Vintage Wedding Ideas

Vintage is the new wedding trend! Used stuff and old junk have found a new meaning in the 2013 weddings and are lending old world charm to modern day weddings. Vintage weddings are essentially cozy, simple and intimate in nature. Think retro, rustic, vineyard, homespun – or incorporate these elements into your own unique vintage style wedding.

Vintage is everything from the 50’s, early 60. A vintage wedding can be organized in many ways in whole or in part. They are a hodgepodge of old stuff with a personal meaning. Dig out wedding albums of your grandparents wedding. This is sure to inspire you and transport you immediately into the atmosphere you need to create for your own wedding. Maybe you will even find a nice old brooch or your grandmother’s jewelry, or perhaps her own wedding dress or hat you can use.

Here are our most loved ideas for vintage weddings:

Vintage Knick-knacks

Vintage stuff can be fished out of old trunks, old sheds or from vintage shops.

With vintage stuff you can do several things like

1. Create a cozy, old-fashioned seating area with beautiful, old wood, wicker or metal chairs
2. Create a picnic spot under a beautiful tree using a vintage picnic basket
3. Use an old typewriter as your guest book
4. Scan old letters and cards and use them for your invitations or as favor tags
5. Use old lace to decorate invitations and favors

See more ideas for using vintage finds in the ‘Flowers and Decorations’ section below.

Vintage Clothing

Getting married in your mother or grandmother’s wedding dress would obviously be super vintage, but if you don’t have access to one, there are many bridal boutiques specializing in vintage wedding dresses from the 50s to the 70s. They have unique designs made of cotton lace, real silk, satin, voile and silk tulle, all professionally cleaned and finished to make them look as good as new.

There are also designers who create vintage-looking wedding dresses or blend vintage style elements into a modern wedding dress. A simple modern wedding dress of your choice can also be accessorized with Vintage accessories like a lace fan or a parasol?

And if the Groom is willing, how about suspenders or a snare? The bridesmaids and the groomsmen can also add a vintage flair to their clothes depending upon how vintage your own look will be. And don’t forget the guests – give them a vintage dress code for the wedding and let them join in the fun!

Flowers and Decorations

Even with the flowers you can create a vintage theme by choosing wildflowers, for example, for the bridal bouquet. Handpicking your own flowers for the bouquet makes the process even more romantic and not to mention, budget friendly. A large flower in the bride’s hair is also decidedly vintage. Lots of foliage and old fashioned flowers such as large roses and peonies will lend an old world charm to the venue.

For decorating the wedding venue, the ideas are endless with vintage stuff:

1. Place old telephones as centerpieces

2. Old television tubes can be used to make large, prominent flower arrangements.

3. Old trunks and suitcases can be used as the buffet tables or the gifts table.

4. Paint old birdcages in your wedding colors and use them to either collect cards or hang them on nearby trees to decorate.

5. Create dinner place settings with vintage crockery.

6. Use vintage, handmade patchwork quilts or embroidered sheets as table covers

7. Use old photographs as table numbers and name cards

8. Use crocheted doilies on tables or line empty glass jars with them and use as centerpieces.

9. Mismatched teacups with Victorian patterns can be used to hold flowers, candles, name cards etc. on the tables.

10. Decorate with antique mirrors and frames. Use hand mirrors in flower arrangements and for name/place cards.

11. Use wildflowers to create tussie-mussie style pew decor.

Vintage Wedding Transport

Does anyone you know have an old-timer that would fit right into Jay Leno’s collection? Ask them to lend it to you for the wedding or find a nearby place to rent one. Most wedding limo rentals also rent vintage cars for weddings. How about an old fashioned carriage to take you to the ceremony or a real Essex super six for the newly wed couple to leave in?

Music and Photos

One creates the mood for your wedding and the other keeps your memories of that day alive for the rest of your lives. Wedding music and wedding photography, though important at every wedding, play a very important in a vintage wedding.

A vintage record player, gramophone or jukebox can be used to play music throughout the ceremony or the reception. Alternatively, the band you choose can be requested to play tunes from the era your other wedding details are mostly inspired from. Another great idea would be to hire a solo artist who specializes in vintage style performances instead of a band.

Black and photos are a must but an even better option would be use the polaroid cameras for some shots. The grainy pictures will surely bring the ‘vintage’ alive in your wedding pictures and remind you of your fabulous vintage wedding every time you turn to the wedding albums. In addition to regular photos, get an oil painting painting done of the two of you in real old-fashioned style for a gorgeous keepsake.