Heartfelt Vintage

C E L E B R A T E >>> Yesterday, we hosted a very special afternoon tea party to celebrate my mum’s 65th birthday 🎂 • This amazing woman has given me so much, more than she’ll ever take credit for, more than I will ever fully realise. She has given me the strength to be who I am, the courage to keep going when times are tough and a deep and inherent love of cake. Happy Birthday Mum. I love you lots 😘

T H R O W B A C K >>> To the time the lovely ladies from Viva! to visit and tried our vegan afternoon tea. Who knew that Jerome Flynn was a vegan AND did you know that we offer a fully vegan afternoon tea?
Our menu is vegetarian as standard, but you are very welcome to request the vegan option when you book. Some of our customer’s favourite vegan bakes include the now legendary (I like to think!) Chocolate Orange Cake, our Peanut Butter & Banana Loaf and my personal favourite..., Carrot Cake. If you’ve visited us recently, what’s your favourite bake?
For more information about our afternoon tea head to the link below or do feel free to hit me up with any questions in the comments👇
https://www.heartfeltvintage.co.uk/aftern oon-tea-bristol
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B I G N E W S >>> Big news from our sister project The Holistic Wedding Hub today... We are super excited to announce that The Fake Wedding will be returning to the glorious Kings Weston House on 13th October 🎉
Come and join us and some of Bristol’s best independent wedding suppliers for a totally unique, immersive wedding planning experience.
The Fake Wedding is an opportunity to see wedding suppliers in action as though at a real wedding and have a blinking good time in ...the process. Don’t imagine it, come and experience it!
If you’re a supplier interested in being part of the event or you’re planning your wedding hit the link below for more info. It’s going to be a blast and we can’t wait!! 🎉
https://www.holisticweddinghub.com/fake-w edding
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S L O W F A S H I O N >>> Image |@zero9photo | 14,487 have signed up to @slowfashionseason this year are you one of them? If you’ve not heard of it, the idea is that you pledge not to buy any new clothes for the next three months. If you’ve signed up, how are you getting on?
I’m guessing, a bit like me, it’s early days so no major wobbles yet. I tend to buy most of my clothes from vintage or charity shops anyway so I didn’t think it would be that big a deal, but it’s really ...made me aware of the small things I buy without much thought such as jewellery (put down the pile of Primark earrings woman!!).
My biggest challenge is going to be finding a bikini for my holiday without buying new. I should’ve pre-empted this one and snuck one in before the challenge started! Vintage ones tend to be tiny and I’m not keen on a second hand gusset (sorry!) so if anyone’s got any recommendations for anyone making ethical / sustainable / repurposed swimwear hit me up!
In the meantime I’d love to hear your slow fashion stories. How you’re finding it, anything you’ve struggled with, any good vintage finds? Do keep me posted!
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R E A L B R I D E >>> Huge congratulations to Heartfelt Vintage bride, Sam who got married in this beautiful 1970s crepe frock. Doesn’t she look rather marvellous?
One of the things I hear a lot is brides worrying that they won’t feel like a bride or won’t conform to an idea of what a bride ‘should’ look like if they don’t choose a ‘proper’ wedding dress. Here’s proof that a shorter, simpler frock can absolutely work particularly if, like Sam, the idea of a big dress brings you out in hives!
Don’t feel like you have to go for an all singing all dancing frock if it doesn’t feel like you. Your individuality is your super power. Who says what a bride should and shouldn’t look like anyway? F*** those outdated beauty standards.

S U M M E R T I M E >>> It might be less than summery right now, but that isn’t going to stop us bringing the tastes of summer to our tearoom. Come rain or come shine it’s always the right weather for cake!
We’ve been receiving a lot of love for the Pine Nut, Chocolate & Orange Frangipane Tart that’s currently on our Summer Menu. I have to say Will has excelled himself with this one, I might even go as far as to say it’s one of his best bakes yet. It’s like a modern twist on a Bakewell Tart and extremely scrumptious! Boy done good👌

V I N T A G E B R I D E >>> The two things everyone wants to know about our collection of vintage wedding dresses is where I get them from and whether I know who wore them the first time round.
There’s no hard and fast answer for where I source the dresses but the longer we’re around the more the dresses seem to find me. Sometimes the frocks, quite literally walk through our shop door, and when they’re with the original owner or with a family member of the original owner then I also get to find out about their history.
This beautiful wedding dress came through our door the other day and this is the photo (of a photo) of the original bride and her dad in 1979 just before they walked into church. The dress is just as beautiful today as it was then and it makes it all the more special to know its history.

C A N C E L L A T I O N >>> Due to a party cancellation this Saturday I now have tables available for afternoon tea. I know I’ve turned a few people away this weekend so if you’d like to come feel free to get in touch, I can now accommodate you!
T: 0117 904 2898 E: heartfeltvintageltd@gmail.com

T H E H U N T >>> Image | Party Pictures | Look at this face. This is the face of someone who just tried on a 1940s dress and found that it fits perfectly and looks amazing. Nothing beats the feeling of finding something beautiful and unique and then realising it fits like a glove. Totally addictive!
The slow fashion journey is full of moments like these. Once you discover the thrill of the vintage hunt, regular high street shopping can seem dull by comparison. Yes, you don’t always know what you’re going to find, yes it can be hard trying to find something specific, yes you’ll find absolute gems that just don’t work for you, but when you find that thing, that one piece that’s meant for you, you’ll love it and treasure it far more than the identikit items that litter the high street chains and our planet.

S U M M E R ‘ S H E R E >>> 📸 @megfisher_ff | Our brand spanking new Summer Afternoon Tea menu is now live! Come rain or shine we guarantee to bring you all the summer feels. Crisp citrus, refreshing cucumber and plenty of strawberries the tastes of summer are here ☀️🍓
SANDWICHES⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Classic Cucumber⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Pea & Mint Purée with Salad⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀... Cream Cheese, Chives & Pickled Pink Onions⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Grated Carrot & Coriander Hummus
CAKES⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Lemon & Blackcurrant Victoria Sponge⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Pistachio & Lime Drizzle⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Pine Nut, Orange & Chocolate Frangipane Tart⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
SCONES Scones with Homemade Clotted Cream, Strawberry Jam & Fresh Strawberries
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T I M E F O R T E A >>> Wow, there really are some talented people in this glorious city of ours. The wonderful @nicolefserrao has created this gorgeous video following her last visit to see us and it’s gives a delightful insight into what we’re all about here at Heartfelt Vintage HQ. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to step over our threshold then hopefully this will help. Thanks so much Nicole! 😊
PS - I also want to give a shout out to Sixton London who made the banana dress I’m wearing in the video. It’s the best dress ever and I always get so many compliments when I wear it. Sixton now focus on accessories and don’t make clothing anymore 😢, but by god the frocks they did make were so darn good 👌

Heads up - we’re away for a few days enjoying this beautiful view which means we’ll be closed tomorrow (Tue). Normal service will resume again on Thursday 🌸🌺🌸

H A T S O F F >>> Don’t you just love a good hat? Our hats are definitely the most tried on things in the shop, particularly during our Photo Shoot parties. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We’ve got both original vintage pieces and locally made creations by Able Mabel in store. From bridal headpieces to hair flowers and feather fascinators to turban headbands there’s something to suit everyone (even if you think you don’t suit hats 😉) We can even take bespoke orders if you would like something making to go with a particular outfit. Get in touch 🎩 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Image | Party Pictures

G E T C R A F T Y >>> Every year we see slight changes and shifts in which of our party packages tops the most popular list. Last year was all about pampering with our makeover packages coming out on top. This year crafting is big news.
If you watch our Instagram stories regularly you’ll know that we’ve made a fair few pieces of bunting recently. We’ve also been fascinator making with Able Mabel, doing calligraphy with Rosie Somerset Lettering and making glorious flower crow...ns with @flourishandgrace.
It’s gratifying to see people arrive with little or no confidence in their own abilities and then see them leave having created something beautiful. You’re never too old to learn the power of surprising yourself.
Image | @flourishandgrace
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R E A L B R I D E >>> ‘I felt fabulous on my wedding day namely because of the support from this fabulous local family business. Kate doesn't accept this mainstream vision of a 'perfect bride', she champions those who want to do things differently and be body confident in the process. I continue to be in touch with Kate and would whole heartedly recommend her to any of my friends for vintage fashion or afternoon tea needs!’
This is part of the amazing review that @kitty_cialfi left for us on google today. Kat, you’re a bloody legend. I’m so pleased to have met you and to have shared this time with you. Make sure you bring Roberto in for afternoon tea soon 😘😘 @ Rome, Italy

F R E E A F T E R N O O N T E A >>> #ad Say whaaaaat? Free afternoon teas??! Yep, that’s right afternoon tea for zero, zilch, nada. But why? Well, next week we’ll be working with PG tipsto help them launch their new teabags specifically designed for dairy-free milk.
If you and a loved one would like to bag one of our vegan afternoon teas for FREE on either 22nd or 23rd May between 12pm and 2pm you need to e-mail pgtipsafternoonfree@gmail.com to register. Don’t message us directly, we’re not doing the bookings for this one! Hope to see you there 😊
Images | @jamesbeckphotography

B I T O F A D O >>> I love, love, love our photo shoot parties. It’s like that dressing up box you had as a kid but with fabulous vintage frocks, prosecco, cake and Party Pictures brilliantly capturing candid moments like this. This is how we roll!

V I N T A G E >>> Day 9 @slowfashionchallenge >>> Image Larissa Joice - Photo finishing & retouching >>> Well, today’s prompt is right up our street! Vintage, vintage and more vintage.
Let’s start with some of the common misconceptions. First up - it smells... True, if you go and rummage round the flea markets, car boot sales and auctions chances are you’re going to find things that need a good wash, but if you’re a vintage virgin I recommend starting with your local vintage ...shop. No vintage seller worth their salt would dream of putting smelly, dirty clothes on their rails. We clean and repair what we find. We delve into the stinky stuff so you don’t have to.
Second common misconception - everything is tiny. True, people were smaller back in the day. Their diets were not as varied as ours and each generation gets a bit bigger and taller than the last BUT people were still different sizes and plus size vintage does exist. Granted they are rarer but they are out there. Also clothes were made to last so there are often really good seam allowances in vintage clothes which means you can let them out. Don’t be disheartened if you’re not a sz 8/10/12 you just might have to hunt a little bit longer.
Misconception number 3 - it’ll make you look like a Nanna - true, if you go for a head to toe Her Maj style tweed suit, but wearing vintage doesn’t mean you have to dress in one era. Mixing vintage and high street can create a unique, modern look that is more accessible.
The final misconception is that vintage is really expensive. True - a 1920s beaded flapper dress will set you back a few grand because they are extremely rare, but fashion repeats itself on a regular basis so if you want a 1920s look but can’t afford the price tag look for the 1970s reproduction instead. Love the 1950s but find the frocks a bit pricey? Try the 1980s version.
Shopping vintage is a whole experience. If you like the look of something, try it on. Embrace the thrill of the hunt, know that some days you’ll find a peach and other days you’ll find nothing. Before you know it you’ll find all other types of shopping dull by comparison 😉
Able Mabel Amaranto Flower Design Lovebugwedding Car Hire
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