Being an old married and having been married in Las Vegas (yes with Elvis), I’m a bit envious of those doing a more traditional wedding. Especially when it comes to the wedding fairs.
Andy is getting married next year and it’s fascinating being able to observe the whole kerfuffle, without being involved. Luckily she’s happy to share her experiences.
As I’m getting married in February 2014, the countdown has begun in style. I’m not your average bride; the mention of ribbon or diamante brings me out in a cold sweat, and I won’t touch on issues I have with glitter (am I getting married in a 1970’s Bowie music video? No? Well then). However, vintage is something I am happy to indulge, at length, as often as possible, and then some.
I was lucky enough to win free entry to the White Memoirs Vintage Wedding Fair courtesy of Social Butterfly and Helen at Didsbury Life, who tweeted about the event. Along with a friend of mine – another vintage fan also getting married, we arrived at Stockport Town Hall one cold Sunday morning.
Entering the hall we spotted Kiku Boutique displaying some very pretty lingerie, bridal shrugs and of course, beautiful corsets. Their store in the Northern Quarter is a real find for anyone looking for corsetry and they take bespoke orders too.
Among the stalls offering cakes, stationery, accessories and theme ideas were some vintage fair regulars, including Stuart Thornley Cake Design who can be found at Vintage Village and Bethany from The Vintage Beauty Parlour.
Refreshingly, there were a number of alternative themed stalls – a break from lace, glass, pearls and distressed card that you expect to find at a vintage wedding fair. A few of note were Stella Photography, Gladstone and Froggy Went Courting.
Anyone who can make ‘zombie-ish-bride’ and ‘day of the dead’ suitable for a wedding is A-OK in my book and with lots of tattoo themed artwork and vintage cameras on their stall, Stella Photography run with the tag-line ‘Till Death Do As Part’. Morbidly fantastic!
And don’t be worried fellas, you were well and truly taken care of at the White Memoirs Fair, with a number of stalls specifically catering for gentlemen, whether you be guest, groom, father of the bride or best man, Froggy Went Courting had ties, cravats, waistcoats and cufflinks available and an even larger collection online.
Ensuring that your gentlemen guests looks suave for the special day, the boys from Gladstone, by far the best dressed folk at the fair, have a special deal to be most proud of. They offer best-man and groom experiences that include haircuts, hot towel shaves and champagne breakfast on the morning of the wedding. Very dapper indeed.
I was happily milling about the hall when I had the pleasant surprise of bumping into my own wedding photographer – Dotmoxee Photography. Emilie and John-Paul run with a vintage theme that isn’t all hearts and flowers and their pictures have a natural look about them.
Pictured here with Emily is the lovely lady from Penny Brown Bridal. I’d recommend them for their pretty headpieces, made with traditional Victorian milliner techniques and using vintage patterns for their designs. They also take commissions.
Moving around the room you were met with really pretty crockery and table settings from For The Love of Vintage. Sharon works with And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon in Didsbury, and was entirely indulging me in my ideas for a ‘Boiled Egg’ night that a friend and I have planned for July. She then put me on to Sixpence In Her Shoe who dressed my hair in prettiest of bows and veils.
All in all I had a lovely time. I was so pleased with the atmosphere – all the stall holders were genuinely pleased to speak to you if you stopped by. The exhibits were very well thought out, nothing was inappropriate or not in theme and with plenty of cards handed to me so that I might look online later, I’m going to be one busy bride-to-be over the next couple of weeks.
White Memoirs Wedding Fair will be on again in October and if you’re looking for something that little bit different, I’d urge you to stop by.