Rita at Cemetarian sent me this over Labor Day (pattern sellers: not unionized, don't get major holidays) and I think it's really sweet.
Even though pointy seam lines on a skirt always make me think of Tinkerbell (who has been COMPLETELY RUINED by Disney, thank you very much), I still think this would be a fabulous dress for a midday wedding (for the bride). I love that little jacket, so (I'll say it again) sweet. I want it to be made in champagne-colored silk faille, which would weigh ONE METRIC TON, but it would be gorgeous.
I like the non-wedding-y versions, too, but they all seem to require the wearing of massive girdle-type garments to get that smooth waistline, which I think is a bit much to expect of a gown that's NOT a wedding dress.
This also reminds me what a fantastic resource our Wikia Vintage Pattern Wiki is for brides — here's the link to all the dresses tagged "Bridal": 179 patterns and counting! I think we should have another wiki contest: If we get to 500 honest-to-goodness wedding dresses uploaded and tagged by Oct. 1, I'll make a donation of $500 from A Dress A Day to Women for Women International, to help women around the world so they have the freedom to get married because they want to, not because they're forced to — a freedom most of us take for granted. What do you say?
A Dress A Day 
OK, Im on for the wiki. Its going to be fun to see what gets added this time….and could I ask that maybe a pattern back view be included if at all possible? thanks!p.s. if you boned that silk princess style wedding dress in the seam allowances, you might not need to wear girdle stuff under the dress. Oh, and underline it with silk organza to get the lofty skirt shape. I think youd have a senior thesis project right there!
LikeLike
Tarna is on it…she found one of mine tonight (and its late!) and marked it Wedding since I hadnt. Did folks know there are over 20,000 patterns listed now? And more to come since I need to get busy and upload some wedding dresses! (Does Tarna ever sleep?)
LikeLike
Saturday Im starting to look around for a wedding dress, but this is exactly the style Im looking for. I wonder if anybody made it up lately, in a bridal version.
LikeLike
I have a 40s wedding dress pattern not on your list how do I upload it for you?
LikeLike
I have a 40s wedding dress pattern not on your list how do I upload it for you?
LikeLike
Erin,Im up for the challenge too. Now Ill spend the day searching through my 4000 unlisted patterns just looking for Wedding Dresses……..see what you make us do? LOL
LikeLike
Erin,I love that you support Women for Women. I am on my second sponsee and both have been amazing.Im a student with no time to search for patterns, but I would if I had the time. Brenda
LikeLike
How old does it have to be, to be vintage? I know everyone has different ideas.Also, how do you feel about wedding accessories (viels, gloves, ring pillows, etc.) patterns?
LikeLike
I really want to help, but Ive never really figured out how to upload to the pattern wiki 😦 Ive gotten one up and it was totally by luck.
LikeLike
Heres a quick tutorial (or How I load to the Wiki)1. Go to the Home page2. In the middle of the page is a little box that says Create3. Type the exact Brand and Number of the pattern and hit CREATE4. If the pattern is already there it will pop up. Click on Edit this page to see if it is in fact the same pattern.5. If it is a different pattern with the same number click on your browsers back button. This will take you to a page with a box that has the number. Add an A and click edit/create whatever. All of this really is quick once you get the hang of it and it keeps you from adding duplicates.6. When you get the create (or edit) box…..the first line says Add your image here Select and delete that sentence. 7. click on the image icon toward the right hand side and you will get an uploader…..select your image from the file on your harddrive and uploaad.8. You will get a sizeing box…..if your image is larger than 400 wide…….click on the thumbnail box and slide it to 400 and click upload.9. When you get back to the edit box Type in the brand/number and date (if available) and add some form of description.10. If you dont want to fool with the categories dont let that stop you because someone (usually Tarna) will come along and add the cats…….but you can do it easily by clicking the add category button and start typing….a pop up menu will give you choice.11. Click Save and you are on your way……Im sure there are other ways to do it but that is how I do it since we started.I LOVE THE WIKI!Rita
LikeLike
I just added a few bridal gowns. The total is up to 204 now.
LikeLike
Im not a big Tink fan but I would totally go all sparkly with that one, just because I could.
LikeLike
Wow, what fun! One thing that really strikes me while browsing through the bridal patterns is how much more modest wedding dresses used to be. (Boy, how I wish this wiki had been around nine years ago, when I needed a wedding dress with LONG sleeves and a HIGH neckline!) The style now seems to be to bare as much skin as possible, even in winter, even in a very conservative church! I wonder how that trend started, and if Im the only one who thinks its tacky ;-)I think the weirdest one Ive seen so far is Vogue 2315:http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Vogue_2315Does anyone really want to look like a nun on her wedding day? (And am I the only one whos now humming How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?)
LikeLike
HaHaHa! Joni, I have that dress pattern – I didnt buy it for a bridal dress, though. Its kind of a cute go-go dress when made casual (and knee length). When I saw it for sale I thought Bride of Star Wars.Amy
LikeLike
The challenge is on! I will go thru all my vintage wedding patterns and put any not listed in this week. Erin get that money ready!
LikeLike
Oh, I love that one; Ive had it for ages and once thought I would make it up as my wedding dress (when the time came, I opted not too, went with a vintage McCall instead). I never could quite imagine wearing it!
LikeLike
Thats a wonderful idea Erin! I know Ive got a few Forties wedding dress patterns around here somewhere.
LikeLike
One thing that really strikes me while browsing through the bridal patterns is how much more modest wedding dresses used to be. I dont like overly bare-looking wedding dresses, either. The strapless effect just doesnt jive with my image of bride. Also, the super-slinky beaded creations are a touch too…Dynasty for my taste. You dont wear sequins in church. (Not that everyone gets married in a church or a temple.)It would be interesting some day to list what our mothers wore to their weddings…maybe when the wiki reaches the 500 mark? My mom eloped in 1962, and wore a marked-down, white pique number she got at a boutique on Newbury Street. It was a size too small, but she grabbed it because it was practically the only white dress left in Boston in July. She says it was sleeveless, had a scoop neck, a slightly flared skirt and was fully lined. She wore it again afterwards to fancy picnics and some dinner parties…which I think is the neatest part of the story. I cant STAND the idea of wearing any dress just once. It seems like an insult to the garment.
LikeLike
I love the idea of wedding dresses on the wiki. At least, now Ill have somewhere to go for inspiration 😉 I agree with Cookie and Joni on the modesty vs. bare skin issue. It seems that theres a conspiracy going on to have all brides wear strapless dresses these days. Now strapless dresses dont work on all figures AND there can be many reasons (like church and the weather) why you might not want to wear a strapless dress to your wedding even if its a good look on you. I like the story of Cookies mothers dress. However, in wearing it again afterwards, she was following in an age-old tradition. European brides only started to wear white in about the 19th century. Before that, theyd just wear a pretty dress, which would continue to be worn as a special occasion dress. Early white brides were usually encouraged to dye and/or alter their dresses after the wedding to allow for it to be worn again.
LikeLike
Keep them coming! 296 to go!!!
LikeLike
Yes, great dress. And yes about Tinkerbell, too!
LikeLike
I like the story of Cookies mothers dress. Thank you! I always liked hearing about her wedding, too. Her dress is in a different category than most brides, because she was married by a justice of the peace, kind of in a hurry…she knew her parents wouldnt come to a formal wedding, because she was marrying a non-Catholic, so why bother with anything elaborate? (Plus, shed have to pay for it all herself, anyway.) She did get lucky and end up liking her dress, which was marked-down to $99, probably because the store was clearing out its summer stock. She says that was a lot for a Boston dress back then. My dad wore his Navy Whites, so they must have looked cute together. In time, of course, it turned out that just about the only thing they had in common was they were short…but thats a different story.
LikeLike
I don;t think any of my old patterns are bridal, but Ill have a look when I get home. I didnt even know there WAS a patternwiki!What slays me is when I hear brides say, I want a traditional fairytale wedding dress – you know, strapless. Whose idea of tradition is that? Vera Wangs?My mother made her own elopement dress – a tan, linen A-line with short sleeves. She wore it to the office the following Monday.
LikeLike
My mother made her own elopement dress – a tan, linen A-line with short sleeves. She wore it to the office the following Monday. Right on, Sister. Power to the People!
LikeLike
I just love 50s Advance patterns. There are all so pretty and feminine.I have exactly one bazillion + 2 wedding dress patterns. Hopefully I can contribute to the wiki cause. Its a great one!
LikeLike
I dont think youd necessarily have to wear a massive girdl-type-thingy under it. Im actually planning to start wearing a foundation garment under my made-from-vintage-pattern stuff. It doesnt have to suck in so much to look good, just needs to smooth out and firm up a tad. I just havent decided yet whether to buy or make it.
LikeLike
Great stories. i was so frustrated looking for a second wedding dress that I had a vogue reproduction party dress made in pale blue with 3/4 sleeves. I third the sponsee motion.
LikeLike
My mother made her own wedding dress in 1976. It was a straight, princess-line dress, ankle length and with full sleeves made of lace. Very simple and modest enough for just about anyone (which was not even really her concern; she just wanted to be comfortable).My only exposure to wedding dresses comes from occasionally hitting briefly on Say Yes to the Dress when flipping through channels, but I confess Ive seen precious few modern wedding gowns Id want to wear, much less pay $3,000 to wear. If I ever get married, I might go so far as to wear off-white, but Ill absolutely be making my own dress. Out of cotton. From a comfortable pattern that doesnt require me to invest in mutant-looking underwear.
LikeLike
(I apologize for the million little posts. Im having a mentally-disorganized day.)I dont care for this era/style of dress, but I love this idea (which could be applied to any style)! Bolero with train! Be covered and wear your train in the church; remove both at once and party later!
LikeLike
Ive always thought a garden wedding in the late afternoon would be nicest (Im not an early riser!), so some simple, mid-length dress with flowers in the hair would be ideal. You never know when these things can happen — even if youre not dating anyone — so I should probably find one.
LikeLike
Cookie,I had a 4 p.m. wedding by the little lake right outside the Officers Club, the Friday before memorial day two years ago. The haed boss gave every one an hour off (so everyone would be off at 4) which I thought was nice.
LikeLike
Oh, I think we need a link to a pic of that pale blue dress you had made from the reproduction pattern! I will scan a pic where I was a bride in a fashion show, if you do. It was the closest I got…
LikeLike
I have to agree about Disney ruining Tinkerbell.I have two or three vintage wedding patterns hanging around, but Ill have to get my scanner working.I wore my Moms wedding dress, which her Mom made. It started as a strapless party dress. She redid the bodice with full length sleeves, and added a pleated train. The fabric was a white brocade with ribbon sewn over it in a flower pattern.
LikeLike
E-bay vintage for me, then made my own reception dress. I have to ask; whats the beef with Disney Tinkerbell? Is there any other?-Sandra
LikeLike
I think I have one on my computer at work. I dont know how to put it in here though… maybe IT husband will know. Ill try.
LikeLike
Cookie -it was the green version, but with the longer 3/4 sleeve. Ill try to get pic up 2 morrow.http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V2903.htm?tab=vintage_voguepage=2
LikeLike
Doh! I found the answer to my question on the website: OUT OF PRINT patterns: roughly pre-1980
LikeLike
I must like the Tinkerbell look, lol, cause I love the way it shows off those tiny waistlines. Nice to see you having fun with this story! Rock on.
LikeLike
Oh! Thats a GREAT look! I might have read a review of that pattern at the PatternReview website! Anyway, I am getting [i]deja vu.[/i] And now I must dig up my bride pic…
LikeLike
Flapper, I absolutely love that look. Its sort of like a feminine version of a gentlemans cutaway coat.
LikeLike
I love that wedding! dress pattern
LikeLike
I really adore the seams on that pattern, I like the wedding and non-wedding versions
LikeLike
I just uploaded a few..thanks to Rita giving us those instructions…so clear that I was able to follow them even in my cold medicine haze…and thanks to the lovely gals behind the curtain (Tarna, Petite Main, Brigit…you know who you are!) who work tirelessly to correct mistakes, add details and in general make the Wiki work. Yea! Back to my orange juice and old movies. Tina
LikeLike
brocadegoddess – if you are looking for foundation / vintage style undergarments the Ive heard that http://www.whatkatiedid.com is very good – Ive been eyeing up the bullet bras for a while but not sure if Imbrave enough to sport the pointy look!That pattern is very pretty. My mother had a long white dress with a high lace neck and lace sleeves – really pretty and she still has it in the attic but I hightly doubt Ill ever wear it as she was about 4 dress sizes smaller than me! (Although I do soetimes joke that I could wear it as a veil!)
LikeLike
Im in love with this pattern, probably because I love both princess seams and pointed dropped waist seams.I have a few patterns in my 200+ collection that are wedding dresses and arent part of the wiki; Ill see about adding them.And Jen, where could someone do a senior thesis like youve described (boning the dress and adding a silk organza for shape)? Im curious.
LikeLike
In case anyone is still following this – and I hope you are – we are up to a count of 321 on the wiki for Bridal. That means 179 to go, so please, pretty please, keep adding!
LikeLike
I mis-remembered the dates for this and thought it was ending Oct 31st…but I do see that we have enough in the Wiki if you add Wedding and Bridal…so what happened?
LikeLike