Dress Design: Lindsay Fleming - 'Bette' Image: Archibald Photography

The 1920′s Art Deco trend saw the flapper women escape Victorian values and throw themselves into a new era of glitz, glam and all that jazz.

Many social changes took place in the early 20th Century: women won the right to vote, they worked for the first time and found themselves liberated with a life of luxury and leisure.

Attitudes soon became more rebellious and the traditional values of the 1920′s woman became nigh extinct. It was then that Art Deco was born along with it’s fashion icon, The Flapper.

Skirts were hoisted upwards, stockings rolled down, the Cloche worn with pride and the classic fringed, beaded Charleston dress flashed through Cities everywhere.

For brides who envision a vintage style wedding, Art Deco is the ideal inspiration. To name a few; think peacock feathers, oversized pearls, feathered head pieces and marcel waves. The perfect 1920′s moving into 1930′s themed wedding will then fall at your feet.

The Art Deco look remains an inspiration to many of today’s bridal designers. Clever ideas and adaptions are used to modernise the unforgettable trend and are then proudly paraded on the catwalk.

Jenny Packham’s 2011 Spring Summer Collection is a breath of fresh air. Mordernising the 1920′s and 30′s, with the use of fringing, pleats, beads, pearls, patterns, shapes, uncluttered floaty fabric and interesting head pieces, she creates unique and original dresses which could charm any Bride into craving a vintage style wedding.

Lindsay Fleming’s All That Jazz Collection, influenced by the 1920′s, articulates current catwalk fashion. As shown in ‘Bette’ above, the elegant sandwashed silk crepe and floaty lace overskirt embellished with gorgeous beads and pearls, accompanied by marcel curls and long white gloves gives a spectacular Art Deco inspired finish.

Other greats such as Demetrios, Raffaele Ciuca and Ellis Bridals display hints of the early 20th Century fashion. Flickers of pleated chiffon, ruffles and feathers, fringing and delicate lace feature throughout their separate catwalk extravaganzas.

To learn more about the designers mentioned above and their Art Deco inspiration, click on their names to be redirected to their sites.

(Slide images by Jenny Packham)

Jenny Packham, a graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art, is one of the top British wedding dress designers. Influenced by the glamour of the 1930′s, Jenny Packham designs an eponymous ready to wear line, Jenny Packham Bridal and a line of bridal accessories. Packham won the International Couture Bridal Designer of the Year in 2007 and the British Bridal Designer of 2008.

Jenny Packham’s designs have been worn in advertising, film and television and can be seen on “Sex and the City”, “The Devil Wears Prada” and on several actresses in “Casino Royale”. Lauren Conrad wore a gold Jenny Packham cocktail dress in a “Got Milk” print advertisement.

A favorite of young Hollywood, starlets like Vanessa Hudgens, Emma Roberts and Jessica Szohr have worn Jenny Packham designs. Celebrities such as Kate Beckinsale, Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria have also worn Jenny Packham on the red carpet. The pop singer Pink wore a Jenny Packham bridal gown for her wedding to Corey Hart.

Jenny Packham has three boutiques in London, and stores in Paris, Kuwait and Beirut. Her designs can also be found at boutiques and stores such as Henri Bendel in New York and London department store Harvey Nichols.

For more information on Jenny Packhan wedding dresses visit  http://jennypackham.com/

If you have had your heart set on a designer wedding gown, but can’t quite fit the price tag into your budget, then head to London at the end of this month to take advantage of up to 70% retail prices on a collection of gowns at this one-weekend-only wedding dress sale.

With gowns from designers such as Amy Michelson, Anna Christina, Atelier Aimee, Augusta Jones, Caroline Castigliano, Christiana Couture, Fabio Gritti, Galit Levi, Jenny Packham, Lyn Ashworth, Novia D’art, Oleg Cassini, Ronald Joyce, Sharon Hoey and Toi Sposa there is a huge variety to choose from.

The event is being held at the Thistle Hotel, London, November 27th – 28th. Tickets are limited, so book now!

As soon as a couple announces they are engaged, everyone wants to hear about the dress. Yet these days more and more brides are shunning the traditional form of a big white dress and walking down the aisle in bridal suits. Boris Becker’s wife Sharlely Kerssenberg wore a stylish white tuxedo suit for her wedding to the German tennis player and looked sensational. The loose fitting trousers looked highly stylish and teamed with gold peeptoe platforms she added a feminine touch.

The bridal suit is perfect for brides who hate the thought of a dress. If you don’t own a dress or skirt in your wardrobe, why should you go out and spend hundreds, of not thousands, of pounds on a dress for just one day? When you marry, you want to look and feel like yourself so buck the trend and be the girl who wears the trousers.

However, whilst this may seem a great idea in theory trying to find bridal suits is no easy feat. If rooting around websites for hours on end is not your thing, you may have to get a suit custom made which does not come cheap. No worries, though- I have found some of the best bridal suits available in Europe just for you.

This suit from Le Spose di Gio is very similar to Sharlely’s. The longer coat is perfect for Autumn or Winter weddings to keep the chill out whereas the loose fitting trousers are great for warmer weather. Just team with a blouse or lightweight jacket to make this look work for those sunnier days. Team with some neutral heels as Sharlely did to add a feminine touch to this style. The simple style of this suit makes it highly versatile- your accessories, hair and colour scheme can be as subtle or wild as you like.

For those brides who are a little curvier, Evans has a lovely Bridal range. Among the dresses, the plus size shop also sells bridal trousers and this pretty lace top. This is the perfect look for summer and adds a feminine touch to the suit. The top is especially flattering as it has a v-neck that makes the decolletage look fantastic and the satin ribbon pulls in the waist to create a gorgeous silhouette. What’s more, the suit is just £110 in total making it a bargain and in sizes 14- 32, it is a godsend for girls with curves.

If you fancy something a little different, how about wearing a short wedding dress over trousers? This Jenny Packham “Nigella” dress is ultra short and so only for the most daring of brides. However, team it over a pair of white linen trousers and you have a gorgeous, unique suit that your guests will never have seen before. The texture is amazingly interesting and the sparkling detail at the neckline draws attention away from any problem areas. You will look not only beautiful but creative too.

Bridal suits are not just for tomboys but can work for any bride. They are an especially great idea when it gets chilly as they keep the cold out during all those wedding photos. Creative, unique and gorgeous- what more could you want?

Bubbly actress and TV presenter Denise van Outen married her West End star husband Lee Mead in April 2009. Telling friends that they were just going on holiday, the two jetted off to the luxury Labriz Silhouette resort in the Seychelles where they secretly married in front of a select few guests. They kept the wedding simple and low key which makes it perfect inspiration for brides who want an elegant, informal wedding.

The newlyweds- who met when Denise was a judge on “Any Dream Will Do”, the show that turned Lee into a musical star- both looked modern, stylish and classic during their romantic beach wedding. They managed to keep everything unfussy to create a wonderfully chic wedding at a fraction of the cost of an average celebrity wedding. It’s great to see a star couple who don’t spend their pay checks on tacky matching thrones and cinderella pumpkin carts for their wedding!

Denise wore a Jenny Packham “Rosalind” dress and a glittering seventies style headband- “Brooke”- also by Jenny Packham. Her hair followed the seventies theme of her hairband in chic, modern-hippy waves. The rest of the outfit was kept simple, free from jewellery and with just a dash of natural make up. Lee looked just as stylish in an informal grey suit and pink shirt to match the ribbons on Denise’s dress.

For the bride who wants a similar look, it is possible to buy the exact same outfit, and not even at extortionate prices. The “Rosalind” gown is priced at around £2500 and the “Brooke” hairband is £395 from High Society Bride. Whilst it’s refreshing to see a celebrity bride spending no more than £3000 on her outfit (and a reported £12,00 on the ceremony, wedding and honeymoon combined) this is still out of budget for many brides without the celebrity salary.

Monsoon sells this similar “Latham” dress for an amazing £200. It even has a similar crossover detail, but in ivory instead of pink. It would be very cheap and easy to buy a length of pink ribbon from a haberdashery and attach it to the dress to create a very similar style. Made of ivory silk, this dress drapes beautifully and the bust is beaded with delicate pearl and diamante detailing to add a little shimmer. It is a dress that is flattering for all figures, as it skims curves and hides any lumpy bits. Perfect for a summer wedding, the dress is cool and loose-fitting.

Popping next door to Accessorize, you can pick up this pearl headband for just £5.00! It matches the pearls in the bodice of the “Latham” dress and has a similar shape to that of Denise’s headband. It will achieve the seventies hippy boho look that Denise has managed so elegantly with minimum effort. No fighting with hair pins or teasing hair until you resemble an electrocuted cat, just loosely curl your hair with a curling iron, spritz with a little serum and slip on the headband. Simple!

All finished! Denise van Outen’s unfussy bridal style for an absolute bargain at £205. Finish the look with some simple sandals from Debenhams or Next, and your outfit will still come under £300. Who would have thought that you could look so elegantly and stylish for such a low price? Now, just slip on the flower garlands and you’re good to go!

Bridal catwalks are currently filled with Grecian style dresses. They offer a fantastic versatile look that adds a mythical element to your wedding. White chiffon draping to the floor with crystal embellishments and an elegant shilhouette, this style is guaranteed to dazzle your guests with your classic beauty and make you look like Aphrodite to your Adonis.

With so many designers catching on to this classic look, you can find a dress that is perfect for your budget. This gorgeous Monsoon “Netherby” dress (left) is a bargain at £180. Featuring lovely little detailing such as the delicately embellished waistband and chiffon sleeves. For brides with a bigger budget, Jenny Packham has designed many Grecian-styled dresses, including this beautiful “Delphine” style (above left). At around £1500, it’s designed for the fashion-conscious bride. With a stunning beaded motif at the bust, this dress is sure to make you look like a goddess. These two examples are far from exclusive with designers left, right and centre going crazy over Greek style.

The beauty of Grecian dresses is that they are so elegant and classic. If they were good enough for the ancient goddesses, they’re good enough for me! They have a lovely simplicity about them that makes them incredibly versatile- wear with a chiffon shawl and veil for a modest church wedding, or with a dramatic up do and killer heels for a chic city event. They are also perfect choices for beach weddings in a hot climate- the loose fit stays cool and look great in an informal setting with bare feet and flowers pinned in the hair. A small slick of lipgloss and a touch of neutral eyeshadow is all this style needs to bring out the best in you.

This look is perfect for a bride who wants to dazzle her groom, wow her guests and feel amazing herself. After all, who better to imitate as you walk down the aisle than the breathtaking Aphrodite- goddess of beauty and love?

Weddings in the 1920s were a world away from the previous stuffy Victorian weddings and Edwardian weddings. It was a time of great prosperity in the UK and USA alike, where the parties never stopped and the alcohol ran, somewhat illegally, wild. Hemlines were rising, business was booming and jazz was playing. Life was one big party. What an era to get married!
Here are some ideas on how to add a touch of the twenties to your wedding:

The dress
Fashion in the twenties was changing radically. Dresses were lighter, hemlines were higher and waists were lower. The emphasis was on creating a flat, boy-ish silhouette, as opposed to the curves of the corsetted eras. This was the notorious “Flapper” style- allowing more flexibility for the dances of the era such as Charleston. Women were liberated- it was now acceptable to cut their hair, smoke and show their ankles.
Wedding fashion followed suit. The bride in this photo is wearing a dress just below the knee with a dropped waist and sequined skirt.
This was the height of fashion in the 1920s. Notice how the drape of the fabric eliminates her curves to leave her with the fashionably straight body.
She is wearing a headpiece typical of the era which complimented the hair that women could now wear short, in bobs and waves.
Jenny Packham designs many dresses with 1920s influences. The gown at the start of this article is one example that is particularly reminiscent of the Flapper girls.

It is similar in many ways to the 1920′s dress above: the dropped waist and sequins give it an authentic feel whereas the ultra short skirt adds a modern twist- this is not a dress for the shy bride!
As for accessories, the world’s most famous hat maker (milliner) Louis Mariette sells a wide range of stunning headpieces perfect for that 1920s touch. This is just one of his dramatic pieces:

The Reception
1920s parties and the speakeasy go hand in hand. Alcohol was prohibited in America during this period, so people began running establishments to sell alcohol illegally. These were the speakeasy. Today they have a rather exciting and glamorous reputation so use this as a starting point for a reception theme.
Tables could be named after 1920s slang: baby and doll for a sweet mood, or how about gangster slang: Fall guy and moll, for example. See this list of slang words and phrases.
For favours, decorate mini bottles of gin with a feather. Glue a label to the bottle with the name of the guest to double up as a nameplace.
As for entertainment, a jazz band would fit the bill perfectly. You could even hire somebody to teach your guests the Charleston and get them all up on the dance floor. Or how about setting up a casino at the venue? You could even use your own personalised money so that children can join in.
Celebrity Weddings
3rd December 1926 was the date of film director giant Alfred Hitchcock’s wedding to Alma Reville.
She wore a simple white dress, just past knee-length reflecting the fashion for shorter dresses. A white fur stole sat around her shoulders to keep her stylishly warm in the winter chill. Accessories were kept simple: short white gloves, small beaded purse and elegant court shoes.
Wedding Traditions
For the first time in years, weddings began to become more informal. They were now fun, carefree events as opposed to the social show-offs of before.
Weddings were planned solely with the young in mind. In fact, many brides refused to be given away by their father as a sign of new-found independence and liberation (after all, women could now vote!).
Overall, the roaring twenties were a time of great prosperity and lavish parties. It was a time dominated by the young generation, with glamorous crime and romance around every corner. People lived, and spent their money, as if there was no tomorrow. A great atmosphere to adopt at your wedding!