Tea Length Inspiration

One of my friends has expressed concern that my wedding dress isn’t going to feel ‘special enough’ if it’s tea length.

“You have plenty of dresses in your cupboard like that already, you can wear them whenever you want,” she points out.

And she’s right. Apart from my love of vintage, tea length dresses are flattering on me. They’re by far the most prevalent type of dres I own. Perhaps it’s because of this, or in spite of it, I don’t know, that I can’t picture myself wearing any other type of wedding dress. I’ve looked at other styles of dresses and though they’re gorgeous, I just can’t imagine walking down the aisle in them, or doing my first dance in them.

So I thought I’d put together some inspiration pictures, pictures of women like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren wearing tea length wedding dresses. ‘Coz those women know how to dress, they’ve got class and their look is timeless.

But it turns out it’s remarkably hard to find photographs of them in tea length wedding dresses. Or at least, photographs where you can tell it’s a tea length wedding dress.

I’ll have to keep looking, but here’s what I have so far. And if you know of any other photographs, please let me know.

Audrey Hepburn Fifties Dress

Grace Kelly Civil Wedding

M_____ RSVP

It turns out that I’m not the only person who had no idea why the space for your name on an RSVP was preceded by an “m”.
Is it a place holder, I wondered. Does the word “name” start with “M” in French? Answer, I still don’t know.

But it’s ok, ‘coz google is my friend. And he tells me (or at least links me to pages that tell me what it’s for.

And it turns out it’s so that you don’t have to trouble yourself as to the writing of the first “M” in your title.

See how handy that is? Sure, your hand may normally cramp up writing Mr and Mrs Incredibly-Long-First-Name Followed-By-Incredibly-Long-Last-Name, but that pre-printed “M” has solved all your problems!

I think I’ll be leaving the “M” off mine, and either leaving it blank, or preceding it with “We/I” ___________.

What would/did you do?

Vintage Carousel

One of the things I had always wanted for my wedding was photographs with an old carousel (merry-go-round). I had found somewhere that hires them out.

Vintage Carousel

How amazing would photos taken on that look?
And then I feel in love with them even more, when I found this photograph:

Paris Wedding Photograph

I wish I could remember where I found it so I can credit it, so if you know, let me know.

Unfortunately, I had to let go of the dream when we moved out wedding from the one reception centre in the Dandenongs to a separate ceremony and reception venue in the CBD. I don’t think the City of Melbourne would take to kindly to be blocking off their roads with a carousel, no matter how awesome it is.

Of course, when I showed my fiance the wedding photo, he immediately declared that we should honeymoon in Europe and get dressed up in our wedding stuff for photos there. And how can a girl say no to that?

Bubbles

I loved the idea of having bubbles being blown (especially by kids!) at our wedding, but the bubbles you can usually get, while cheap, tend to look it, too.

Enter this idea I saw on Tahoe Unveiled

Key and Jam Jar Bubble Blower

How gorgeous is that? It helps that I love the old mortice keys and have been dying to find a way to incorporate them into the wedding.

Classic Wedding/Romance Movies

As part of my attempt to re-create a vintage feel for my wedding, I have decided I need to watch some classic 1930s-1950s movies (oh dear, however will I survive).

But now the challenge arises, I can’t actually name that many classic movies that I know have weddings in them, so I’m on a quest to find them.

I’ll include a list here (in no particular order), but feel free to comment with any others to help me along:

1. Father of the Bride – 1950s style.
I had no idea that the ‘modern’ Father of the Bride was a re-make of an old movie. I look forward to seeing what it was originally meant to be like. Stars Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor

2. It Happened One Night – 1934
Starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert

3. The Quiet Man – 1952
Starring John Wayne and Mareen O’Hara

4. How to Marry a Millionare – 1953
Starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Gable & Lauren Bacall

5. Sabrina – 1954
Starring Huphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn

6. An Affair To Remember – 1957
Starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr

7. The Philadelphia Story – 1940
Starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn

8. Roman Holiday – 1953
Starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn

9. Let’s Make it Legal – 1951
Starring Claudette Colbert

10. Dream Wife – 1953
Starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr

11. Once Upon a Honeymoon – 1942
Starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers

12. Without Love – 1945
Starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn

13. East Side, West Side – 1949
Starring James Mason and Barbara Stanwyck

14. Here Comes the Groom – 1951
Starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman

15. We’re Not Married! – 1952
Starring Marilyn Monroe and Ginger Rogers

16. Anna Karenina – 1935
Starring Greta Garbo, Fredric March and Freddie Bartholomew

17. I Was a Male War Bride – 1949
Starring Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan and Marion Marshall

18. A Foreign Affair – 1948
Starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich and John Lund

19. Dodsworth – 1936
Starring Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton and Paul Lukas

20. Since You Went Away – 1944
Starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten

Lego Cake Topper

I saw this post on Offbeat Bride that showed a cute cake topper made from lego people!

Lego Cake Topper

My fiance LOVES lego (almost as much as I love stationery) and conveniently for my vintage themed wedding, Lego (as I am informed by the always reliable wikipedia) began existance in its present form in 1949, so for once we actually agreed on this.

Now I just need to track them down. I was (not so) reliably informed that if you emailed Lego they’d send them out to you as a ‘congratulations’, but it turns out this isn’t the case.

Ebay, here I come!

Vintage Coaster/Sticker Bonbonniere

I’ve discovered the awesomeness of Cavallini & Co and their vintage inspired stationery.

Mainly these cute labels/stickers that the fiance and I are considering sticking over mdf coasters and then laquering:

Destination Labels

Par Avion Labels

How awesome would they look?
I’m kinda hoping no one takes them so that I can have them all!

Teapot Centrepiece

I asked my fiance about the lollipop centrepiece last night.
He rolled his eyes at me and said “Really?” Which of course means “please for the love of god no, but I don’t want to fight about it.” After I explained that it combined the bonbonniere and centrepiece and cut costs, he sighed reluctantly and said “Fine.” which of course means “I still hate the idea, but I don’t want to fight about it.”

So I countered with another idea I’ve been thinking about. Teapot centrepieces. With the teapot as a vase. With flowers. And silver trays underneath, like tea is about to be served (instead of the mirrors the everyone else uses).

Surprisingly he was less opposed to this idea. This time he sighed and said “Well, at least that seems like you.” Which is true. ‘Coz I am a HUGE tea drinker. Everyone knows it. Including my friends who specially stock tea and milk for me at parties, instead of alcohol.

So I was thinking a centrepiece like this:

Teapot Centrepiece

I especially love the books in this one, as a book fiend.
And I’m sure I’d actually be able to fine enough teapots (and possibly books) to actually make this myself, cheaply.

Still not sure how to include his love of geography, though.

Image courtesy of Design Sponge Online.

Frustrating Caterers

I’m busy trying to find a reception venue, because everything books out so far in advance.

We found a nice-ish hotel (Victoria Hotel in the Melbourne CBD if anyone wants to know), but it seems a bit small and cramped for the 100 guests we plan on stuffing in there, and even with it being the cheapest venue we’ve found, at $98/head it’s still pricer than we want. While we’re not trying to do this on a shoe-string, $10,000 just to feed people seems a lot.

So instead we thought we’d look at hiring a hall and getting in caterers. We both love the look of the Fitzroy Town Hall but we’d need to get caterers in, and therein lies the problem. None of the caterers want to get back to me. I must have emailed 6-7 of them, and no replies as yet. It’s getting very frustrating, because there’s not that many more caterers out there. I know I could just call them, but if they want my business so little that they can’t even reply with a courtesy email, I’m not sure I want to give them my business, yaknow?

Bridesmaids Gifts

I’ve been thinking about what to get my bridesmaids as their ‘thank you’ present, and I’m liking the idea of getting them a locket with ‘thanks’ engraved on the front (or back) and a photograph of us inside. I think I’ve found lockets I like, it’s just a matter of waiting for them to go on sale. I did buy some off ebay, but they seem like they’re made of silver coated plastic, and I’m afraid of what will happen to them if I get them engraved.

Then I thought I’d also get them a ‘happily ever after’ movie. But I’m stumped as to what to get for at least two of the girls. One will get the Princess and the Frog ‘coz she loves that movie, and the other just needs a romantic movie starring Cary Grant that she doesn’t already have. I’m thinking maybe the Princess Bride for another (assuming she doesn’t already have it). And that just leaves my Maid of Honour.

And finally to round the presents out, and since I’m having a vintage theme, I thought maybe a fan/parasol/compact mirror/handbag holder. Or, depending on the price, perhaps all of them.

Any thoughts? What did you guys get your bridesmaids?