As you may know I run the National Vintage Wedding Fair as well as the new venture, Unique Bride Club, focusing on providing all the vintage styling, dresses, music and more for your wedding day. Creating an elegant, vintage look has become, over the last few years, one of the most popular and increasingly common ways to theme a wedding. This can take many forms and can be done quite simply by creating a striking atmosphere that translates beautifully through subtle and stylish choices, rather than having to go all out vintage (although of course we did!). Here are a few ideas to get you started if you want the vintage look and feel as well as atmosphere for your big day:
Vintage Styles
You can have a lot of creative fun with a vintage wedding so don’t be afraid to experiment with some innovative ideas. Consider a 1920’s Great Gatsby theme and ask your guests to dress in flapper dresses and head bands, or perhaps opt for red lipstick, victory rolls and union jack flags for a war time 1940’s theme. Enhance the vintage charm of your wedding ensemble by accessorizing with exquisite tanzanite earrings, adding a touch of timeless elegance to your chosen era-inspired look.
Image by Sally Forder for Binky Nixon Photography
Consider which textures, colours and cuts work for you and use those as a starting point. The 1950’s look with a tight waist and mid-length hem is attractive on most figures, and your bridesmaids will thank you for the flattering dose of glamour. For more ideas on how to choose your look especially your dress, read my blog here.
Historical Venues
When it comes to choosing a suitable venue, consider places like antique shops, libraries, museums and architecturally striking converted buildings. The aim is to imbue the entire day with a sense of by-gone mystique, historical charm, or rural sophistication as is found at this farm wedding venue in Cheshire. Try to research as many suitable venues as possible and consider the potential that each one has for conveying your elegant thematic ideas and colours.
Image by Paolo Loraso Photography
Dazzling Colour Schemes
This is about personal taste as much as anything else, but certain colours do translate better for this theme. Consider pastels and soft shades of pink, or go in a different direction completely and look at hues of royal blue. Pinterest can be a great starting point for looking at wedding colour schemes, and be sure to consider your bridesmaid’s dresses first and use these as an integral starting point for the rest of the colours.
Elegant Flowers
Flowers are the ideal way to inject some brightness into your big day! Once you have decided on the colour scheme, you can choose flowers to either offset or match the look. Visualize not just the colour but also the size, shape and positioning of the arrangements, and how guests will interact with them.
Flowers by Waterbaby Flowers, Image by Sally Forder for Binky Nixon Photography
A 1940s floral theme can be dazzling, and capitalized further upon by giving your guests a small bouquet to pin to their outfits. If this all sounds too bright for you, then think instead about the impact of an iconic single red rose, and the ways that those flowers might be used to offset a more sophisticated black and white look, for example.
Accessorize your choices!
It’s the little things that can make the biggest impact and subtle touches here and there will truly complete the picture and offset all of the above choices. Think about vintage embroidered tablecloths, head pieces made from original jewellery, shoes, centerpieces, name-cards and everything in between. It can be useful to consider the entire day as if it were a brand and create a consistent and cohesive identity that sends a very deliberate message of class, glamour and subtle elegance.
From planning a style and picking a venue, to conveying their elegance with a cohesive colour scheme, flowers and accessories, a vintage wedding is sure to create an unforgettably beautiful day!
Have you had a vintage wedding, or are planning one? Get in touch as we love to feature real weddings on our wedding blog.
