VINTAGE INSPIRATION

So, you are inspired by a certain era and know exactly what you want your wedding gown to look like but you can't find a vintage original - what is a girl to do? A beautifully designed and hand made vintage-inspired gown could be the answer, so we are lucky to have Lizzie Agnew exhibiting at our Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday 13th June.

Inspired by some of fashion's most glamorous eras, Lizzie Agnew designs and makes beautiful vintage style gowns and dresses from her studio and award winning boutique, Atelier, in Queen's Arcade, Belfast. Since attending St. Martin's School of Art in London, Lizzie has spent over 20 years designing and creating beautiful garments, her work has appeared in numerous publications including The Guardian and The Irish Independent. She offers a unique design service and by working closely with the client can create a fabulous gown for any occasion.

Whether it's a wedding dress, evening gown, or just a gorgeous frock Lizzie's beautiful designs, and her use of luxurious fabrics such as fine silk dupion, shantung, taffeta and velvet will make any woman feel sensational in a classisc garment which can be treasured for years to come.
 
Also very popular are Lizzie's 'Dresses To Go'. These pure silk, vintage style, wrap dresses are available in a wide range of colours. If you have a particular colour in mind, Lizzie can make up a special order for you - perfect for bridesmaids! There are three parts: a 50's style tiered petticoat, fully lined silk skirt & matching bandeau bodice. Size is not an issue! It will fit most figures - from size 8 to 14 - and as with the colour, sizes outside this range can be made to order.
 
 

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

ALRIGHT PETAL

Wedding flower specialists The Camomile Lawn offer old-fashioned, friendly customer service so we are happy to have them exhibiting at our Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday 13th June.

Florist Carolyn Webb prides herself on attention to details; tied with her artistic flair, experience, passion and drive, you are sure to receive flowers of an exceptional standard. Whether you desire wedding flowers that have a vintage feel or are cutting-edge contemporary, Carolyn will assist you in achieving the look that you have always dreamt of.

Telephone 07988865662 to arrange a wedding consultation - a warm welcome awaits you!

The first 100 lucky ladies to visit our vintage bridal event will receive a goodie bag which will contain a voucher entitling them to 10% off the total value of any wedding flowers booked with The Camomile Lawn before 31st December 2010!

HEAVENLY BODIES

Every bride wants to enhance her natural beauty and radiance on her wedding day, with many indulging in several well-deserved pampering and beauty sessions before the big day. With this in mind Beauty Haven will be offering tasters of some of their popular treatments at our Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday 13th June.

Ladies visiting the event will be able to avail of free indepth skin analysis using the  Beauty Haven skin scanner. Also available will be arm and hand exfoliation and mini manicures. Perfect for making hands beautiful in readiness for close-up photographs of the rings!

In addition to this the first 100 lucky ladies to visit the event will receive a goodie bag which contains a voucher entitling them to 20% off any beauty treatment at the Beauty Haven salon on Stranmillis Road, Belfast.

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

HOUSE OF CARDS

Sunday 13th June is not just the date of Ireland’s first ever Vintage Bridal Fair - it is also the first big outing for Arbee Cards Wedding & Occasion Stationery, a brand new company specialising in custom-made invitations and vintage-inspired designs.

Owner & designer Rachel has over 10 years experience in designing & creating invitations, at first just for family and friends’ weddings, engagements and other celebrations, but word of mouth spread and demand grew until Arbee Cards was formed in Spring 2010. Arbee Cards believe that every bride and groom deserve something uniquely theirs to celebrate their special day. Rachel says 'that’s why we only do custom designs for each wedding, with the design inspired by and always remaining unique to that couple. We pride ourselves on making beautiful, unusual, quirky or elegant stationery and work with all styles and all budgets. We really love the chance to design something more unusual, or we have plenty of great ideas if you just don’t know what you want! Come and have a chat with us at the Fair'.

Arbee specialise in vintage-inspired design, with much of Rachel’s inspiration coming from her collections of vintage magazines, photographs and old haberdashery buttons and bows. A new range of vintage-inspired greetings cards will also be on sale at the Fair, plus a special discount voucher and complimentary gift for all the lucky goodie bag holders.

Email: hello@arbeecards.co.uk
Web: http://www.arbeecards.co.uk/
Blog: http://www.arbeecards.blogspot.com/

THE LADY IS A VAMP

We all want to look seductive on our wedding night, and let's face it the old towelling dressing gown is just not going to cut the mustard! There is nothing quite as sexy as the lingerie worn by the stars of the silver screen in the days when slinky gowns in luscious silks and satin trimmed with decadent lace and frou frou frills accentuated womanly curves rather than revealing too much naked flesh.

With the current revived fascination for pin-up glamour it is only natural that our love of vintage clothing extend to the boudoir, and with this in mind Elayne McNicholl of Revamp has sourced a selection of deadstock luxury nightwear and lingerie from the 1930s to the 1970s to bring to our Vintage Bridal Fair. Perfect for the wedding night, honeymoon, and for simply lounging around the house while your loved one admires and adores you.

Revamp will also be selling vintage wedding gowns, veils and accessories, bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, mother of the bride outfits and 'alternative' wedding dresses. Or how about this vintage girdle to give you a svelte outline under your gown?

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

THINK PINK

Choosing wedding stationery is an important decision for brides in the preparation for the big day. The wedding invitation is the formal announcement to guests of the impending nuptials, and it sets the scene for the ceremony and reception. The chosen design not only reflects the personality and style of the happy couple but it also usually indicates whether the wedding is going to be a lavish affair or a more relaxed occasion.  In other words, the wedding invitation is the first glimpse that your guests will have of your special day and you will probably want your wedding stationery to be as perfect as your bridal gown. Certainly, with all the choice that is out there, choosing your invitiations can be just as difficult as choosing your dress!

We will have three very different exhibitors of wedding and occasion stationery at our Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday 13th June, all of whom make delightfully romantic handcrafted cards.

First of all you are invited to step out of the ordinary and into the unique…

Into the world of Pink Elephant Cards, a world where heartfelt sentiments come wrapped in sumptuous satin bows, paper butterflies and a sprinkle of glitter. By choosing Pink Elephant Cards for your special occasion you will be supporting the training towards employment of people with learning disabilities/difficulties.

Wedding stationery and cards for all occasions are designed and created at Stepping Stones - a Lisburn based organisation who provide training and support to enable people with learning difficulties / disabilities to fulfil their work potential.

For more information, visit their website http://www.stepping-stones.org.uk/ or contact them at the following address:

Pink Elephant Cards
Stepping Stones N.I. Ltd
39 Seymour Street
Lisburn
BT27 4SY

T. 028 9266 7124

E. pinkelephant@stepping-stones.org.uk

THE LOOK OF LOVE

Claire McEvoy is one of Ireland's top make-up artists and we are proud to have her on the Frock Around The Clock beauty team. Having worked regularly on magazine photo shoots, fashion shows and advertising campaigns she has a vast commercial portfolio, but is also in great demand for occasion and wedding make-up.

Claire will be available at our Vintage Bridal Fair on 13th June for make-up application and advice, and to help you design a signature make-up look for your wedding day, or other special occasion. Brides are radiant with love on their wedding day but professional make-up will enhance that natural beauty, creating a flawless finish that will be caught on photographic film and video. Claire's experience at creating beauty looks for the camera will ensure that the bride's beauty is captured to perfection for the wedding album. Here are a few of the looks that she created for our vintage bridal photoshoot.

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

BAND OF GOLD

We recently featured Jennifer Robinson of Robinson Goldsmiths on our Frock Around The Clock blog when we fell in love with her vintage stamp jewellery http://frockaroundtheclockvintagefairs.blogspot.com/2010/05/stamp-duty.html.

We are pleased to announce that she will be appearing at our Vintage Bridal Fair on 13th June when she will be exhibiting a beautiful range of antique gold jewellery. Wearing a piece of history on your wedding day takes care of the 'Something Old' in the well known adage that we all like to honour to bring good luck to the proceedings. A piece of antique jewellery also makes a lovely and unique gift for a bridesmaid.

The award winning family run jewellery business also specialise in sculptured wedding rings to fit any shape of engagement ring. There will be a goodie bag for the first 100 lucky ladies to arrive at the Vintage Bridal Fair which will include a voucher entitling them to 15% off wedding rings and £10 off Rhodium plating at Robinson Goldsmiths, so those in search of a band of gold should make sure to stop by Jennifer's stand.

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

FASCINATION

Fionnuala Eastwood of Fionedesign will be exhibiting her bridal headwear at our Vintage Bridal Fair on Sunday 13th June. Inspired by a fascination of old Hollywood movies, and incorporating the use of vintage textiles in her creations, Fione Designs are the perfect choice for the vintage-style bride.

Visit Fionnuala's website http://www.fionedesign.com/ for more details and designs.

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

Visit http://www.northernirelandvintage.com/ for more details.

HAIR COMES THE BRIDE

Looking for inspiration for a vintage hairstyle for your wedding or other special occasion? Kelly McLean of Ashby Hair will be in attendance at Ireland's first Vintage Bridal Fair, allowing you to indulge in the glamour and decadence of days gone by. Whether you want to create an era-specific hairdo to complement a period gown, or you just want to add some pin-up star glamour to your bridal beauty look, Kelly will discuss ideas with you and create a tailor-made hair design to suit your individuality and style.

Kelly is the resident hair artist for Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fairs and has worked on various vintage-style photoshoots including AU Magazine, Mid-Ulster's Next Top Model, and has been featured on Radio Ulster's Saturday Magazine. Here are some styles that she created for our recent vintage bridal photoshoot.

Vintage bridal-wear by Decadence

Hair by Kelly McLean

Make-up by Claire McEvoy

Photography by Ryan Wilson

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast from 12 - 5pm. Admission costs £5 and there will be goodie bags for the first 100 visitors.

I SHOULD KOKO

Appearing at Ireland's first Vintage Bridal Fair this June is Koko Designs. Applied artist Karen O'Kane will be selling her beautiful handpainted evening bag designs which she not only creates in vintage styles of the 1920s - 1950s but also handcrafts them from upcycled fabrics and trimmings of the period. Each bag is handpainted by Karen, ensuring that each piece is completely individual.

These colourful and delicate designs are perfect not only for special occasions, but also for everyday use as they are much too exquisite to hide away.

For a preview of what to expect at our Vintage Bridal Fair, visit Karen's website www.kokodesigns.ie

Wristlet bag with detachable corsage - image © Karen O'Kane

















The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Bridal Fair takes place on Sunday 13th June at Malone House, Belfast. Visit http://www.northernirelandvintage.com/ for more information.