.twitter.com/rcniHowsJK
— Vintage Lane (@LoveVintageLane) January 10, 2014

Favourite television wedding: John & Mary Watson on BBC's Sherlock

How could we do a Miscellaneous Monday without referencing the TV wedding of the year (so far)? Like many of you, we were glued to our TVs a couple Sundays ago loving every minute of John & Mary's wedding - and Sherlock's rather 'untraditional' best man speech. Hilarity and mystery ensued while also creating such a heartwarming episode that we found ourselves reaching for the tissues. Well done, Sherlock. Well done.

Favourite style trend: brides with colourful hair

Warning: rant ahead!

So many brides feel constrained in their options for haircuts/colours/styles in the months leading up to their wedding. We can't count the number of times we've heard brides who are normally bold in their style choices talk wistfully about putting their daring side on hold because they're growing their hair out for their wedding, or postponing an exciting colour move because they're just not sure how it'll turn out in photos.

Now - thought caution has its place - you can't move past the undeniable fact that you are getting married NOW and there's only so far you can go toward making your wedding styling and photos 'timeless' because in 20 years your hair, style choices, age, preferences, and so many other things will have changed. Why not embrace who you are today and let that bleed into your wedding photos? If anything, it might make those photos even more precious when you look back and remember what it was like on that day in time - and who you were then.

Rant aside, we honestly just love colourful bridal hair. If it's something you want to do - do it, and unapologetically. You've got our 100% support.

Fashion Friday: Fifties-inspired

For once we're turning today's Fashion Friday from focusing on wedding guests to members of the wedding party - namely, bridesmaids.

In recent years we've seen trends for bridesmaids' dresses branch out into vintage, eclectic, mixed-colours, casual, trousers-and-shirts, and just about everything non-traditional. While there's much to be said for the non-traditional, there's also a lot to be said for a throwback to a simple, flattering, A-line dress cut (which, as a bonus, still hearkens of 'vintage' for those of you still wed to that trend). An additional benefit of the A-line cut is that its simplicity allows you to play more with colour and patterns without causing too much distraction for the eye.

To convince you, we've rounded up four of our favourite A-line, fifties-inspired gowns for the modern bridesmaid. Enjoy!

Fifties All The Way by westweddings featuring a black dress

Find us on Polyvore at Polyvore.com/WestWeddings.

'Nostalgic' new bridal collection

Vintage has been so 'in' for the past few years, that it's rare to see a new twist and fresh inspiration on the concept, particularly in the world of bridal gowns. At West Weddings we love vintage as much as anyone, but noteworthy pieces are becoming fewer and farther between.

Well, we were in for a surprise when we heard this week from Annalise Harvey, an award-winning bridal designer, who has recently put her twist on the vintage concept (to 'reclaim' vintage, in her words). She was kind enough to send us some photos!

Lulu

Nostalgia is a collection of six dresses that take the best elements of dresses from the past and update them to appeal to the modern bride.

Probably a favourite out of this collection (at least if the blog editor is choosing - which she is!) is 'Lulu'. The sheer long sleeves on this dress are beautiful, and the inspiration seems more 'retro' than 'vintage', which is amazing to see in a wedding dress. This dress in particular is executed in a classy way -- not distracting from the bride herself -- that still shows a strong sense of style.

Becky

Evangeline

We love these silk dresses, and the gorgeous lace work is done entirely by hand!

Annalise's take on her dresses is that "it isn't about creating a wow dress - the wedding isn't about the frock!" The bride is the most important feature of the wedding, she says, "and (the bride's) gown must reflect who she is and make her feel at her utmost best, because if she feels that way, she will look that way. 

Angelique

"I see the dress as the perfect frame for the beautiful woman that the groom has fallen in love with."

-- we agree, Annalise. We agree.

Wedding Fayre with a Vintage Twist - 17th April

Goldney Hall, Clifton, Bristol will be hosting a Wedding Fayre in association with Aunties Vintage China on the 17th April. The event will be running from 11am till 4pm and entry is £1.  All entry fees will be donated directly to Breast Cancer UK.

For more information visit www.goldneyweddingfayre.co.uk or call 0117 954 5501.