Iron Orchid Vintage

Dress from antiquedress.com

This post is inspired by an Iron Orchid Vintage client who is getting married next fall. Recently, she contacted me regarding a wedding post I did on this site some months ago, and asked if I knew of any shops that sold vintage 1950's wedding dresses. I already had some leads from the previous post, but I thought it would be fun to play a little imaginary dress-up with her. Although we have never met, we've had some pleasant little convo's, and I'm excited to let a new Etsy pal in on some of my favorite shops and finds.

The details:
-An autumn wedding in the Midwestern United States.
-The ceremony and reception will be in the evening and a black tie affair.
-The wedding will be held at a country club that "first opened in the 1930s and has a very vintage feel."
-The Groom's tuxedo has been decided, he will be wearing a Cary Grant looking tux (swoon!).
-The Bride is attracted to gowns with full, 1950's bombshell style.
-She gave me a more generous budget, but I like a good challenge (and a bargain), so I am mostly searching for vintage or handmade dresses under $500.

Here you go Darlin'... oh, and please click on the photograph for a direct link to the item.

First on the stop, Timeless Vixen Vintage! She has an amazing assortment of evening wear and wedding dresses. It seems like the current wedding selection is filled with tea-length dresses, but here's one that I admired for it's iconic 50's-wedding vibe.

Next is Fab Gab's Shop! She's got a lot of everything, but I thought the tiered layers were sweet, and filled with personality.

I like the idea of some type of sleeve, when seasonally appropriate, but I think I'd like this dress a little more if the sleeves altered.

While I was checking out her site, however, I did find this lovely cathedral train veil.

This one from Lipstick Whiskey Vintage is marvelous! I think I may have deviated away from size requirements, but I like the smooth full fabric of it, and am going to include it as inspiration for the long-sleeved look.

I'm including this one from cherishedbride.com below, because I like the yards of slipper satin, and because I haven't picked a dress that had a train. It falls slightly above my optimal $500 range, but I have to show all my Grace Kelley finds!