If you’re searching for a really unusual, vintage-inspired wedding headpiece, then one of Jo Barnes’ designs could be just what you’re looking for. Her bridal side tiaras and combs are hand-made by Jo herself in her home in the south of England and take influence from the 1920s and 1930s. Here Jo told me a bit more about her business and designs….

Jo Barnes - The lady herself!

1. First of all, could you briefly describe your business and ethos?

Jo Barnes Vintage is my wonderful vintage headdress and accessory business, which I set up after creating my very own bouquet and headdress for our wedding in 2009 with my Nana’s vintage jewellery. All items are hand crafted using the finest materials. It was my mission to create accessories for brides that they will be able to wear again and again and not just on their wedding day. You can choose from an original vintage “one off” piece if you are after something unique or a vintage inspired piece, which-ever you choose you will be sure to sparkle like a Hollywood starlet….

2. Can you describe a typical working day? What do you like / dislike the most?

No day is the same, that’s what I love about it. I get to meet and talk to lovely brides to be and I get to design and create pretty sparkly things, what more can a girl want!!!  I love what I do the only downside is the state of my fingers (nothing a good manicure can’t fix…)

3. Who would be your dream client and why? What do you think they’d choose to wear?

My dream client??? Ummm (I’m really not sure to be honest) It would be really fab to have a famous person wear one of my creations but all my brides are a dream to work with, I can honestly say I haven’t yet had to deal with one bridezilla….

4. What’s the most unusual request you’ve had from a bride-to-be?

No unusual requests so far, I do get brides asking me to copy other designers work, my reply to that “If you want to wear a creation by another designer then go and purchase it from them”

The beautiful Audrey side tiara and Rhea comb

5. What’s your greatest achievement of your career to date?

The greatest achievement for me is just how quickly my business has grown, it really has been incredible and I cannot thank my brides enough and also the lovely Annabel at Lovemydress who helped me get to where I am now…

6. What’s the most memorable thing you’ve seen at a wedding as a guest?

Our good friend married an Italian lady, they had a traditional Italian wedding and I can honestly say I have never seen so much food, it was unbelievable…. My husband and I had what we thought was the main meal and was totally full and that was just the starter, there were 4 more courses after that and then they had a BBQ!!! It was unreal but it was such a beautiful wedding it was like being on a movie set… and in the evening they had a huge pool party, just fabulous…

7. What are the overriding trends we’ll see in your next collection?

1920’s inspired headdresses, with lots of pearls…

Unusual designs in the form of Etta and Mirta Side Tiaras

8. What advice would you give to a bride-to-be starting her search for a headpiece?

I always tell my brides to “Choose your wedding gown first” this will avoid extra spending when you realise the headdress you bought doesn’t match your gown…  It’s also a good idea to have an idea of how you would like to wear your hair on the day, and this will help decide whether you have a comb or headband and if you have pearls or crystals in your gown try and incorporate these in your headdress as this will compliment the gown.

9. What career path would you have taken if you weren’t a designer?

I always wanted to open my own tea shop, I adore baking, which is what I do when I get a bit of spare time, I love to be in my kitchen with my music blaring out whilst making yummy cakes…I’d like to think that’s what I would have been doing now if I wasn’t a headdress designer…

10. What would you do if you won the Euro Millions?!

Create headdresses with real diamonds….

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Ooh – real diamonds?! I’ll take one of those! If you do choose one of Jo’s gorgeous designs, make sure you check out Rachel Simpson‘s beautiful range of vintage wedding shoes – just perfect for Jo’s Art Deco designs!

Kate x

Let’s face it: most weddings aren’t cheap. Even with a lot of effort, it’s had to keep costs down. So at Queens & Bowl we try to make sure that our range has something for every wedding budget, without compromising on style.

British brand Ivory & Co is a great choice for the cost-conscious brides. Based in the heart of Worcestershire in the Malvern Hills, their wedding jewellery ranges offer brides-to-be some great pieces whatever vintage wedding look you’re going for.

If you’re going for a 1940s vintage wedding feel, then a great option for Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner look is the Manhattan range. Crafted from pear-shaped Austrian crystals, it’s a great option for bling on a budget! The necklace is great value at £125 and the earrings are just £35.

The glamorous Manhattan wedding jewellery range, great for a 1940s wedding.

Another great range in Ivory & Co’s wedding jewellery collection is the Waterlilly Pearl range. The necklace, earrings and bracelet are a fantastic choice for a country vintage wedding. The design is a gorgeous combination of high quality, lustrous manmade pearls and twinkling Austrian crystals. Again, they’re great value – the necklace and bracelet are £60 and the earrings are just £25!

The Waterlilly Pearl Wedding Jewellery range is great for a country vintage feel.

The Waterlilly Pearl range is also perfect if you’re looking for co-ordinating wedding jewellery, wedding shoes, and even hair accessories. Ivory & Co have a matching tiara, but they also match brilliantly with the pearl and crystal trims on the Hettie wedding shoes and hair pins by Rachel Simpson!

There are great co-ordinating items for the Waterlilly Pearl wedding jewellery range.

Take a look at the rest of the Ivory & Co wedding jewellery range and you’ll find there’s something for every bride on any budget!

Kate. xx

Good morning! I’ve been thinking of doing a Wallis Simpson style blog post for some time now, and with Colin Firth winning a much-deserved Golden Globe last night for his role as King George VI (who became king after his brother, Edward VIII abdicated to marry the divorcee Wallis) in The King’s Speech, I thought it was very appropriate.

Wallis Simpson on her wedding day in 1937. Image: Rex Features

The infamous Wallis Simpson, known for her chic and glamorous style during the 1930s and 1940s is inspiring a huge amount of brides at the moment. In fact, the uber-stylish and trend-setting David Fielden even named one of his glamorous satin wedding dresses after her (see image below) – and you can see why, as it definitely mimmicks her slim-fitted, nipped-waist dress with draped bust section.

Get Wallis' style for your wedding day with a statement brooch and pearls. Image: David Fielden

If you’re after a Wallis Simpson vintage wedding day look then focus on her signature accessories: in terms of wedding jewellery, Wallis was hardly ever seen without an eyecatching statement brooch, so a sparkly Swarovski or quartz crystal wedding brooch is vital. She was also a fan of stud or cluster earrings rather than dangle earrings, so go for pearls or a pearl / crystal combination. For wedding shoes choose an elegant peep-toe with a nod to 1930s Deco design.

Wallsi Simpson also loved to flaunt wealth with her stylish pearl necklaces, so choose a slick multi-row piece for maximum opulence and finish off the glamour with a 1930s Art Deco bridal comb set amongst your finger wave curls!

I recommend:

Venetia wedding shoes by Rachel Simpson

Waterlilly Pearl bridal earrings by Ivory & Co

St Tropez wedding brooch by Stephanie Browne

Rhea bridal comb by Jo Barnes

Tabitha wedding brooch by Stephanie Browne

Astor Swarovski Pearl Necklace by Stephanie Browne

A slick of red lipstick and you’re good to go!

Kate. xx

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I’ve had the pleasure of welcoming a glut of amazing wedding accessory designers and their brands to Queens & Bowl recently. One of those such brands was the totally fabulous Harriet Wilde – whose vintage-inspired wedding shoes I have completely fallen in love with!

Last week I quizzed the lady behind Harriet Wilde, Ruth Shaw, and asked her a few probing questions. Here’s what she had to say :

The lady herself - Ruth Shaw

1. First of all, could you briefly describe your business and ethos?

Harriet Wilde (my Great Grandmother’s name) was established by myself Ruth Shaw, as I searched in vain to find the perfect pair of shoes for my own wedding, my style is about mixing vintage with designer pieces and I wanted my wedding to be the same.

The philosophy: Unique vintage inspired footwear, stylishly designed in London, made to the highest quality by shoemakers in Europe. A backlash to mass production and the image that weddings have to be fluffy and not stylish with a contemporary edge.

Some of Ruth's beautiful creations for Harriet Wilde wedding shoes

2. Can you describe a typical working day? What do you like / dislike the most?

Right now I’m working from an office at home, I had a baby girl (Lois) in October last year so as a working Mum I need to be close at hand. First job is to check emails, process orders and talk to clients and my factory in Spain, next varies from day to day, if I’m lucky it’ll be thinking or designing new shoes and trims, if I’m unlucky it’ll be a meeting with the accountant (sorry to all accountants out there, we love you really).

3. Who would be your dream client and why? What do you think they’d choose to wear?

I’d have to say Kate Middleton, she has a great figure, is atractive and is on the cusp of becoming a princess, need I say more? Harriet Wilde would design and make a bespoke pair for Kate, it would be an honour.

We hope that Kate may choose Harriet Wilde to design her wedding shoes!

4. What’s the most unusual request you’ve had from a bride-to-be?

Can’t think of an answer for this one, all our brides have requested only gorgeous things, I guess colour could be considered unusual – bright yellow, electric blue, all of our satin shoes can be dyed to any colour.

5. What’s the greatest achievement of your career to date?

Designing an exclusive collection for Harrods shoe boudoir.

6. What’s the most memorable thing you’ve seen at a wedding as a guest?

Not a wedding I’ve attended, but Gypsy weddings are something else, the size of everything is outstanding.

7. What are the overriding trends we’ll see in your next collection?

Kitten heels, more high heels and platforms, glamour yet still retaining elegance, sparkles and thirties inspired trims all with matching clutches.

8. What advice would you give to a bride-to-be starting her search for wedding shoes?

Style, pick the most appropriate shape for your dress. Comfort and quality is key as you’ll be wearing them all day and dancing too. It’s worth budgeting for a very special pair of shoes for this important day and don’t forget our shoes can be dyed either for your wedding or after so you can wear them again.

9. What career path would you have taken if you weren’t a designer?

It could only EVER be shoes, I’m shoe obsessed.

10. Finally, what would you do if you won the Euro Millions?!

Boring, but I don’t do the lottery so I’ve got to make my own millions.

So if you’re looking for amazing quality shoes that certainly have the ‘wow’ factor, check out Ruth’s gorgous collection on our site now and take your pick from some amazing styles!

Kate. x

In amongst all the pre-Christmas rush, you may not have noticed that quite a few new wedding accessories designers have come on board at Queens & Bowl Wedding Accessories. One of these such brands was no-less than the amazingly talented Jo Barnes, with her Jo Barnes Vintage headdress collection.

I’m really excited to have Jo’s work as part of my collection after being a fan for quite some time after seeing her very own wedding on Love My Dress. Married at the Fairmont in Banff, Canada, Jo started on her accessory designing career by creating her very own vintage bridal bouquet from her grandmother’s antique jewellery, plus pearls and cufflinks from other relatives. Already a huge fan of the 1930s era, she started designing and creating bouquets and headpieces for other brides-to-be using genuine vintage pieces.

The gorgeous Audrey headpiece by Jo Barnes

As well as genuine one-off items, Jo has now branched out into designing vintage-inspired items, based on classic 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s designs. And the good news is that Jo’s bridal headpieces, side tiaras and wedding hair combs they are now available at Queens & Bowl. All of Jo’s are created with the following features:

• The finest materials, including Swarovski crystals and Swarovski crystal pearls
• Light, flexible bands for a comfortable fit and easy re-shaping around your chosen hairstyle
• Silver or gold-plated bases for extra twinkle!
• Some headbands are also covered with satin ribbon in either ivory (for blondes) or brown (for readheads / brunettes) to help the band become invisible against your hair, making the adornment even more of a statement.
• Finally, Jo’s designs come in GORGEOUS packaging

The seriously glam Etta and Mirta bridal headpieces.

I’m so glad to have Jo on board – please check out her range now for some gorgeous and inspiring pieces!

Kate. xx