Real Bride - Martina, stunning in 20's style.

If ever there was a dress made for dancing in!!!
Dirty Fabulous bride, Martina chose a beautiful vintage, fringed, mid length wedding dress and feather and rhinestone headpiece for her wedding. She could have stepped right out of Gatsby's manor! She looked utterly glamourous.
We adored seeing the photos of her big day captured by photographer Kevin Morris.
Thank you so much to Martina for sending in her photos and congratulations to her and her hubby!

Real Bride - Ciara in Cool Victoriana in The City!

WOW!!!!! 

These photos of our bride Ciara and her hubby Rowen absolutely blew us away!

It was so difficult to choose just a few to post, they were all amazing. Photographer, Caroline of Wild Things Wed has captured this beautiful and stylish pair at some pretty fab locations throughout Dublin. The pop of colour in many (including the brides hair) brings such a sense of fun.

The photography style of Wild Things Wed is right up our street. A little bit edgy, a little bit fun and a whole lot of cool.

Ciara's dress was a vintage, Victoriana style dress from the 1970's. We're absolutely crazy about her cute boots!

Congratulations to Ciara and Rowen on their recent wedding!

Say "YAY" to the Dress with Dirty Fabulous!

This is an extra special blog post, as it was written by one of gorgeous customers, Muireann Ní Chíobháin. For anyone who wants to break from the norm and do their own thing on their wedding day, this ones for you! 
Sit back, relax and read on.....

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As a woman in my 30’s, I think I know myself, but also my style. In general I think of clothes as an expression of who I am, what I like, and how I feel about the world. I’m more Iris Apfel than Alexa Chung, but I’m proud of that, or at least I was until doubts crept in when it came to choosing a wedding dress. 

When you get engaged, or at least in my experience, most people, with the best of intentions, assume you’ll wear white. It’s the done thing, the tradition, the thing people have dreamed of, the most elegant choice - or is it?

White became a popular choice after the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840, when Victoria wore a white gown trimmed with lace. The Queen became a trendsetter and the white wedding gown tradition was born. For some people, white,champagne or ivory can give you a transformative feeling of elegance and romance that is perfect for your wedding day, but for me, it just made my skin turn a particularly strange tone which only vats of fake tan would have solved.
I remember watching the Wizard of Oz as a very young child and whinging that it was in black and white, unlike the colourful cartoons I loved. I was urged to wait for something magical to happen and sure enough my jaw dropped as the screen saturated with colour and the land of OZ came to life! The contrast was huge and the transition spectacular. I was glued to Dorothy’s ruby slippers sparkling along the yellow brick road. It reminded me of the power of colour and I think my love for colour came from there. Getting married in yellow
or red (which is the most popular bridal gown colour in China) or any other colour is nothing new. For centuries, brides who were interested in fashion have chosen bridal gowns in different colours. 
The question was, was I brave enough?

Toying with the idea of wearing a coloured bridal gown, I trawled the Internet looking for people I could be inspired by. Always tagged under, ‘unconventional bride’ (which is a daunting a label to give yourself), I found Gwen Stefani, Poppy Delevigne, but finally Elizabeth Taylor, a style icon I could connect with. As we all know, Elizabeth Taylor got married quite a few times, but each time she did it in an elegant bridal style, in many colours, even in white on occasion, but always in her own unique and memorable way. I poured over photos of her gowns and veils and read her ideas behind the design of them all. All of them reflected who she was at that time in her life. She was telling her story and expressing herself in her bridal choices. The marriages may not have worked out, but her fashion decisions were flawless.

I knew I wanted to wear something from another era, something handmade, something with a story. I think clothes can help tell a story about ourselves, and some clothes are part of a long story that crosses decades of occasions, events and celebrations. This is why I love vintage. My vintage dress journey began and ended in Dirty Fabulous where I was guided by the expert knowledge and warm advice of the vintage bridal expert Caroline. I went alone and opened my mind to the possibility of wearing a wedding dress that wasn’t white. It was
the best decision I've ever made. The small boutique is filled with beautiful wedding and occasion dresses spanning over a hundred years, each with their own little personality.

Caroline, their curator, is there to help you find just the right one for you, be it white, champagne, cream, red or blue. Choosing to buy my dress in Dirty fabulous and choosing to shop alone under the capable guidance of a vintage expert, gave me the freedom to try things I might never have tried if I had had an audience that day. It’s hard to listen to yourself when you are trying to meet loved one’s expectations of a bridal look. I tried on golds, greens, pastels and reds and it felt liberating and exciting. Caroline was honest when colours or styles didn’t suit and offered suggestions of how a given dress could be altered to suit my shape. When I tried on my dress, I twirled on the spot and exclaimed ‘Yay!’. It felt fun and it felt very me. Caroline put me in touch with vintage alterations expert Violetta in Fitz Alterations on Drury street, who customised the dress with skill and flair. I like to call her the dress whisperer. She reinforced seams, added boning and underskirts and gave the dress new life.

Meanwhile, back at Dirty Fabulous HQ, Caroline was painstakingly turning a Vera
Wang veil I had been gifted, into two layer-able veils, dyed to match the dress and adorning them with fabric daisies to match my bouquet.

Going above and beyond is second nature to the sisterhood that runs Dirty Fabulous. They are passionate about clothing and style and Caroline was always there to help me bat away the doubts I had when people (meaning well of course) said ‘Are you sure you won’t regret not wearing white?’, ‘Will your fiancé be disappointed on the day?’. If you are thinking of wearing an ‘unconventional’ wedding dress, my advice is to go alone to try on dresses. Let yourself explore options and choose one like-minded soul to give you a second opinion once
you’ve found a dress that speaks to you. Once you’ve had the alterations done to have it fit you, you can then invite your nearest over to have some bubbles and try it on. I told a select few people including my now husband that I would be wearing my favourite colour on our wedding day. His reaction was the clincher. He said he couldn’t wait to see it and that he couldn’t picture me in anything else.

So I took the leap, followed the yellow brick road and sailed down the Liffey on my wedding day with the biggest smile on my face.

My dress and veil truly made me feel like the most wonderful version of myself on my wedding day, thanks to the vintage sisterhood of Dirty Fabulous. My dress was my cup of tea. I didn’t just say yes to a dress, I said YAY and I guarantee that’s all anyone can dream of for their wedding day.

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Thank you so much to Muireann for taking the time to write such a fabulous piece!

We've had brides get married in pink, blue, navy, red, green, and even black! Every shade you could possibly think of! Nothing makes us happier than when a bride is confident in her own decisions and wears something just for herself. When you're happy wearing something you love you'll shine from within and that's all people will notice...not what colour it is!

Kathy and Caroline

xxxx

Real Bride: Mags giving us beautiful Hepburn vibes!

Our gorgeous bride Mags, wore a 1960's ivory, knee length dress with balloon sleeves and high neck for her recent wedding. She paired it with one of our veiled, vintage hats and we're swooning over her Audrey Hepburn style!

Congratulations to Mags on her recent wedding
xxxx

Real Bride: Sinead, Glowing in Gatsby Glamour

 

Sinead came to us to find the perfect headpiece to match her gorgeous silk wedding gown. It had such an Old Hollywood vintage feel that we new we'd have some incredible options for her.

Sinead chose a Gatsby style, crystal headpiece that worked beautifully with her bobbed hairstyle.

Their photographer Olga Hogan captured the most wonderful shots throughout the day in the stunning surroundings of Martinstown House (just look at that jaw dropping ceremony setting!).

Congratulations to Sinead and her new hubby.
Sending you big love from Dirty Fabulous!

Real Bride - Lenna is all kinds of fabulous!

When I first spied Lenna's photos on Instagram after she's tagged us, I thought it must have been from an editorial photoshoot! But no, she's one of our fierce and fabulous real brides!

Lenna chose an incredible 1950's full length, lace wedding dress. It had the most amazing tiered tulle detail on the back.

I think Lenna's soft, slightly undone hairstyle and rustic bouquet were the perfect match to her dress. They added a romantic, natural element.

Congratulations to Lenna and her new Hubby!  

Real Bride Aoife - The cutest lace 70's dress!

Our stunning bride Aoife wore the prettiest, lace, knee length wedding dress from the 1970's for her wedding. She chose one of our full underskirts to add a fun, vintage feel.

Aoife added a belt and adorable veil to complete her look.

Congratulations to Aoife and her new hubby on their recent wedding!

Real Bride Claire : Simply Stunning in an Original 1930's Wedding Gown

Aren't these wedding photos fabulous!

Claire chose an incredible 1930's, silk satin wedding gown with Art Deco rhinestone belt for her big day. It had a lace collar which she had removed to keep the silhouette quite simple and fresh.

This dress had an amazing low back and slight train which I'm sure Claire's guests would have appreciated! 

Photography by Aspect Photography 

Congratulations to Claire and her new hubby!

If you'd like to share your Dirty Fabulous wedding dress photos send them through to hello@dirtyfabulous.com, we'd love to see them!

Real Bride Ita - Something Old, Something Blue.

How chic does our bride Ita, look in her 1960's, ivory silk suit from Saks Fifth Avenue. The jacket was adorned with beautiful turquoise cabochon and crystal buttons. We paired it with a 1950's, turquoise, velvet headband with veil for a fabulously unique bridal look.

We think she looks adorable and the soft tones were captured wonderfully by Wim from In Love Photography

Real Bride Deirdre - Shimmering in a Champagne Gown

Our gorgeous bride, Deirdre chose an elegant, champagne, wedding gown that echoed the style of the 1940's for her recent wedding. She paired it with one of our bespoke, birdcage veils in a perfect shade of nude. We are in love with her whole look!
Photography by I Do Photography
Congratulations to Deirdre and her new hubby!
xxx

Real Bride Karina - Wildly Beautiful!

  Photography by Benson Russell

 Photography by Benson Russell

Photography by Roisin Macken

Real bride Karina, chose a soft, asymmetric, vintage wedding gown and sheer cape veil for her recent wedding. Her relaxed, romantic look was simply wonderful for the picture perfect location.  We adore these photos!

Congratulations to Karina and her new hubby!  

Real Bride - Michelle's Vintage Finishing Touches

Beautiful bride Michelle, wanted to an extra flourish to her tea length wedding dress and came to Dirty Fabulous in search of some romantic vintage pieces.
We helped Michelle pick out a 1920's Juliet veil, bespoke belt and beaded 1950's cardigan that all added to her stunning look on her big day.
Congratulations to Michelle and new hubby!

Real Bride: Kelly is the Cat's Meow!

SWOOOON!!!!!!These photos!!!

For her big day, pastel haired beauty, Kelly, chose one of our own designs: The Cat's Meow from our Papermoon Bridal collection. She totally rocked her unique look which had a modern twist on 1930's Old Hollywood glamour.
There's nothing we love more than seeing a bride staying true to her individual style for her wedding day and we're so proud that one of our Papermoon dresses was perfect for Kelly!
Thank you so much to Kelly for sending in her stunning pics by photographer Paula Gillespie.
Check out Paula's instagram and Facebook pages to see even more fabulous photos!

Congrats to Kelly and her new hubby!
xxx