Wedding in vintage style (photo): features of design and outfits

A vintage wedding, stylized as antique, is a win-win option for a festive theme. This style implies the restoration of the surroundings of any past era.

Thus, when organizing such a celebration, you can safely take the 20s, 50s or 80s as a basis. The fashion of yesteryear allows you to organize both a chic reception with a lot of glamorous and expensive elements (the era of the Great Gatsby), and a small party in a narrow circle of friends, reminiscent of the tranquility of the rural way of life of the 20th century.

Invitations

The very first impression that guests will make about a future wedding directly depends on the invitations. They should be truly chic, made of aged paper, decorated with lace or rhinestones .

The text can be typed in one of the old fonts with a warm shade of ink, or you can write it with an ink pen. Attach a small brooch, feathers or a string of pearls to the invitation - come up with something that distinguishes each item.

Don't forget to indicate that the wedding is planned in a vintage style and specify the desired dress code.

What to wear for wedding guests

Guests should be informed about the dress code a month or two before the wedding. In order not to break the concept, friends of the bride and groom can look for 50s outfits for themselves. These are high-waisted skirts, blouses with three-quarter sleeves, velvet dresses with a full skirt and belt. This accessory can be purchased separately; another article tells you how to make the right choice.

Shoes can be low heels with a pointed toe. Gloves, hats and small square handbags are also relevant. For jewelry you should choose beads and clips.

Room decoration

To celebrate a wedding in vintage style, it is best to rent a restaurant banquet hall or organize outdoor tents. When decorating a space you can use :

antique chandeliers, candelabra, figurines, boxes;
translucent fabrics in pastel shades for decorating walls and chairs;
strings of pearls and crystals, rhinestones, brooches;
old chests, chairs, suitcases;
radios, gramophones and telephones that match the style.

Pay special attention to table setting . A floor-length tablecloth trimmed with fringe, lace napkins, crystal glasses, antique candlesticks - all this will be an excellent setting for a wedding feast.

To completely merge with the chosen style, it is necessary to use natural candle lighting (at least partially) and select high-quality musical accompaniment . Alternatively, you can hire an orchestra.

Season

Vintage looks beautiful all year round. However, you can choose your own season that is close to your spirit. Get inspired by the decor, venue and color palette you choose for your wedding. Imagine a spring vintage wedding filled with pastel colors and antique furniture. Or a golden winter wedding in a historic ballroom.

Dress code

One of the important elements of a successful vintage wedding is the appearance of the guests . The ambiance you created will not help if the invitees are dressed in modern dresses and suits. Even at the invitation stage, be sure to indicate the style in which the outfits should be worn.

For example, for the era of the 20s, straight dresses just below the knee, decorated with bugles and guipure, are suitable for women.
Men should take a closer look at interesting options for three-piece suits. Wedding organizers can ask guests in advance to use certain accessories when choosing an image : hats, gloves, watches, canes, braces - all this will fit perfectly into the style of the holiday.

Place

The ideal place for a Vintage wedding could be an old room with columns, frescoes and stained glass windows. For example, an estate or a classic restaurant. The main feature is dim light, so that when the sun sets you can light candles, as our ancestors once did.

If you want to have an outdoor ceremony in the fresh air, the garden of a country house is perfect. Just be sure to add vintage attributes to the design, which we cited as an example earlier.

Wedding menu

The set of dishes itself is not particularly important, although it would be better to stick exclusively to European cuisine. The important thing is what kind of dishes these dishes will be served on .

The cake should be chosen in a vintage style. It can be large, several floors high and decorated with fondant or confectionery lace. Or maybe low, more reminiscent of a wedding cake.

The more elegant your cake is, the better, because this theme implies a somewhat exaggerated number of small details and elements . Sugar pearls, curls, marmalade or marzipan flowers - all this should not be too flashy colors, it is better to stick to delicate shades.

Don't forget to pay careful attention to your drinks. Champagne, cognacs and wines should be in bottles that highlight the vintage theme of the wedding.

Selection of decorative elements for vintage invitation cards

Invitation cards based on your wedding day theme are a great way to wow your guests long before the event. They are easy to make yourself. It is recommended to write the text using an antique font or ink. The outside of the message is decorated with an “aged” photograph of the future spouses.

Guests will be pleased to receive a mysterious message, designed in the spirit of ancient Russian letters. The letter is rolled up, tied with a ribbon or sent in a special case. To add shine and personality to invitations, use sparkles, rhinestones, beads, small artificial flowers, and satin bows.

It is recommended that invited guests be notified in advance about the theme of the upcoming event with an explanation of the nuances of the wardrobe. You should express your wishes regarding dresses to women; availability of veils, gloves, bags. Men are usually advised to wear a traditional formal suit and add suspenders and a bow tie to their wardrobe.

The vintage wedding genre excludes bright, aggressive, provocative colors. The emphasis is on pastel colors. Delicate pink, coffee with milk, white, champagne, blue, light green are appropriate.

Bride's dress

Depending on the chosen era, the bride's dress and accessories can be very diverse. For example, a maxi skirt combined with an open back will remind you of the 30s.

Straight short dresses were in fashion a little earlier, at the very beginning of the century. And the 50s style is considered the most flattering for any figure. What girl wouldn't suit a wide skirt above the knee and a tight bodice?

Any of the listed silhouettes will be decorated with lace and pearls, because these two elements are the main components of the image of a vintage bride.

The color of the dress can be white or any other. Soft pink, blue, cream tones in some cases look much more advantageous. In a separate article you can find out more details about retro style dresses.

Features of the celebration

The word “vintage” came into Russian from French; at first, this term applied exclusively to winemaking, since it literally translates as “good taste.” Now this is the name of a whole style that is used in clothing, decor, celebrations, etc. Many associate vintage with everything beautiful and luxurious that was in fashion before.

The style is universal in the sense that a vintage style wedding, photos of the design of which are sure to be found in the portfolio of every self-respecting event agency, can be either modest with a minimum number of guests or luxurious with an impressive list of invited friends and relatives. If you do everything correctly, then everyone present will be able to plunge into the atmosphere of the past, refined and unforgettable.

We can highlight the following features on which the entire style is built.

Vintage involves the use of exclusively pastel shades; there should be no bright or flashy accents. The classic black and white design is not suitable for such a wedding. This should be visible not only in the clothing of the newlyweds and guests, but also in the general decoration.
Vintage includes elegant antiques that must be prepared in advance for the celebration. These can be either original items or stylized ones, but it is advisable not to engage in “hand-made” items, since everything should look high quality and sound.
When choosing clothes and surrounding surroundings, you need to focus on the style of the 20s, 30s, 50s or 80s, but you should distinguish between vintage and retro styles so that there are no absurd inconsistencies.
All guests should be warned in advance that a wedding in a retro vintage style is planned (photo above) so that they can choose suitable outfits. This will make the wedding harmonious, and the photographs will turn out in the spirit of the past.

Despite the fact that the vintage style for weddings is mainly chosen by young people, sophisticated and memorable images can be created at any age. For everyone, this topic will be associated with something different, so you can give free rein to your imagination and create your own atmosphere of the past.

Groom's outfit

The groom needs to choose a suit that will also match the theme of the wedding. There are many options: three-piece tweed suit, tuxedo, vest and trousers.

Don’t forget about stylish additions to your outfit: a pocket watch, unusual in our time, a hat and suspenders.

Perhaps a bow tie would look more interesting instead of a tie, or maybe you should leave the shirt collar unbuttoned altogether.

Hairstyle and accessories of the newlywed

These elements of the image must be approached with special attention, because they will help create the necessary style of the outfit. Depending on what kind of dress is chosen for the wedding, you can complement it with gloves, a small hat with a veil, or extravagant shoes covered with lace .

If possible, it is better for the bride to wear not modern jewelry, but inherited earrings or a necklace. The hairstyle should also be as stylized as possible to match the chosen image.

The most common in the 20th century were fixed styles , for example, steep waves or straight bobs. Don't forget about classic, moderately bright makeup.

The choice of a bouquet for the newlywed requires a special approach. A suitable option is a composition of roses, lilies or hydrangeas, complemented by a lace wrapper and a brooch . Read tips on creating a bouquet for the bride here.

Wedding procession

Cars produced in the 40-50s are what you will need to organize a real vintage reception. No modern limousines can replace the beauty and graceful slowness of vintage cars.

You will be able to rent exactly the model in which you have dreamed of riding since childhood, because a wedding is the day when all wishes come true!

Summary

Creating a vintage atmosphere will not be difficult, you just need to show your imagination and enlist the support of your taste. A wedding in the style of modern vintage with Provence will allow everyone present to plunge into the atmosphere of the past. Such a wedding would definitely never be called ordinary, despite the fact that the theme is often used.

It is not necessary to strictly follow all the canons of style; you can create an exclusive ambiance, using additional elements that fit into the theme at your discretion. In any case, the bride and groom will look attractive and romantic, so a vintage wedding can be called an almost universal option.