Wedding themes come and go with the seasons and with the years but one style of wedding that remains popular is the vintage wedding. One of the reasons it is so popular is that there are so many ideas, different ways to bring that vintage look while still retaining the uniqueness of your wedding event. Here are a few tips to inspire you to a perfect vintage wedding.
The Clothes
Lace and flowers are central to most vintage theme ideas so a lace dominated wedding dress is a great way to go. Opt for full length, lace sleeves for both the bride’s dress and for the bridesmaids for that vintage look with lace overlays on the dresses themselves being another great touch. For the little bridesmaids or flower girls, you could opt for a full-on ballerina tutu style dress with many layers of netting to complete the look.
Flowers are a big part of any wedding but for a vintage theme, they should be incorporated with the clothing and accessories too. Whether this is real flowers arranged into hair ornaments or floral patterns for the bridesmaid dresses, flowers are easy to incorporate and the range of colors makes them perfect for any color theme.
The Ceremony
Outdoor weddings are ideal for vintage themes because you can bring nature into the day in a big way, especially with flowers. Wooden signs announcing the bride and groom and the date added along the drive to the venue is a pretty touch, especially if there are old-fashioned iron style lights or similar fixtures. Clusters of trailing flowers can be added to them.
A flower draped, lace or organza framed wooden arch for everyone to walk through before entering the ceremony area looks amazing and is ideal for those wedding shots. A gazebo style structure could be used and an ornate candelabra added for an extra touch.
Even something as simple as an embroidery hoop filled with strands of lace that trail beneath it can be hung from trees makes for a pretty, vintage touch without being too elaborate or complicated to create. A great DIY wedding decoration.
The Reception
The reception is the chance to really get involved with the vintage theme as there are so many ways to decorate the venue. To start with, chair covers are used in most places so rather than going for the normal silk effect, go for a lace version. If you don’t want to cover them all, then if there some high bar stools with backs on them, wrap some lace around them, pop a pin through an accent flower and use it to hold them in place.
If there are coffee or accent tables then you can put together a vintage themed arrangement on them. Floral pattern china tea sets look very pretty next to a shabby chic style photo frame with a chalk style insert announcing the couple’s names. Add a small vase with a few flowers in to complete the look.
For something a little bigger, an old fashioned hand cart with a lace table overlay makes a great vintage centerpiece, placed just as the guests enter. Add a guestbook for people to leave their own special message and add a tin vase with lots of delicate colored flowers as well as a menu on a wooden stand to remind people what will be served at the reception.
Finally, for the tables themselves, lace runners on natural wood looks great and rather than having formal table centres, why not add small vases with a single flower in at random spots along the table? Chose a flower from the bride’s bouquet or one in the colour theme of the day for that perfect vintage finish.