Alter-native Wedding Style

Yup, I punned again...

A couple of my beautiful friends (or soon to be friends) got married towards the end of last year and both had rather non traditional weddings. Their photos have recently emerged and this got me thinking; so much about today's society, from social networking "face pages", to blogging, to personal fashion is all about defining your own individual style and persona - so why should your wedding day be any different? Gone are the days of cookie cutter church weddings, abounding in white tulle and not seeing the groom before the wedding (a ploy I'm quite sure Grooms-of-old cooked up to keep themselves safely out of the path of any potentital Bridezilla activity). This has resulted in many brides-to-be making their special day fit around them and their own aesthetic.

Take my friends for example, one (the lovely Jeskah) is a Betty Page look-a-like with a love of pin-ups, polka dots and the colour red - what could be more perfect for her day of days than this:

Oh, and she's a Melbourne girl ;)

My other friend Sarah Jean had her beautiful black (gasp) vintage style dress made from her own design and looked the epitome of old Hollywood elegance and beauty which suits her style to a T.

These ladies looked phenomenal and still retained, and indeed celebrated, exactly who they were and what (as well as who) they love. So I had a look for some more non-traditional wedding styling and turned up a mixture of images. I think it's great that some brides are turning away from the traditional white. While I understand that it is tradition and it is beautiful on your 'big day' to wear that symbol of matrimony, that which actually symbolises; virginal purity, seems a little redundant these days. So, on the topic of colour -

If rainbow is a little too much of a departure from the norm, or you prefer not to frighten the more elderly folk at your wedding day gathering, then perhaps keeping the dress uni-tonal is more for you. As you can see from my friend Jess's photos, the red really makes everything pop!

Vera Wang

Alternatively, you can focus on the colour coming through in your accessories, rather than the gown. This is also a great way to work some vintage styling into your wedding day attire. I loved Sarah Jean's veiled vintage hat (above) and it looked phenomenal in wedding photos. Plus hats are amazing and we should wear them at all times.

I also love when wedding styling is youthful. If you're getting married young and pledging to grow old together - that doesn't mean instantaneously! Celebrate the fact that you get to be cute and exuberant together. Floor length gowns can be very regal and striking and can add to the feeling of occasion but if you're young and cute I think this whimsy should show on the day you're meant to be at your most whimsical! Which is why I love the following photos (and Jess's balloon bouquet).

This kitsch fabric bouquet, as well as the balloon bouquets
are a great way of modernising a wedding staple.

I also love that no matter what your style, you can find something perfect for you without totally giving in to the 'norm' - this girl looks absolutely stunning and blends traditional and non-traditional styling perfectly.

Of course then there's just the down right quirky!

Roller-wedding

Suspension-wedding

The old classic "shoes in water Wedding"

Extreme Wedding

Autumn falls - "Stocking" up in Melbourne

Oh tittle tittle I'm so punny...

I am about to head East side to visit that beautiful little art house town they call Melbourne. It has been 4 years since my love and I last shared a little tryst, in the summer of 2007. I am looking forward to coveting her collectibles, desiring her delectables and generally pouring my wallet out into her little fashion nooks and crannies (isn't 'cranny' the most hideous, dirty word ever?)

I'm also looking forward to catching up with some of my too chic for dairy product Melbournite friends (formerly of the Perth-suasion, now denouncing colour and blend 43, they lurk in black in dark corners of trendy organic coffee shops). I am delighted that I will be staying with several including the fashionista herself, Miss Tyne Daile and the Thrify finder (who is going to help me navigate the Melbourne opshop circuit) Ms Jess Fogarty (sorry, make that "Mrs" now that she is a married woman).

I digress. I regularly do. This is primarily a style blog, and so it's on with the (cat walk) show, we go. As I said, when I last visited this broody weathered town it was the middle of Summer - of course it still rained while simultaneously being 40 degrees celsius but nonetheless, it was hot. This time I am going in Autumn, and I plan to find all the new key pieces for my Autumn/Winter wardrobe. I know that in Melbourne and other such cities (sigh, I miss you London) I am like a kid in a candy store and within 5 minutes, all my pocket money has been spent on grown up, style infused equivalents of jaw breakers and hubba bubba bubble tape (God that stuff was awful). So this time I'm trying to plan ahead. I am going to work out exactly WHAT I'm after before getting there, so that I dont come back with 14 dresses that are all the same cut and fabric (like last time).

My favourite thing about Autumn and early Winter is that I get to draw influence from my favourite inspiration points - London and Japanese street style. I adore jackets, coats, cardis and most of all stockings, tights and boots! Not to mention hats, scarves, gloves... oh I'm getting ahead of myself again.

First things first, I need  a decent coat. I bought a lovely mustartd trench last year when I had red hair, and promptly got tagged April O'Neill (my spelling is better) for Winter. As a fan of TMNT I was ok with this. This year I think I want a gorgeous green pea coat - either bottle green or a really mossy tweed colour. None of these are quite right, but I'll know it when I see it -

The vintage version

I also want a faux leather jacket/blazer like the one above after my beloved chocolate jacket from Oxford St in London went missing after a drunken adventure at The Scotsman.

As well as this I plan to buy a squillion (yes a metric squillion) new pairs of fabulous tights, stockings and socks! I'm loving the knee high socks over stockings look at the moment, and there are so many amazing stocking styles and designs out there.

From Chanel...



To Etsy...



From colourful and flamboyant...

To tried and true polka dots.

While trawling op shops and vintage stores I plan to stock up on vintage headscarves, so that I may look like this:

To finish it all off I need some good boots. I want a flat pair and a heeled pair. Maybe one in brown and one in green. Boots are one of my (numerous) weaknesses though so I'll probably come back with 32 pairs. I want to get gloves to match my boots, and a good brown vintage handbag/satchel.

Like this vintage look leather satchel from Grafia

Of course I'm bound to end up with pretty dresses and short skirts to go with all of this, as well as some Victorian style shirts. To top it off, I'm thinking I'll be needing hats... I love the rust colour of this one to go with the Autumn theme.

18 days. It seems I have some saving to do in that time if I'm going to be able to afford even a portion of my wishlist - but at least now I'm focused. No silly fad items that I buy because I haven't seen them in Perth, no grown up versions of Hubba Bubba Bubble tape... although I do now have a definite craving for grape flavouring.

xx