Planning a wedding could very well be one of life’s most fabulous things – from the ceremony to the reception, everything must be perfect, including a certain sense of style which reflects the bride and the groom. In order to be successful, it is necessary to plan, structure ideas and then put them into action. But first, you must dream: dream about your dream wedding and then get to it and embrace the challenge it is to plan a wedding according to the style you’ve always dreamed of. Many brides and grooms dream about a vintage wedding, based on the retro style from the 20s, 40s, 60s… a little bit of the past, with a modern touch. Here are some ideas for those couples who want to plan a vintage wedding.
Vintage style
By choosing a vintage style wedding, don’t forget that you must consider all the different details that a wedding encompasses: decoration, wedding invitations, bride’s dress, groom’s suit, ring boy, transportation, favors, photography… If you’ve chosen to go vintage style or simply want to incorporate vintage ideas in your wedding, you should decide if you want the wedding to have some reminders of the past, together with a touch of modernity; or if you want the wedding to be completely theme-oriented, completely vintage style.
Choose an era
Each era has certain details that make it unique: the 20s have that irreverent spirit, associated to the great Hollywood parties and elegant banquets, with guests arriving in Rolls-Royces, the ladies dressed in flirty low-rise dresses and polite gentleman wearing handsome tuxedos. In the 60s, dresses were feminine and perfect, just like Audrey Hepburn in Christian Dior; and the 70s were very extravagant, very disco style. Vintage implies antique and from another era, which means that a vintage wedding should include simple and sporadic details, so as not to make the wedding overbearing or completely out of context.
Photography for a vintage wedding
The type of photography chosen for the wedding can also be inspired by vintage style. For example: the type of photography from the 50s is the happy family portrait, advertising style, very vivid and colorful; the type of photography from the 70s has a certain blur and pastel colors, a lot of sun and life. Therefore, and in agreement with a vintage style wedding, the wedding photographs, or just part of them, can also reflect that era. Speak to your photographer and recreate some scenarios where it is possible to be photographed according to the style of the era that you have chosen as the wedding theme.
Vintage details
When you think about the style of a certain era, you should also decide if you want to add a romantic, special, extravagant or ecological touch to it – in order to guarantee that you are indeed planning the wedding of your dreams. The music that will be the soundtrack of your wedding can also be characteristic of the era, such as Frank Sinatra in the 50s. However, always include some party music, so that your guests can dance and have fun. Relatively to the wedding invitations, you can give them an antique touch, like including a photograph of the bride and groom dressed according to that era or using old postcards from that time if you’re lucky to find them. You can take this type of details one step further and ask your guests to come to the wedding dressed according to the theme that you’ve chosen for your vintage wedding.
Vintage style venueThe venue where the wedding will be held should also reflect the vintage era that you have chosen for your theme. If you’re going with the 50s, a country house with a luxurious green garden, a tuxedo-clad band, cherries and a chic picnic style is ideal. If, for example, you’re gravitating towards the 20s, the perfect location would be a mansion from the 1920s, where a sumptuous dinner is served, decorated in shades of silver and gold, surrounded by tons of pearls and champagne.
The bride’s dress, the groom’s suit
The bride’s dress should also have that vintage touch: a 1950s style dress – full skirt and knee-length – with a birdcage veil and a small bouquet. The groom’s suit should be inspired by the New York business man style: the series Mad Men is a great source of inspiration! Creating a vintage style wedding is a big challenge but could be a completely successful one if both the bride and the groom have great style and decorating instincts.
