WINTER WEDDING THEMES:

Vintage Themed Wedding

Vintage Themed Wedding

Vintage theme weddings have become incredibly popular in the last ten years. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a summer wedding or a winter wedding; vintage wedding themes are always fun and can be quite unique and stunning when done well. There can be many different types of vintage weddings depending on which historical time period you like the most.

Some popular themes for vintage weddings are Old West style weddings, 1920’s weddings, Victorian weddings, Old Hollywood weddings and Old English weddings. Almost any time period or historical event can be turned into a wedding theme. Regardless of which time period or event you build your wedding theme around, there are certain things that brides should think about before making final plans for a vintage wedding.

Pick a time period you already know about

If you want to have a vintage wedding and you love the 1920’s Art Deco/Flapper style but your friend is having a wedding with that theme already, be creative. Don’t just pick a 1920’s English wedding theme because it’s around the same time period and you don’t want to exactly copy your friend. This is your wedding. The theme should be something you absolutely love, because you’ll remember it forever. If a friend or family member is having a wedding with a similar theme, find a unique angle to make your wedding different. So if your friend is also doing an Art Deco/Flapper style wedding but her theme is a 1920’s summer garden party then make yours a 1920’s night in the cabaret theme. There are so many ways that you can pick the same time period as a friend or family member yet come up with a totally unique angle to make sure that no one compares your wedding to hers.

Decide how historically accurate you want the wedding to be

Are you and your fiancée history buffs who want every detail of the wedding to be historically accurate? Do you want to just evoke the feel of that time period without worrying too much about the small historical details? It’s important to decide that in advance. If you want to go for historical accuracy you need to plan far in advance so that you can advise the guests on wearing historically appropriate costumes or outfits, find a historical location, find the appropriate wedding dress and attendants clothes, find a caterer who will serve historically authentic food on the right china, and so on and so on.

This is your special day, so if historical accuracy is important to you don’t settle for anything less than perfection even when it comes to finding a photographer who will take vintage style photos on special film instead of digital photos or video. If, however, you want to just have the feel of that time period without being historically accurate on every small detail, the wedding can be a lot easier to plan and less expensive. Sit down with your maid of honor and your friends to figure out what details you need to be historically accurate on and which ones don’t have to be perfect. Plan in advance how to create the feeling of the time period you love without having every detail perfect.

Location is important

Choosing the right location is crucial for having a great vintage wedding. It makes everything easier if you select a site that works well with your chosen theme. If you want to have a Victorian Christmas wedding, book a hall and several rooms in a quaint Victorian bed and breakfast or in a lush Victorian greenhouse garden or even in a Victorian teahouse. If you are choosing an Old Hollywood wedding you need to go for the glamour.

Choose a swanky hotel with vintage architecture and a grand ballroom, or rent out an old movie theater that will allow you to move the seats around to accommodate dinner and guests. If you are creative in your choice of location then the location alone can evoke the feeling of the time period you are trying to create, which can add so much to the atmosphere of the wedding. While it’s possible to create the feeling of an Old English royal wedding in the reception hall of the local Elks lodge, it would be much easier to create that feeling in a grand old cathedral or in an old castle in the hills that’s been renovated as a hotel.

Vintage-style dresses and clothing are easier to find than actual vintage clothing

Depending on the time period of the vintage wedding that you want having historically accurate clothing can be very difficult. This is especially true for Victorian and older time periods, since not many of the clothes survive today in wearable condition. The ones that do are usually passed down through families who may not be thrilled about them being worn again.

Other problems with trying to find vintage wedding dresses and suits, as well as dresses for the bridesmaids are that the clothes usually don’t fit. Women of past generations were usually shorter and thinner than modern women. Women in the past also wore corsets and other foundation garments that modern women aren’t used to wearing.

A great way to get around these problems is to have vintage style clothing made to measure by a seamstress or tailor. There are lots of websites that sell vintage clothing patterns, both authentic patterns and patterns based on vintage designs. Buying a few patterns and finding a reliable seamstress or tailor is a great way to get the vintage look that you want for the clothing of the wedding party without the hassle, expense, and frustration of trying to find actual vintage clothing.

What about your guests?

Do you want your guests to wear period clothing as well? If so, be sure that you clearly state on the invitation that the guests are expected to come to the wedding and reception in period clothing or costume. Be sure to give your family and friends plenty of time to find the type of clothing that you are asking them to wear and if possible, send out a letter or an email explaining in detail what types of clothing are appropriate for the theme of the wedding, where they can find appropriate clothes to buy or rent, and be sure to include some inexpensive options so that they don’t feel it’s necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on a costume for your wedding.

To Sum Up...

Even though it can be a lot of work planning a Vintage wedding, many people enjoy Vintage theme weddings and don’t mind helping out with the planning or wearing special clothing. A Vintage wedding theme is just one more way that you can make your wedding special and reflective of your personality.