A friend of mine who is engaged recently started her search for the perfect wedding dress, and asked if I could send some ideas her way. As we all know, finding THE wedding dress is one of the hardest parts of planing a wedding (but admittedly, the most fun). Her request? “A ’20s-bohemian-style wedding dress with a simple silhouette but a hint of pizazz.” I thought I would start a search to see what kind of dresses I could find that fit the bill, and that came in under $2,000 (an ideal wedding dress budget, I think).
When looking for a vintage-style wedding dress, one of the first things you should do is decide which era you like best. For example, the 1920′s was all about straight-lines, knee and calf-lengths, dropped and free-flowing waists, and simple and more lightweight silhouettes. (the 1940′s, for example, was also a simple decade, but dresses had broader sleeves and more cinched waists.)
Granted, you can take cues from a past decade for your wedding dress, but you don’t necessarily have to find an exact replica. You can look for dresses that have a 1920′s vibe, without looking like you’re going to enter a costume contest!
Here’s some ideas I sent to her:
- I am obsessed with Yolan Cris’s designs. They don’t sell in the U.S. yet, but they are great to use as inspiration, and to show bridal boutiques in your neighborhood to see if they can come up with any dresses with the same look. The Yolan Cris “Colección Revival Vintage” is GORGEOUS.
- The Vintage Wedding Dress Company, which sells only out of its London store, is another great place to find inspiration. Their vintage dress recreations (broken down by decade) are beautiful, and a great excuse to suddenly plan a London vacation!
- Delphine Manivet is a french designer who has some great, vintage-y, bohemian dresses (long and short), and is at the Lovely Bridal boutique in the East Village among other locations.
- Claire Pettibone is a really great designer doing vintage-style wedding dresses, with lace and simple silhouettes. She has a good selection of dresses under $2,000.
- Google is your friend. A search for “vintage 1920′s wedding dresses” will pull up a lot of junk, but it will also pull up a couple winners. If you’re looking for a less formal dress that can be worn again and again, something like this 1920′s-style dress from LeLuxe would be great.
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