Finding a Vintage Wedding Dress

Hey'all! Hope you all took some time to check out my new website, www.freespiritphoto.ca As you see, I not only photograph families, children and personal portraits, but I specialize in engagement/weddings photographs.

Part of my goal as a wedding photographer is not only to document your day in a beautiful way that you will cherish forever, but to be able to help out any way I can in planning your day. I hold the camera, sure, but I also want to share cool ideas with you as you plan your big day together- your first day as husband and wife! With that in mind, I plan to build a section of my blog based on ideas, tips and neat-o wedding websites for the bride and groom-to-be. I also plan on scavenging out some amazing people/businesses in my local area to post about..(have a few in mind already!) Wedding planning is exciting, but at times, challenging and I hope I can provide some insight any way I can!

So, without further adieu, my first segment in this series of topics is about what every girl dreams about and what every woman will wear on the big day - the wedding dress. Specifically, vintage wedding dresses. As many are aware already, I am a LOVER of all things vintage. So, when I did my research on this topic, I was pretty darn excited :D Found a few tips on how to find that perfect vintage wedding dress, for the vintage vixen such as myself!

Let's start with the rules for buying a vintage wedding dress.

1.) Be wary of stains or major repairs - Remember that a 20 year + old stain is a pretty stubborn one! And vintage fabric is very hard to match. A seamstress can make most repairs, but this can get pretty costly. Quality is key here.

2.) Watch for fabric quality. Even though dress may have only been worn once, fabrics can deteriorate and weaken with time - be sure to stretch the fabric and test it a bit. Notice any weakening. A good seamstress can fix, but again this all costs more moolah.

3.) Make sure you know and respect your budget - good advice for buying any bridal gown.

4.) You will not wear your regular size in a vintage dress. Dress sizes have changed considerably over the years. Have your measurements on hand and ready - bust, waist, hips.

5.) Consider buying or making a reproduction. Sites like

Isadora's specialize in reproduction dresses from the 40s and 50s. Other sites to try: Vintage Vixen (haha!), and my (pricey) favourite The Frock. I LOVE the flapper styles!!

Good with a sewing machine or know someone who is? Try Old Patterns.
Check out this gorgeous dress from thefrock.com...



Pricey maybe, but if you're looking for quality and the real deal, this is the site to check out!

Later then!

Rosita..