Vintage Bridal

I can't help being sucked back into the bridal world now and then. I've worked in the field for around six years. Gowns, tuxes, even wedding catering (my college gig)... I've seen the whole show from different angles.

At home in Lake Zurich, I worked at Volle's, a family owned dress boutique and its parter, Mr. Tux (Can I shamefully plug here? No joke, all our guys leave with tuxes that fit perfectly. Why? Because I will make you try it on and if we don't like it, we sew it immediately. Anyway...). I'd have to say my loyalty lies with tuxedos though, I only worked bridal dresses for a few months before moving next door to tuxedo-land. I can pin, sew, and re-press sleeves in about 4 minutes flat. I know that brides don't even think about getting ivory tux shirts to match their ivory dress, and would have put an ivory tie with a white shirt. I'm not afraid to yank up the adjustable trousers of a 16year old prom kid fresh out of lacross practice when he wears them about 5 inches lower than where they should be.

Though tuxes might be my tailoring forte, that wouldn't stop me from sneaking next door to stare at all the gowns. We carried the big lines: Maggie Sottero, Enzoani, Casablanca... Matthew Christopher in particular loved us and visited for every trunk show of his that we hosted. Though the tux shop dealt with a lot less bridezilla and hysteria, there was something special about watching a bride find her gown, dimming the lights in front of the main mirrors, and watching as she teared up.

I was gandering at one of my favorite bridal blogs, Once Wed, and I came across a link for vintage wedding gowns. Omgwhut!?! And these are legit, too. They seem so much more simple than many current wedding gown styles. Honestly, you don't need tons of pickups on a taffeta skirt with beading and a sash, along with a huge bustle! Remember when a bit of lace and a clean silhouette used to be enough?

I spent over an hour just looking through these gorgeous dresses and it was really hard to pick which ones I wanted to show here, I kept adding more! The earlies dresses are from the 1920s and go up until the 1990s, which still doesn't seem that long ago to me. But these aren't simple rack dresses, check them out at Mill Crest Vintage ... just don't forget your bib for when you drool all over your keyboard: