I love glamour.

Old fashioned glamour, not the Katie Price kind.

A beautiful dress and red lipstick. A pair of shiny heels worn with seamed stockings. Perfectly manicured hands and fabulously coiffed hair. Maybe even gloves, worn for their beauty rather than just to keep your hands warm. A hat or a headdress that sparkles. Jewels adorning your ears and neck and wrists.

This past Wednesday evening, all of the above was present in abundance at one fabulous venue in Newcastle. And it was all down to one amazing lady… Annabel, the woman behind what has always been, and remains, my favourite wedding blog, Love My Dress. The Love My Dress Soiree was held for industry types and a handful of brides, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to attend.

My day started with a trip to the hairdresser in Exeter. Armed with a few pictures of what I had in mind {read: photos of Audrey Hepburn}, the lovely Jenna set to work on my hair. I had warned her that it had to last 6hrs on the train and then well into the night and boy, did she do well! All those pins and a hefty dose of hairspray did the trick and there wasn’t a hair out of place at the end of the evening. The only downside was that I was far too scared to fall asleep on the train lest I should crush my ‘do’.Fast forward through one long train journey, filled with dissertationing and mini jammie dodgers {yum} to my arrival in Newcastle.

I have to say, I had no idea it was such a beautiful city. There was plenty of lush, green fields as the train approached which, to a southerner who imagines the north to be one big industrial estate, was noting short of a revelation. I spied the Angel of the North through the train window too, that thing is HUGE! The city itself had some beautiful buildings and everyone I encountered was incredibly friendly.

Unfortunately, my home for the evening was far from glamorous. As Travel Lodges go, it was pretty scummy! However, my roomie for the night was very glamorous! The Bijou Bride (a.k.a Alexander) and I shared some prosecco (elegantly chilled in the bathroom sink) while we hastily slipped on our posh frocks.

Alex looked stunning in a floor length lilac gown with her beautiful blond hair set in waves and expertly applied sparkly eye-shadow. Seriously ladies, if you’re looking for a stylist, she’s your woman.I played it safe in my favourite little black dress {Oasis 3 years ago} and black patent Agent Provocateur shoes {which still make my heat flutter years after Mr. LA gifted them to me}. My make-up was a rushed and somewhat sticky affair {the room was insanely warm} so I stuck with my ever faithful red Chanel lipstick {in shade No. 9 ‘Lover’} and winged eye-liner.

We met up with some of the other glamorous attendees (Natasha of Natasha Jane Headwear was particularly lovely, as were Sarah and Chloe of Sarah Lauren Photography) and headed to The Baltic. The venue was breathtaking, overlooking the river and the Gateshead millennium bridge.

Source 1 + 2

A queue had already formed at the entrance to the soiree and I really enjoyed people watching as we waited patiently to go in. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many beautiful dresses in one place. Everyone had embraced the vintage glamour dress code and there were full-skirted 50s silhouettes, floor skimming gowns and plenty of sparkle.

Alex and I got chatting to Louise from Oh My Honey who was simply lovely. I’m totally smitten with her handmade 50s inspired gowns and after seeing Leah from Golden Apple in a stunning scalloped edged prom dress I feel a purchase coming on!

We were handed glasses of chilled prosecco by some rather stunning girls, resplendent in their shimmery 20s flapper dresses, before heading into the venue.

The place was a vintage girl’s dream, filled with fabulous props and decadent touches. There were flowers, candles, cupcakes and cake pops. What more could you want?The evening was filled with plenty of cocktails {I think I consumed my own body weight in mojitos}, dancing and laughter. There was also a photo booth which provided hours of fun. I would LOVE to have one of these at our wedding!
I was thrilled to meet Sarah from Only Gorgeous Weddings {that’s her in the photo booth with me} and Elizabeth from Bridal Musings who was beyond lovely. I spent a large chunk of the evening drunkenly chatting to Emma, the brains behind the The Wedding Reporter (I suggest all brides-to-be follow this link and book a report, Emma does incredible things with words, seriously} and Anna of Anna and the Ring {whose wedding was spectacular}. The evening also provided my first meeting with our future wedding photographer Eliza Claire who is simply wonderful. I feel even more excited about posing for her now!

But, as if all this wasn’t quite glamorous enough, later in the evening we were treated to a performance by the burlesque dancer Vicky Butterfly. It was, quite simply, incredible. Was there ever such an elegant way to bare one’s breasts?As the night wore on dancing round our handbags seemed like the only appropriate course of action…It was wonderful to finally meet Annabel. She looked stunning in her gown and headdress and was clearly loving every minute of the evening. She’s a very inspiring lady, doing what she loves, writing so beautifully and mothering two beautiful little girls all the while.

Eventually the lure of the chip shop proved too much and a few of us headed off in search of {greasy} food. My only regret from the evening is not snapping a picture of us all sat on a bench in our glamorous gowns eating our burgers!

I’ll admit to a teeny tiny hangover the following day. I bumped into a few of the party goers on the train home but we were all in too much of a post-soiree daze to converse much!

You really must take a look at some of the professional photos here. I’m afraid my crummy point-and-shoot fails to capture the true glamour of the evening.

Thank you Annabel for such a fabulous evening. I enjoyed every minute.

Loveaudrey xxx

P.S Please excuse my somewhat shiny face. There was simply no disguising that prosecco glow.