Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Vinspiration Tuesday! 1940s Wedding?

I haven't gotten anything done this week! The endless phone calls to family members, friends and soon to be in laws have taken up most of our nights. On top of that apparently when you get engaged everyone wants to see you which is awfully sweet. I feel like a princess with people asking me about how my Fiance (formally my Beau) proposed, asking to see the ring, and sending us their well wishes.

There's also the matter of planning a wedding! Holy cow! The engagement was a bit of a surprise for me and I'll admit I did not have one bit of my wedding planned in advance. My Mama and Maid of Honor (aka Sister) have got me thinking about colors, bridesmaid dresses and themes. I'm not sure on any of those things, but you can be sure I'll be pushing for a vintage feel like this.


Just kidding! Though my Southern Man FiancĂ© tells me he's been to three Gone with the Wind Weddings where the wedding party was in full regalia. He denies it, but I think he secretly wants this type of wedding. The man is descended from the first Governor of GA, two signers of the Confederate Constitution and many many Confederate officers. Me on the other hand? My ancestors were pretty much all poor farmers in the mountains of New York and Pennsylvania. I'm marring up in society!

I'm still in shock from the whole thing. I almost don't believe that this is really happening. So in honor of all the wedding craziness today I am posting some Wedding Vinspiration. As I browsed the historical photo archives I couldn't help but be drawn the gowns of the 1940s. They're so glamorous and so Hollywood. These are the gowns I really would like to emulate on my big day.

I love this dress from 1941. The lacy overlay and the long flowing train! It also has sleeves, which I love in a wedding dress. The strapless look just doesn't do it for me. The cascading bouquets are so elegant as well. The veil is a bit much for me, but perfect for her. She looks lovely!

This photo was shot in 1940, but the dress was actually originally worn for a wedding in 1928. The long simple veil with the lace edging is so pretty and delicate. It's definitely a formal gown, but it's not stuffy. The gown itself has a beautiful bodice and I love the simple long sleeves. I'm also in love with the delicate, but not overly done lace around the neck line.

A gown from 1943. Long veils really seem to the the style of this age. Hats on Bridesmaid's are also very popular. Does this dress remind you a bit of the 1990s? Designers of the 90s were certainly pulling from this time period. Again I love the cascading bouquet, but I much prefer the bouquets of Image #1. Still Image #1 was early in the war, this wedding happened mid-WWII. If you know the story behind the photo the look seems to make more sense. I pulled this bit of info from the Australian War Memorial Collection's Flickr Page.

"The wedding dress was purchased second hand by the bride's mother because the family could not assemble enough coupons under wartime rationing to buy a new one. The bridesmaid wore a dress that she had previously worn when bridesmaid to another bride pre-rationing restrictions." 

Nifty piece of history there.

This is totally my wedding day makeup look right here. I just love it! She looks so pretty, the perfect image of a blushing bride. This image is from a McCall cover circa 1942. It was shot by our good friend Nicholas Muray. I love her soft pink cheeks, her perfect red lips, and her chocolate eyeshadow. The fresh flower on the center of her head is a bit weird, but I'll let it go for now. You can also get a clear view of the nail polish style of the day in this photo. Only the center of the nail was painted leaving an unpainted crescent at the top of the nail and another unpainted crescent near the cuticle area. Loving the peachy pink shade of the polish.

Those shoes! This photo is only fueling my need for a pair of strappy white shoes! This dress is very different from the long flowing gowns, but a much better example of the post-war wedding gown. This image was taken in 1946. My grandmother's dress was tea length and similar to this one. I'm loving the lace sleeves.

So hope you enjoyed today's vintage goodness. I'm still gushing over Image #5's shoes. I also want to apologize for not commenting on all your blogs over the weekend. Everything should be getting back up to speed this week.

6 comments:

Kelli said...

Your 'Marrying up in Society' comment made me laugh out loud! I love the dresses you posted and especially the tidbit about the nail polish, something I had never thought of when it comes to vintage make up. Gorgeous!

~Kelli @ Smidgens

Jana said...

Congratulations! Can't wait to see how your wedding inspiration comes together - please keep blogworld updated :)

Terry said...

I saw that first photo, and i thought immediately of your "Beau", haha! ... and he would totally love that, haha!

this post is precious - my cousin recently got married and his bride found a vintage dress and added a few little details to freshen it up. keep us posted on your "vinspirations" to come :)

Nancy said...

Kelli: I joke about that with Beau/Fiance all the time. I also tell him that by marring me he's "diluting the blood." And 1940s nail polish is really tough. You have to have a ridiculously steady hand, which I don't.

Jana: Thank you! I'll see what I can do. I'll definitely be a budget bride as they say, so maybe some of my wedding things can go on this blog.

Terry: I'm not sure I want to go with actual vintage. There is a great shop here in Atlanta that specializes in vintage wedding dresses, but I'll have to see if the price is right. I'm more of on a quest to find a vintage pattern to make my gown from. Unfortunately I still have to find the person who is actually going to make it for me, since it's bad luck to make your own wedding dress.

Anonymous said...

I adore the lacy gown from 1941. So beautiful!

Alyssa said...

Is that last man in sailor's togs?
I'm not a big fan of wedding looks of the 40s (just not the right body type, I'm more for the Audrey Hepburn wedding dress in Funny Face) but I love how sometimes they feel a bit Victorian like the first one with all the lace.
P.S. - The Meh Dress doesn't have a cowl neck! I had to double check my photos and it is a combination of the way I'm standing and that damned stretch linen. The neckline sagged open much farther than I cut it. Pretty funny, though!