If not white, then what?

A genuine, real life conversation:

“No, of course you don’t need to wear white. Ivory is lovely. Or – I know – what about a very pale cream?”



Candy Anthony's gorgeousness

Now, let's just hold on a second for a moment of sanity. We're all grown-ups (presumably, or that's a whole other conversation), with very different colourings, figures and - most importantly - personalities. What if the traditional 'long white dress' doesn't particularly flatter your colouring, or doesn't really work for your sunny beach / muddy British / summer tea-party style wedding? What if it just doesn't feel like 'you'? Or what if (moment of honesty required here) you're just feeling a tiny bit rebelious? What if you can tick all of these boxes and more, but still want a genuinely fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime dress? Well, there's a few options out there, but they do take some hunting down. I'll get the ball rolling, but I'd love to also be able to share your experiences to help expand the list of non-white wedding wonders....

First up, London-based Candy Anthony designs fun fifties and sixties-inspired collections with loads of cute knee-length options. Their designs often incorporate a splash of a really vibrant colour in the underskirt, or as a belt or accessory - perfect for a cheeky pop of colour, and fabulous-looking on the dancefloor. 


Lindsay Flemming's 'Loretta'



There's also a couple of really hot red dresses in their collection, as well as summery canary-yellow and pastel pink options that are pretty Grease-tastic!



Lindsay Flemming is a Scottish designer (based in Lanarkshire) creating some really amazing Celtic and twenties-style dresses that are genuinely unusual. I have to admit that Loretta dress is a bit of a favourite of mine – I’m not sure I’d be brave enough for it, but for pure film-star glamour... wow. An art-deco venue, a collection of your most glamorous guests, and this dress would be at its attention-grabbing best. I’m sold.

And whist Vera Wang’s spring 2011 collection doesn't really fit Pocketful's ethos (too multi-national, not British) it does sum up a lot of what I want in a dress – memorable, elegant, amazingly luxurious-looking. The gorgeous dove grey and summery pale peach are particularly lovely, I think.



Vera Wang's 'Felicity', Spring 2011

Vera Wang's 'Flora', Spring 2011

 

For the less flamboyant (or more budget-conscious) bride, there must be fabulous options out there. What about navy, or scarlet, or that emerald-green colour that makes just about everyone look like a filmstar? There’s no shortage of inspiration from the red carpet, but these just don’t seem to be filtering down to wedding or high street stores (except occasionally in the form of ‘bridesmaid’ dresses, which somehow just doesn't sound quite fabulous enough to me).



Dina El-Bar's gold silk gown

 

Dina El-Bar's Sophia dress



Handily crossing the divide between 'can't-afford-designer' and 'don't-want-high-street' is Girl Meets Dress (online, but British), and other dress-rental companies, who can loan you some seriously fabulous dresses for a fraction of the 'new' cost. Now, there seems to be some sort of crazy taboo about renting or hiring wedding dresses, which I think is madness. You'll wear it once, it'll be in perfect condition, it's cheap as chips (comparatively speaking - I know wedding planning has a nasty habit of changing perspectives about how much it's reasonable to charge for perfectly ordinary things) and - this is key - no-one will know it's not yours. Although frankly, I'd be tempted to tell everyone, and soak up the praise for my thriftiness and creativity. 

Perhaps most fabulously, Girl Meets Dress caters for all kinds of evening occasions - wedding dresses are a tiny portion of their selection, but there's a vast range of incredible dresses that are definitely glamorous enough for a wedding. I'd never heard of Dina El-Bar until I started checking out Girl Meets Dress, but now I'm seriously hooked (I have a feeling this blog is not going to be good for my finances).


More yummy Candy Anthony



I love the old-school glamour and properly luxurious design, and incredibly, these beautiful dresses come in at under £100 for a two-night hire, and only a tiny bit more for a whole week. That just seems like amazingly good value to me. And this is just a tiny glimpse of what's available - I could have picked any of about 50 dresses to feature here. It's well worth a look.

I’d really love to hear from anyone who’s had success in finding a fantastic supplier or designer of non-white wedding (or wedding-y) dresses – especially in 'mainstream' boutique or high street stores. It'd be great to showcase anyone who's providing really great options to fill what - to me - seems like a glaring gap in the market. Please share your stories!

Tasty Vintage, 'Daisy Dress'

Tasty Vintage, 'Bubble Dress'



Footnote: I'd already begun drafting this post when an old friend got in touch to share her great experience of Tasty Vintage (fab name!) - a Lincoln-based  boutique showcasing a stunning range of vintage bridal (and other) dresses. I've fallen completely in love with the detail on this 1960's 'daisy dress' - the high neckline and bracelet sleeves are just so stylish (and yes, I know it's white, but it's so pretty!)

This 1950's 'bubble dress' is also completely stunning - I think it would be absolutely perfect for an informal spring garden wedding. Harriet, from Tasty Vintage, is obviously just so passionate about collecting and sharing beautiful pieces - it's so nice to see a business developed from someone's passion, rather than just as a money-making scheme. May wonderful things happen to this little gem.