Tuesday 28 February 2012

Madeleine Bride

About Madeleine Bride




Madeleine Bride is a luxury bridal accessories company that fulfills the desire for beautifully hand crafted millinery design. Seaming subtle originality and luxurious detail and embellishment with cutting edge sophistication the label specialises in contemporary designs with a vintage bohemian edge.




The Madeleine Bride 2012 collection 'The Summer of Love...' encapsulates romance, elegance and the glamour of bygone eras. Taking inspiration from the sparkling 1920s to the hazy bohemian days of the 1970s, the collection includes a range of feminine silhouettes from jewelled 1960s crowns to alice bands decorated with vintage lace and handcut butterflies.




Each piece is hand crafted in a studio on the edge of the New Forest using the finest materials; silks, organzas, tulles, vintage lace, freshwater pearls & Swarovski crystals and can be made to match any colour. Headpieces to match bridesmaids' dresses are also available. Madeleine Bride also offer a bespoke design service for brides who would like something completely unique to them. 

Madeleine Bride strives to be an ethical design company and source all materials from companies based in the UK or Europe.



About Madeleine




Madeleine Bride was established by textile and millinery designer Madeleine O'Mahony. Every piece is designed and hand crafted in her studio in Hampshire using the finest materials. Having developed a love for sewing and designing from a young age, Madeleine studied fashion and textile design at Winchester School of Art. She then worked in London designing womens wear fashion prints and hand stitched Indian embroideries before working as a Senior Designer for Vivien Sheriff Millinery for four years.  




Madeleine's designs have been featured in several bridal publications including Conde Nast Brides, You and Your Wedding and Wedding magazine and her millinery designs have been worn by both Kate and Pippa Middleton.



You & Madeleine




Creativity is at the heart of the Madeleine Bride philosophy. We understand that many modern brides would prefer a more relaxed alternative style to their wedding – a world away from the cookie cutter princess weddings. 

“As a designer every occasion demands my personal attention – I am not just a faceless name; I'm involved in every stage from the initial consultation, through creation to the finished veil or headpiece.” 
- Madeleine



Inspiration




'My personal inspiration is eclectic and comes from a diverse collection of experiences and interests ; a love for travel has inspired a passion for Mexican folk art and Moroccan Art Deco. Other inspirations include driving down long hazy roads in the Arizonan desert, fresh winter walks past art deco architecture in Miami, beautiful African textiles, a love for art, particularly Bauhaus and Modernism or just a brisk morning walk in the Dorset countryside.

My style incorporates several years of designing fashion prints and embroideries, a love of fashion and world textiles combined with a desire to create beautifully hand crafted bridal designs.'


Monday 27 February 2012

Sarah-Leigh's Style Files Trend Booth


The Sarah-Leigh's Style Files Trend Booth

Photo by Ina Halsor


Want to know about future trends for weddings or seeking creative styling ideas for your big day?

Sarah-Leigh Wade is a trend forecaster and editor for a large fashion publishing company, providing the fashion, bridal and product design industries with trend advice and reporting from the worlds best catwalk shows and trade fairs. 

In 2009 she launched the blog 'Sarah-Leigh's Style Files' to provide a behind the scenes glimpse at her work life, loves and inspiration, while in 2012 she launched #Hashtag, a creative brand and social media consultancy practice.


Photo - Angela Ward Brown


A bride-to-be herself, Sarah-Leigh will be providing visitors to The Dorset Vintage Wedding Fair with top wedding trend advice, bridal styling ideas and practical planning tips. 

Stop by the booth & let Sarah-Leigh know all your creative wedding woes!  

Sunday 26 February 2012

The Little Cheese Company


The Little Cheese Company



Welcome back to The Little Cheese Company who will be showcasing their wedding cheese cakes at The Dorset Vintage Wedding Fair


A cheese wedding cake offers a delicious alternative to the traditional fruitcake. A lot of people don't necessarily like fruitcake and a cheese wedding cake is the perfect solution for those brides and grooms looking for something a little bit different.




The Little Cheese Company is based in a small village on the edge of the Cranborne Chase in Dorset. We specialise in creating unique cheese displays and bespoke tiered celebration cakes made entirely of cheese. All our cheeses are selected for quality and taste and sourced from both here in the UK and from the very best exclusive cheese makers from around the world.




As part of our service we can personally attend your party venue to create your bespoke wedding or celebration cake on site; we can also offer advice on serving the cheeses and, when required, give advice on wine choices. 




Our celebration cakes are decorated with a selection of flowers, ribbons, nuts and fresh fruits including figs, apricots and strawberries. We provide celebration cakes to suit every taste, theme or colour scheme.



You simply provide us with your budget and event details and we'll do the rest!


Saturday 25 February 2012

Cherished Vintage Accessories


Cherished Vintage Accessories


It is great to welcome back so many exhibitors from the first Dorset Vintage Wedding Fair especially  when they are of the calibre of  
Cherished Vintage Accessories.


...New memories to cherish from cherished memories of old. Handcrafted bridal accessories, inspirationally created by designer Abby Gadd from antique and vintage jewellery. 

Diamante and Olive Rhinestone


Cherished creates beautiful tiaras, headbands, combs and hairpins from vintage jewellery, lace and millinery. Their collection of unique, one-off headpieces is deliberately eclectic, reflecting the individuality of the original treasures. 

Minna Headband.
Image courtesy of Heavenly Vintage Brides.


As a designer, and with a background as an historian, Abby loves the 'upcycling' that a Cherished headpiece entails. Many of the original pieces she uses in her designs have lain forgotten in jewellery boxes for years; some are brooches with missing pins, some necklaces with broken clasps or strings, others are single earrings unable to be used for their original purpose.

Gigi

All deserve being brought into the limelight again, beginning a new chapter in their decorative history. Their headpieces celebrate the warm lustre of old faux pearls, the soft sparkle of antique paste stones, and the vibrancy of mid-century rhinestones. Sensitivity to the enduring beauty of vintage pieces is what Cherished is all about. 


Gold Leaf Tiara


Each
Cherished headpiece is beautifully handcrafted and destined to become family heirlooms of the future. 


Flo Headband.
Image courtesy of Heavenly Vintage Brides.


Hortensia



Vintage-loving brides will love the Cherished look - Delicate, Whimsical and Unashamedly Pretty!



Friday 24 February 2012

Kara April


Kara April

Kara April is qualified costumier & bespoke dressmaker.
 Located in the south of England, I specialise in corsetry and period style gowns for all occasions.




I use a lot of Vintage fabrics and trimmings in my garments which give a genuine feel of vintage glamour. This is particularly special for the Bridal gowns, as it incorporates a mixture of old and new.





I work closely with the Bride to help design the perfect gown for her special day, combining vintage and period design details to make a unique wedding dress. All the garments are finished to a very high standard and the best care is taken with them during construction and fitting.




 

Do come and meet Kara at The Dorset Vintage Wedding Fair on Sunday 25th March 2012 and view her stunning work.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Katie Francesca


We are delighted to welcome Katie Francesca to 
The Dorset Vintage Wedding Fair


Katie Francesca is a singer/songwriter, whose mellow tones provide the perfect backdrop to a successful event. Katie envelops her audience in an atmosphere of warmth and geniality; her music speaks for itself, and her performance is captivating.

Follow the link to listen to Katie's beautiful vocals


Katie creates a mood through her music which is both warm and relaxed, with an inviting atmosphere where people can drift in and out and enjoy the whole experience. Her repertoire is carefully chosen, and is adapted to suit each environment individually. Katie has been singing at private events for over 6 years and is the perfect addition to your special day.





Tuesday 21 February 2012

Gypsy Rose Upstyling


Gypsy Rose Upstyling




Designing and making things has always been my way of recreating a world full of and magic and excitement, an escape from the norm. Our streets are now laden with commercial superstores with very plain and unimaginative designs, produced in mass.  When I graduated with a degree in Costume design and Interpretation, I began to design fascinators and accessories combining fabrics old and new, designing something which is unique and special, one off pieces which no one else will have.

  

Gypsy Rose Upstyling was created in 2011 and this year I have added a new line of alternative bridal wear and accessories.  I feel my collection brings something new to the bridal industry, injecting some colour and character into each individual design.  Invoking romance and the elegance of the past, but with a bohemian twist.


  

All Bridal dresses are made to measure and can be matched with any accessories including bridal belts and shrugs.  I offer a ‘Travelling Dress’ service where you can try on my new collection in the comfort of your own home, free to brides who live in Dorset.

Monday 20 February 2012

Jalopy Pizza

JALOPY PIZZA



Jalopy Pizza serves handmade pizza from our wood fired oven, and when we say handmade, that’s what we mean.  Our dough is made in our own pizza kitchen (not frozen dough balls delivered from a factory).  Our tomato sauce is handmade in small batches to our own recipe, using Italian tomatoes (not pizza sauce out of a tin), and each pizza is hand rolled to order, not pushed through an electric rolling machine.  We think that food made by humans tastes better.





One of the benefits of making everything by hand is that we require no electricity on board and make our on site pizzas entirely off grid.  No noisy generators required. We are completely energy self-sufficient and can take our vans to places where others fear to tread.


Pizza as a street food has a long and illustrious history.  Until about 1830 pizza was always sold from open-air stands, and it is a tradition that is still practiced in Italy today.  Jalopy Pizza aim to continue that tradition here in the UK.




We love our French vintage Peugeot J7 vans, hauled over the channel and given a new lease of life. The custom of serving mobile pizzas is strong in France, particularly in the South.  We take our van on a weekly route to different venues each evening, just like they do there.  We are truly mobile and our many fans look forward to their weekly pizza fix. 

Jalopy Pizza is a family business aiming to produce the best possible pizza at a sensible price for as many people as we can. We trade on unloved and forgotten corners of towns and villages and have been instrumental in regenerating at least one of these into a thriving commercial quarter






We view sustainability as a matter of course and pride ourselves on having a low environmental impact. Our ingredients are authentically Italian, and where possible, our fresh produce is sourced locally. We don’t claim to be food heroes, but strive to produce individual pizzas to order that taste nothing less than great.


Jalopy Pizza- 
we think you can taste the difference.