100 Years of Wedding Dresses

Change is constant – we always hear and say this. Well, same thing goes with wedding fashion. It has definitely changed over the last 100 years. Brace yourselves for we are taking an exciting ride down memory lane with a styled shoot brought to us by Alexandra Nyman, a fashion designer in the making. These dresses surely defined the past century of weddings. Tell us which style would make you tie the knot! I’m personally a big fan of the 80s! I overall just love the 80s fashion! Call me a millennial but I’m just a sucker when it comes to that era. What’s yours?

1900

Dress: Every Thing Goes Clothing

1916

Dress and Style: Monkey Girlz

1920

Looks: Monkey Girlz

1926

Dress: Monkey Girlz | Fur: Every Thing Goes Clothing

1930

Dress: Monkey Girlz (originally worn by two generations of women)

1940

Dress: Monkey Girlz | Gloves: Hey Viv!

1946

Dress: Every Thing Goes Clothing | Birdcage veil: Hey Viv!

1957

Dress and hat: Hey Viv!

1960

Dress: Monkey Girlz

1970

Dress and veil: Monkey Girlz

1980

Event space: Overspray | Dress: Monkey Girlz | Belt: Every Thing Goes Clothing

2000

Dress: Bossina Couture | Fur: Every Thing Goes Clothing

2016

Dress: Bossina Couture

The Story Behind The Shoot

From Alexandra Nyman, the director and event coordinator:

100 Years of Wedding Dresses was inspired by the rich history of Edgewater Hall. When I first began working for Edgewater, I used to imagine all of the brides who walked through these doors to be wed over the past 140 years. Thus, I decided to blend together Edgewater Hall’s rich history with that of the history of wedding gowns to bring you 14 different wedding looks that are both traditional and nontraditional.

We partnered up with four different bridal and vintage boutiques, Monkey Girlz Boutique, Every Thing Goes Clothing, Hey Viv!, and Bossina Couture, all located on Staten Island in order to showcase some of the local shops and designers. We also partnered up with Noelle Kraft Photography, who is located in the Poconos, and local production company, Shadow and Sound.

We were fortunate to have worked with a beautiful collection of wedding dresses that range in fashion and style from modern times all the way to the 1900s. With the shooting of each dress accentuating their uniqueness and individuality of their time one couldn’t help being pulled back in time as the array of dresses parade in front of the cameras. Although the dresses were per-say the “belles of the ball” much credit is to be extended to the locals in this shoot. To have had the opportunity of shooting this project at the Edgewater Hall was indeed The “ Piece de Resistance” for it gave the shoot that grand, historic ambiance of yester-years it needed to be successful.

Details That Made This Shoot Extra Special

The Laracy gown. The first dress shown from the Edwardian era is authentically from 1890. It took a lot of convincing for the owner of the dress to allow us to use this dress since it is very delicate. The team have actually begun a restoration process for the dress to restore it to the designer’s original vision.

The Edgewater Hall. Edgewater Hall is another great detail that our shoot had. The hall was built in 1876 by Michael Nynan, and for the past 140 years the hall has hosted thousands of brides. Each floor of the hall has a different character and reflects various eras of architecture and fashion, which is why Edgewater was the perfect location for this shoot.

The camera. The professional level of the gear is another detail that really helped this shoot to shine. Shot with the Sony A7S with a Shogun attachment in order to shoot in 4k, this lit the Edwardian era completely in candle light to give that era a historically accurate setting.  The 1920s-1930s was lit with old fashioned light bulbs from that era, the 1940s-1970s with natural lighting, and the 1980s-today with film lighting that was available during the time.

The vendors. The diversity of the vendors who participated in this shoot is the last detail that made this shoot extra special. Four different designers and vintage stores worked together in order to ensure that they had historically accurate dresses that had been worn on Staten Island.

Advice To Couples That Are Still In The Planning Process

♥ Find a venue that will allow you to be flexible. One that will allow you to use their catering package, or an outsider caterer. One that will provide the tables, chairs, linens, and staff. And one that is connected with a party rental company, that way all of your needs can be met within one venue and you won’t have to worry yourself with having a vendor for your chair covers, a vendor for your napkins, a vendor for your chair bows, and a vendor for your table runners. Try to find a venue that has the connections to make your planning process easier. That way you can focus on more important details and not become overwhelmed.

♥ Do not set an ambitious wedding date. A good friend of mine had planned a wedding six months after her engagement, and she was a mess! She did not consider all of the different details that go into planning a wedding: the invitations, setting a theme, selecting your venue/ linens/ colors, selecting floral arrangements, (in their case) collecting enough mason jars and wine bottles, finding a dress and the perfect bridal romper, the cake, the food, finding the right photographer, and the list goes on and on. Give yourself at least a year, and accept help when it is offered. Yes, this is your special day for you and your fiance, but try to delegate to the people who are willing to help. This will make your planning processes much more stress free then trying to do everything on your own.

-Alexandra

Watch The Video Here:

VENDORS

Event Coordinator: Alexandra Nyman
Photography: Noelle Kraft Photography
Hair and Make-up: Alona Tsuanko and Lola Durojaiye
Venue: Edgewater Hall
Video: Shadow and Sound
Models: Allison Morales (1900-1920, 1946 & 1960)
Katherine Hughes (1926, 1950, and 2000)
Jillian Dente (1930, 1940, 1970-90, and 2016)