Vintage Bleu: Vintage Wedding & Bridesmaids Dresses

Today I am delighted to welcome Michelle Schwarz (aka Bleu) from Vintage Bleu to the Blog. Michelle s the founder of Vintage Bleu a new bridesmaid and wedding dress site catering for the vintage loving bride who loves a Boho twist to her look. Based in New Zealand, Michelle ships worldwide so these beautiful dresses are available throughout the world. Covering a wide range of colours and styles these bridesmaids dresses are perfect for the current trend of pastels and a non matching look.

I’ll pass the Blog over to Michelle………

‘I started the website because of my own experience. When I was getting married I dreamed of a vintage themed wedding, but as it came time to plan the day I couldn’t find the resources I needed. I had such a hard time finding my own dress and I knew the solution had to be out there. The image of the dress I wanted was burned in my mind but nothing I saw in the stores was right for me. Rather than get discouraged or settle for something that wasn’t perfect for my day I thought about solutions. I finally decided to purchase an antique lace wedding dress from the 1940s and added my own personal touches to make it exactly what I had in mind. It was precisely what I was looking for…and an idea was born.’

‘My own line of vintage inspired dresses are unique to our label, who wants what everyone else is wearing?! Each dress is custom made for your personal shape and to match your dreams for that perfect look.
This is our first collection, and the theme is ‘enchanted’ and I feel this range truly is enchanted and perfect for any bride looking for a vintage inspired wedding dress or bridesmaid dress.’

‘We offer bridesmaids dresses, as well as mismatched bridesmaids dresses, a beautiful range of boho inspired wedding dresses, as well as some really cute flower girl dresses.’

When did you start and where are you based
We proudly opened this year. I started dreaming of this since I was 14! (my mother would take me to bridal shows so I could watch all the designers ‘do their thing’, everyone thought I was quite odd!). We are based in New Zealand

What sort of geographical area do you cover?
We ship worldwide!

What were you doing before?
I was running accounts in the city of Christchurch nz, then the massive earthquake hit – everything was destroyed, so we packed up the car with whatever we could find and started a new life in a new city.
The near death moment for me was finally the wake up call to get out there and do what I’ve always wanted to do

How would you describe your style?
Romantic vintage with a boho twist

What makes you different to your competitors?
Our vintage bridesmaid dresses are really something a little special! We also have custom made ‘mismatched’ bridesmaid dress sets, we LOVE these as they give each bridesmaid a little personality and style, while still keeping with the brides colors and theme. And the group discount never hurts.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love everything! But the most biggest thing, is getting that email that says “I’ve been looking everywhere for dresses that fit my wedding…and have finally found them!!” – that is my fav part about the day by far.

What sort of couple do you think you attract?
People who truly want their own personalities to shine through their big day…

What would be your ideal wedding to work on?
Every wedding! Each wedding we work with is so unique, there is never a cookie-cutter ‘ideal’ day, every bride is unique and its wonderful to see each personal spin on the day.

Can you give me some information on your pricing structure?
Our bridesmaid dresses start at $190, if you buy them in a set (2 or more) then we offer a discount. We can custom make bridesmaid sets to your requirements.
Our prices are kept so low by the fact we have no physical store, so brides aren’t paying for our rent or power ect….all of these are unnecessary costs.

What is your ideal way to spend a day off?
Ohhh working!!

If you weren’t running your business, what would you be doing?
I would turn into dust and fly away as I can’t imagine anything else besides doing what I love everyday.