MY WEDDING DRESS: LINDSAY BLOOMS IN YELLOW PRINT

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W HEN this wedding dress popped up in my inbox, I squealed with joy.

 

Because it’s just so fabulous, so unusual and so damn lovely, that I knew immediately that I had to share it with you all.

Why?

Well because it brilliantly proves that your wedding dress can be ANYTHING you like. ANYTHING you desire. ANYTHING you wish! 

Any colour, any shape, any design.

You don’t have to stick to classic white or ivory if you don’t want to or buy a typical bridal gown.

All that matters is that your dress ‘speaks’ to you and that you feel a million dollars in it. That for that moment in time, it is your dream dress.

Today’s beauteous bride Lindsay Lamb married her husband Steve last summer at Bow Registry Office, followed by a reception at Far Rockaway in Shoreditch, London.

Here she tells us all about her unusual wedding dress choice and how she made her dress idea a reality.

Doesn’t she look bloomin’ marvellous?!

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Tell us about your beautiful dress!

 

I originally found a dress with a similar print online, (I can’t remember the French designer’s name), and I had booked in to a shop in Bristol to try it on (the only one available to try in the country).

But when I found out I was pregnant I realised the style would no longer be suitable for my shape.

I had no idea what I was going to do.

I am not a traditional bridal dress kind of person, and although I tried on lots of maternity dresses, I did not try on a single wedding dress. I enquired about having a tailor made dress, but the cost of this was out of my budget, and I was still unsure about what shape to go for.

I really wanted a yellow dress, and I was so sure I did not want a ‘wedding dress’.

My sister recommended a colleague of hers, Cathy Thomas of The Curious Tinker who is based down in Cornwall. Cathy is a dressmaker who specialises in classic vintage styles, and she had a little experience of making a maternity dress.

I shared pictures of dresses I liked with Cathy on Pinterest, and she shared fabric images with me until I found the yellow damask I fell in love with.

Cathy chose the shape as I was unsure what would suit a large pregnant bump. I would be seven months pregnant when I got married, and I was only three months when Cathy and I first were in touch!

Cathy made mock ups of the dress in a cheaper fabric and posted them to me for me to try on as I lived in London and every week I sent Cathy my updated measurements of my ever growing bump.

The whole process, amazingly, was conducted by post, texts and emails!

Cathy sent me the final dress three weeks before the wedding. And it was perfect. This is Cathy’s first ever wedding dress.

 

IF you had to sum up your dress choice in three words, what would they be?

 

Original, yellow, simple.

 

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H ow did you decide on the dress? How did you know it was ‘the one’?

 

I needed something that would accommodate my growing bump, and that would be comfortable for me to wear as I would be seven months pregnant on the day.

I opted for a floor length gown just in case I wanted to hide my potentially giant swollen feet (thinking ahead!).  I also wanted something ‘un-weddingy’.

The design is as such so that it can accommodate my growing bump, and a design in which would need no altering afterwards.

 

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What accessories did you team it with?

 

I wore a vintage pearl necklace from Spitalfields Antique Market, and a ceramic skull bracelet from Camden Market.

The shoes I wore for the ceremony were just from Schuh and I wore my battered old Haviana flip flops for the rest of the day.

 

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How did it make you feel when you wore it on your special day?

 

To be honest, the dress was not a big deal for me in the grand scheme of wedding planning. I was just not a traditional bride. Once I found the fabric in yellow, I was happy.

However, when I finally received the finished dress, it was just amazing. The dress is perfect for me.  Very ‘un-weddingy’.  I was very fortunate to find Cathy.

 

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What did your husband say or do when he saw you in the dress?!

 

Steve told me I looked beautiful.

He was glad I did not wear something traditional, and especially glad I wasn’t cheeky enough to wear white as a pregnant bride.

 

What have you decided to do with the dress now?

 

The dress is still hanging in the wardrobe. However, I plan to have Cathy from The Curious Tinker shorten it for me so that I can wear it again.

 

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What advice would you give to brides to be?

 

Go with your gut.

I was so sure I didn’t want a traditional dress, that I didn’t even bother to try one on.  If you can’t find what you are looking for then get it made for you.

 

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Finally, how do you think you will feel when you look back on photos, in the future?

 

I love my dress, and I am sure I will feel the same in the future. The style and colour of the dress means I can wear it in again.

 

 

The Details

 

Bride: Lindsay Lamb, 31 – a project manager, designer / dress maker: Cathy Thomas of The Curious Tinker, shoes: Schuh & Haviana, jewellery: vintage pearls and a ceramic skull bracelet from Camden Market.

Photography: Sassy from Assassynation

All images have been shared with kind permission from Sassy, Lindsay’s photographer.

 

The Gallery

 

Photographer launches special shoot for ‘dream dresses’

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H AVE you ever looked at your wedding dress or a special dress and wished that you could wear it again?

 

And not only wear it again but be photographed in it again, looking and feeling like a million dollars?

Sometimes in life things (as we all know) don’t turn out quite as we may have hoped which is exactly what happened to Hayley Siddall on her wedding day.

The big day – which should have been all taken care of for her by wedding professionals – ended up being somewhat of a challenge for the bride, leaving Hayley stressed and disappointed.

Her photographer had to pull out at the last minute due to serious health issues and then her wedding co-ordinator didn’t do what she was supposed to do.

All of which meant that Hayley had to spent the majority of her wedding morning sorting things out at the last minute, which left her very little time to get ready herself.

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Imagine if every dress we bought came with a note…

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YESTERDAY evening a friend of mine shared the most beautiful image with me on Facebook.

 

And as soon as I saw it, I shouted ‘yesss’! into the atmosphere and then I got a little teary eyed.

This was the post, that I saw.

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Isn’t it just incredibly beautiful?

This note together with the most stunning vintage wedding dress was left at the St Gemma’s Hospice Shop in Garforth, Leeds and understandably, after receiving such an incredible, heartwarming response to it on social media, the Hospice are now desperately searching for the kind gentleman who donated the gown and wrote the note.

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Feeling ‘Like a Lady’ – wearing Precis Petite

 

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SEE, this is what I adore about dresses.

 

Every single one of them.

The ability for us to feel different. The ability for us to tap into different parts of ourselves. The ability to play different roles.

This dress, this gorgeous green dress from Precis Petite makes me feel like a lady.

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It makes me want to walk with my head held high, it makes me feel feminine and it also makes me feel really rather lovely.

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Leigh’s story: My ‘Hugo dress’ – the dress that brings me comfort in the face of grief

Leigh's dress story

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TODAY’S dress story, should probably come with a little warning.

 

Because it is emotional.

Emotional and incredibly beautiful, and will more than likely bring tears to your eyes.

But it is a dress story that needs to be told, because it offers something of greater value.

Because besides being beautiful, it also brings a little boy to your attention, Hugo, as well as his courageous Mummy, Leigh.

Leigh Kendall is someone whom I am honoured to call a friend.

Someone whom is using her own personal sorrow to transform the lives of others. Someone who is brave, honest and fearless on her own blog to help people come to terms with birth trauma, premature babies and parental grief.

So please do read.

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How to find work dresses that will ‘work’ for you AND your job

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I‘M a big believer that when it comes to work, you gotta dress to impress.

 

And nothing impresses me more than a woman who knows how to wear a dress for work. Who knows how to ‘work it, work it’ to her advantage and wear it well.

Because it’s not so easy. You’d think it would be but it’s not.

Dresses are wonderful but often tricky to get right. Especially for work.

But when you do crack it, when you do find the holy grail of work dresses, boy can they elevate you and make people take notice!

In a sea of boring black suits, a stunning work dress will help you to stand out for all the right reasons. (Leaving all of your competitors quaking in their dull, safe court shoes.)

Here’s how to find the perfect work dress, followed by a big dose of shopping inspiration (because let’s face it, we all need it at times).

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Cheery in yellow – wearing Precis Petite

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L AST week I talked about the yellow dress that got away…

 

so today I thought I’d share one that didn’t!

This lovely frock was kindly sent to me by Precis Petite (don’t be put off by the ‘Petite’ bit, I’m 5ft6 and this dress was absolutely fine on me!) as one of two, to help me get this dress blogging started!

And I have to tell you it certainly knows how to cheer me up and brighten up a gloomy grey day. Especially when mixed with the largest balloon arrangement I have ever seen!

 

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Because although I absolutely adore timeless little black dresses, let’s face it, wearing a bold, vibrant colour that suits your colouring, just helps to make you look and feel great.

It makes you look younger, it helps disguise those big dark circles under your eyes (thank you Elsie darling!) and it just gives you a bit of pizazz. A bit of flair. A bit of boldness. On those days when perhaps you’re feeling anything but!

Such is the power of a dream dress.

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My Wedding Dress: Hazel Shares her Classic, Elegant Gown

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I  AM delighted to bring to you all the very first ‘My Wedding Dress’ feature.

 

And just a little bit giddy with excitement!

Because let’s face it, who amongst us doesn’t love looking at beautiful images of beautiful brides in beautiful dresses, on one of the happiest days of their lives.

I defy even the most cynical among you not to be able to read this and feel a little warmer and cosier inside.

My first bride is the very lovely Hazel Miles, a freelance graphic designer who married her husband Andy less than two months ago at The Swan in Lavenham.

Here she tells us all about her wedding dress that made her cry tears of joy. Thank you Hazel and congratulations!

So please, grab yourself a cup of tea, settle down and enjoy! I just know you’re all going to agree that Hazel looks absolutely exquisite.

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The dress I should have bought but didn’t. AKA – The dress that got away.

IT  was vintage, the dress that should have been mine.

 

And yellow.

A bright canary yellow as glorious as the sunshine it shone in, when it caught my eye.

Short, with layers upon layers of delicate fringing, it winked at me as I walked past it hanging from a shop door way and said: “I am yours. Come and buy me.”

And I nodded and whispered back, “I will later, I promise.

And I meant it too.

I did go back to the tiny vintage shop in Manchester, fully determined to walk away with the sexy, sassy showstopper. The party frock of my dreams.

With a spring in my step, I was so excited at the thought of wearing it on those hot magical kind of summer nights, dancing the hours away.

But I was too late.

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Don’t Be Shy – Come & Share Your ‘Dream Dress’!

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Have you a stunning number in your wardrobe that you’ve never worn but won’t throw out?

 

Have you a frock that holds precious memories that you can’t bear to be parted from?

Have you a story about a dress that is so special or so heartwarming, that it needs to be told?

If so, don’t be shy and come and say hello!

 

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There are two ways you can get involved currently on To Dream Of Dresses as a reader, in the features My Memorable Dress and My Wedding Dress.

All the information you need can be found on the submissions page and I promise you it’s really easy to submit something for me to consider.

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