Vintage Wedding Inspiration

Our latest vintage inspiration comes from Betty Smith Conoley from Grand Junction, Colorado.

Betty was married in 1969 in Cortez, Colorado. Her mother, Cora Smith, made her dress. The gown featured 3/4 sleeves, a floor length A-line skirt and a jewel neckline. It was made of white satin and did not have a train.

I love the simplicity of her gown. She is a very sweet bride with her hair down, little ballet flats and a cute, shy smile. I can't explain how adorable they are....Don't you just want to hug them?

It was fun to hear my mom talk about the photo when she saw it. Knowing that her and Betty were married around the same time, it's fun for her to see what other brides were doing fashion-wise in the 1960's. Big, puffy dresses were the big trend at the time and she was very proud to say that her and Betty were very "fashion forward" to wear a more simple, elegant gown.

Vintage Wedding Inspiration ~ Grace Kelly

{image from dcnearlyweds.com, photography by Howell Conant and Life Magazine}

On the eve of the 52nd wedding anniversary (The civil ceremony was on April 18, 1956, the formal ceremony was the next day.), I thought it would be most appropriate to highlight our most beloved American actress, Grace Kelly.

Helen Rose , the wedding gown designer and MGM costume designer thought the formal gown should reflect the actress' personality—"simple but elegant, feminine, ladylike but not necessarily regal," and that Miss Kelly's dress should "not overpower her beauty." (very smart advice for all brides if you ask Millie). The famous wedding dress has a high neck, long-sleeved bodice and was made out of Brussels lace. The "bell-shaped" silk faille skirt has no folds in front, but is heavily pleated in back; three petticoats and a 14-inch long skirt. (How did she move?)

The headpiece was also made of rose point lace and decorated with a wreath of delicate wax orange blossoms,(Jackie O had orange blossoms?) leaves fashioned from tiny pearls, and wired lace motifs. The circular veil was also embellished with rose point lace motifs, including two tiny lovebirds, and accented with seed pearls. Her prayer book and shoes were also encrusted with lace and seed pearls.

I'm loving all the tiny details on the whole wedding ensemble, and how about those tiny, delicate buttons up the front of the dress? I love buttons! Though, I'm not sure how comfortable this dress was- long sleeves are usually so uncomfortable. She wore it well and the style became a huge hit in the bridal fashion world during that time.

If you have a little time, you have to watch these!!! Can you image your wedding being covered like this??? Crazy!!!

Princess Bride

{images from showbizz.cbs.com}

What little girl didn't want to be a princess one time or another in her life? If I had to pick the most famous wedding gown, I would have to say Princess Diana's wedding dress would win. I've never seen so much information about one lonely wedding frock. There are tons of photos, news segments, and even a book dedicated just to the gown itself. Amazing.....

According to the IcWales.co.uk, Elizabeth Emanuel (Diana's wedding gown designer) just came out with her own high-street wedding dress collection. It's everything you would expect from the Princess's designer- frilly, puffy, and full of romance. Not exactly Millie bride material, but if you dreamed of looking like Cinderella on your wedding day you might enjoy these fairytale styles.

Here is a taste of a few of the more simplified gowns from Elizabeth Emanuel's collection~

{images from elizabethemanuel.co.uk.}

Vintage Wedding Inspiration

To continue with the old wedding photo inspiration idea, I thought I would dig into the old shoe boxes this week..... Can you guess who this is? It's my mom and dad!! Okay, so I know I'm a little bias, but how gorgeous are they?

The story behind the wedding dress you ask?? The last time my mother saw the dress, it was in the attic next to my dad's hunting clothes...about 27 years ago. When we moved from Michigan to Colorado in 1981, the hunting clothes made it but no wedding dress????? This is certainly an on-going dispute in the Panozzo household. Ha!

The dress was made with white silk and featured a boat neckline, three-quarter sleeves with a sheath skirt and detachable train. It also had a lace panel running down the front. My mother said it only cost her $150.00!!!! (Remember folks, it was 1966...those were the days eh?)

I'm digging the sheath skirt with the detachable train idea. It's a trend that comes and goes.....I would think this would be ideal for a destination wedding........ Do you think Oscar is feelin' it too?

{image from Martha Stewart Weddings, Gown is a Oscar de le Renta}

Jackie O Inspiration

Being an extremely nostalgic person, I absolutely love old wedding photos. I'm not quite sure what it is.......I just can't get enough of them. I thought it might be fun to go down memory lane every now and then and try to find some true inspiration.

I thought we would start off with one of the most iconic brides there ever was....Ms. Jackie O. Ohhhhh how I love thee! Truly, one of my favorites- A fashion icon my mother and I can talk about for hours (I love how my mom talks about her like she was an old girlfriend from high school....I swear she knows every story).

The story goes that Jackie didn't even like her wedding gown. Supposedly, the Kennedy's picked it out for her. It was made with 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta and took more than two months to make. The designer was Ann Lowe, an African-American dress-maker. The dress featured a portrait neckline and bouffant skirt decorated with interwoven bands of tucking and tiny wax flowers.

Jackie wore her grandmother’s heirloom rose point lace veil, attached to her hair with a small tiara of lace and traditional orange blossoms. She also wore a single strand of family pearls, a diamond leaf pin, which was a wedding present from Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, and a diamond bracelet the groom had presented to her the evening before the wedding. She carried a bouquet of white and pink spray orchids and gardenias.

Do you think it was a coincidence that I wore a cathedral veil and my mother's bridal bouquet was gardenias??? I think not.

{information about the gown from John F. Kennedy Library and Museum }

{image from Dailyville's photos on Flickr}

Here's a better picture of her actual gown. The gown was on display at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the September 12, 1953 wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.