Vintage Wedding Ideas

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Planning a Vintage Wedding

One of the most unique wedding planning themes that has come into vogue is the Vintage Wedding. Weddings have always represented the melding of the past with the future, and the bringing of two families together, but with a vintage wedding, brides and grooms are taking the idea of relishing the past a step further.

We all know the wedding tradition of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” that a bride is supposed to wear on their wedding day. However, when a vintage wedding is being planned, the something old is expanded into much more, with anything from the wedding reception decor, to the wedding dress, to the wedding and engagement rings being authentic vintage collectibles or vintage style replicas.

Planning a vintage wedding takes a lot of forethought and research. The bride and groom need to decide how far to go with the vintage theme, and what parts of their day will be the most meaningful for them and their guests.

Vintage Wedding Invitations

Setting the Mood

The wedding invitation is the first thing that most guests see in the lead up to your wedding. Invitations include any Save the Date announcements, and the actual invitation itself. Most brides still use traditional printed wedding invitations of some sort to invite their guests, and this is a good place to start the introduction to your vintage theme.

If you are a stickler, you can collect actual vintage wedding invitations to use, but this is one area that I recommend using vintage style wedding invitations. After all, most guests will not keep your invitation after the wedding, so the invitation itself is not a keepsake. However, there are many lovely vintage wedding invitations available from artists who specialize in invitations. My preferred vendor for vintage wedding invitations is Wedding Paper Divas. Wedding Paper Divas is very customer service friendly, and produces high quality wedding invitations, while remaining affordable. They have a very good selection of vintage invitation designs.

Chalked Affair Wedding Invitations

Vintage Wedding Dress

Authentic or Replica

The bride is the most visible part of any wedding. Not only is she radiant as she walks down the aisle, but she is the center of attention at the engagement party, bridal shower, and of course, the wedding reception. While the groom is important, the bride is the focus of the entire event. Therefore, the wedding dress that a bride chooses is very important for establishing the theme, and authenticity of the wedding.

This is one of the places that you can really benefit from doing excellent research before the wedding. There are many beautiful, authentic, vintage wedding dresses on the secondary marketplace that have only been worn once, and are in pristine condition. Depending on what you are looking for, you can often buy these dresses at a very affordable price.

In my experience, taking your time deciding which vintage era you would like your dress to be from, and searching through both local vintage shops and online vintage stores is very much worth your time to get the best result. Along with the wedding dress itself, you will find shoes, veils, and hats as accessories for the wedding dress.

Vintage Wedding Decor

From tablecloths to flowers

Decorating for your vintage wedding reception, whether it is in a hall or your home, is one of the areas you can be most creative in your use of vintage wedding items. There are so many details in decorating for a wedding, that you can add vintage touches almost anywhere. From vintage salt and pepper shakers at each place setting to Grandma’s vintage crocheted lace tablecloths, every piece of your wedding decor can be vintage.

Finding exactly the right touch for your special day will take some time. Decisions need to be made as to what vintage look you are searching for, what period of time, what mood. Budget needs to be taken into consideration. How much is reasonable to spend on decor as opposed to other wedding reception factors, like food and location. Some people have their wedding at their own home, so it can be intimate, and then they can spend their money on what is in their home for the party instead of for the hall itself.

Planning a wedding is a very big job, and if you feel that you cannot do it yourself, hire a wedding planner with experience in vintage weddings. They will then already have a list of vendors who feature specific type of vintage products that will be appropriate for your theme.