Our Wonderful UK Wedding Industry, At The Designer Vintage Bridal Show…

I spent yesterday 'exhibiting' {that is, standing next to a beautifully styled stand that represented the essence of 'Love My Dress'}, at the Designer Vintage Bridal Show, in Birmingham.

Truth be told, I'd been feeling a little anxious about this weekend, not least because I have this really irritating, incessant cough right now, the residue of a horrible chest infection {that appears to have gotten much better after a good nights sleep last night!}, but putting the ailments to one side, on Friday evening, Phil and I braved {all 200 miles of} it down to the Midlands, so that we could join other suppliers, and indeed bloggers, at the Designer Vintage Bridal Show at Edgbaston Cricket Ground yesterday – where we are also exhibiting today too.

I had intended to wrote up an official blog post on the show sometime next week, but I realised as I returned home yesterday evening evening, that that post just couldn't wait.

Two of my vintage Vogue magazines, including an original 1925 version in pink below {it still has a little subscription card inside!}. Photo taken using Instagram on my iPhone…

Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Love My Dress Wedding Blog {all images taken on my iPhone}

Vintage vogue magazine

I met a lot of people today, had a lot of conversations, laughed a lot, felt happy, but most importantly, I left the venue yesterday feeling an immense sense of pride and that my role in this community/industry is really valued by my colleagues and wedding industry friends.  

I've been to many a wedding fair in my time, but for me, The Designer Vintage Bridal Show represents all that is exciting and forward thinking, genuinely creative and cutting edge in this wedding industry. And what I love about the exhibitors is that they are all real, honest, down to earth lovely kind of folk -it felt like being part of a really friendly, supportive, creative community being at the show this weekend.

The Boutique Baking Company below…

Boutique

Forget stuffy shows where exhibitors are packed tightly next to one another in uniform and rather dull exhibiting kiosks.  Forget boring goody bags or an uninspiring atmosphere.  Think a walk-in yurt lit romantically with magical fairy lights and an inviting host welcoming you inside with chocolate and champagne. Think five of the UK's top wedding bloggers, each of them passionate about meeting and chatting with their readers at the show, think divine table displays by one of the UK's most cutting edge event styling teams and think dresses the likes of you will be drooling over, believe me, a design for everyone from the short and sassy to the floor sweeping and sparkly (literally, all over sequins!}.

Dottie Photography below left {who are also the most amazing stationery designers!}, and Cherished Vintage on the right…

Dottie Cherishedvintage

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to organisers Rachel SimpsonClaire Guest and Branwen Cook for inviting me to be a part of the Designer Vintage Bridal.   Here's to another day full of giggles, exciting conversations about new projects and photoshoot opportunities, meeting my wonderful blog readers and chatting about their wedding plans, discussing all that is brilliant about the UK wedding industry with my fellow exhibitors and enjoying far too many delicious cakes from the Boutique Baking Company {note, anyone [passing my stand today, those cakes are REAL, they are not soap, take, eat and enjoy ;)}…

Below left, the amazing honeymoon suite inside the Wedding Yurt, and, right, AVA Event Styling

Yurt Photo

I first wrote this blog post on Saturday evening, after my first day of exhibiting. As I return to edit it on Sunday evening and to add a few more images taken on my iPhone, I am feeling hugely inspired by my weekend at the Designer Vintage Bridal Show.   Very many thanks are due also to those who went out of their way to help my little exhibition stand look so pretty. They include Vicky Rowe, of Vintage Teasets and LeLuxe Clothing, for the loan of her exquisite 1920's style beaded flapper dress, Leckie from Pocket Typewriter for the beautiful bunting and pretty bottles and Amy, Amanda and Vicky of AVA Event Styling for the flowers and delightful sweet treats.

Photos and a fuller report from the event will follow next week 🙂

Much love all – I hope you have a lovely Sunday whatever you are up to 🙂

Annabel xXx

 

Apologies to those who commented on this blog post – I had to replace the original post with this one as the original one became corrupt.  Unfortunately in the process, I lost all my reader comments.  Boo 🙁 xXx


Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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