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Retro Revival: Embracing Vintage Style for a Summer Wedding
Vintage is worth embracing on your special day – some of the most stunning wedding dresses in history carry personality, intricacy of detail, and tailoring that simply are unachievable today. Whether you’re a fan of Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress or something a bit more streamlined like Catherine Wood Campbell’s gown, there’s a vintage design bound to make your dreams come true. In this post, as part of our wedding inspiration advice, we delve into how you can embrace a vintage style wedding for your summer celebration.
Embracing vintage stylistics, however, isn’t just about the wedding dress. Your accessories, the decorations, and even the outfits that members of the wedding party wear will all contribute to reviving the spirit and fully immersing yourselves in the atmosphere of days gone by.
You’ll also need to keep into account the weather and the venue. Many vintage styles are appropriate for a summer wedding. The best ones are characterized by clean lines, lightweight fabrics, and silhouettes that maximize freedom of movement.
Simple Tips to Help You Embrace Vintage Style at Your Wedding
Vintage fashion can easily elevate your look and turn you into the most stunning bride ever. Think of Old Hollywood elegance and glamor. You don’t need a hugely expensive outfit to recreate that sentiment. What matters is being open to the vintage aesthetic and having a keen eye for detail.
A few simple tips that will help you put together a cohesive vintage theme on your wedding day include:
- Find your iconic inspiration: think of Grace Kelly’s wedding or pick an even more regal example of a vintage wedding like Queen Elizabeth II’s matrimonial ceremony.
- Pinpoint key details and elements representative of the era or the particular style that you’re interested in. A column dress, for example, is an iconic 1920s staple and it needs to be accompanied by the right shoes, accessories, and floral arrangements.
- Look for authentic vintage outfits: Second-hand stores and vintage boutiques often have hidden gems, if you’re patient to look for those. Once you find the perfect dress, you can have it tailored and modernized a bit to match your wedding style.
- Keep things subtle and don’t overdo it: Having way too many vintage elements will quickly get you entering kitschy territory. Pick one prominent element that’s representative of an era. Subtle embellishments and even some modern accessories will help you balance things out, creating the classiest vintage wedding setup.
- Make sure the outfit is venue and weather appropriate: light and breezy designs will be best for outdoor or beach weddings. The tea length and calf length dresses of the 1950s and 1960s are excellent examples of such gowns.
Choosing Your Vintage Outfit
In any vintage style wedding, the dress is usually the number one priority but once you choose it, there will be several other essentials to pay attention to. Here’s how to conceptualize and create the vintage wedding outfit that will make you feel like a superstar.
The Vintage Wedding Dress
Select a silhouette that works well for you. Empire dresses gained prominence during the 18th and 19th centuries. The high waistline emphasizes the bust and makes your body look curvier. A classic ball gown is the way to go if you’d like to feel like a princess. A-line and column dresses were also popular among brides in the past decades and you’ll easily find lots of beautiful vintage options.
Photo by Tuấn Kiệt Jr. on Pexels.com
If you’re going to have a vintage-style wedding dress created for you, make sure you’re choosing the right fabric. The texture and the feel of the textile will add to the visual impact of the dress. Lace, satin, chiffon, and silk were all popular choices among brides in the past. They are also lightweight and breezy, a perfect choice for a summer wedding.
Watch this video for some more inspiration:
Vintage Veils
A vintage veil is the perfect accessory that will add some drama to your silhouette. Since you’re getting ready for a summertime event, however, do keep it light and breezy.
The gown style, fabric, and color will narrow down the range of options you have as far as veils are concerned. Choosing an authentic veil from the period is one way to go (or having it recreated) or you can pair the dress with a modern veil that matches the style.
Most vintage veils have an ivory tone to them. If that works, choose a genuine piece. Depending on the age of the veil, however, it could be fragile. Proper care and handling will be very important.
If you pick a simple and streamlined dress silhouette, you can always choose a dramatic long veil. It will be the perfect accessory for the ceremony that you get to remove during the reception.
Watch this video to learn how to make your own vintage veil:
Jewelry and Accessories
For a vintage style wedding, choose a minimalist approach as far as embellishments are concerned. Let your dress and the veil be the stars of the show. A simple pearl necklace or a pair of delicate earrings will give you a bit of glitz and glam without overdoing the whole vintage concept.
Vintage jewelry is currently in high demand and quite popular. These timeless pieces not only complement a vintage wedding theme perfectly but also hold significant investment potential. Many vintage items, such as Art Deco rings or Victorian-era brooches, are highly sought after by many collectors. They often feature exquisite craftsmanship and unique designs that can fetch a good price when sold to a knowledgeable jewelry buyer or traded.
Whenever you feel that something’s missing, go for a pair of statement shoes. To add a modern twist to your outfit, go for colorful shoes with your vintage dress. This is an especially great choice for short wedding dresses that need a bit of oomph.
Hairstyle and Hair Accessories
Once again you have a choice – a modern hairstyle and hair accessories that contrast the vintage outfit or genuine vintage hair stylings. Both approaches can work really well if you have a concept.
If you’d like to emphasize the beautiful neckline of your wedding gown, for example, pick a classic updo like a tight bun. The hair will also work well with a traditional veil and it will keep you from getting hot and sweaty.
Pairing the updo with a heritage hairpiece like a crystal-covered headband will complete the outfit and make you sparkle.
Check out this video for a vintage down do hairstyle:
Perfect Vintage Outfit Choices for Members of the Wedding Party
Don’t forget to get others involved in the creation of your vintage style wedding. The following tips can help everyone embrace the vintage inspiration.
Vintage Inspiration for the Groom
Waistcoats, suspenders, traditional fabrics and patterns, pocket watches, hats, and bowties are all outfit elements that carry vintage aesthetics. All you have to do is pick the outfit components that are most representative of the era you’re going for.
Vintage style groom. Photo by Jay jay Redelinghuys on Pexels.com
The Mother of the Bride
Both moms will look extra elegant in vintage outfits. The choices are many and all of them will be incredibly flattering.
Some of the top picks for moms and other relatives like aunties include boho-style gowns, empire dresses in natural tones, and even classic Belle Epoque silhouettes.
Bridesmaids and Maid of Honor
The same rules apply to bridesmaids and the maid of honor. Let them know what the theme is and go dress shopping together. Once you choose a style, you can opt for a slightly modern twist to help the ladies in the bridal party stand out from the other guests.
Flower Girl and Ringbearer Outfits
Choosing the outfits for the flower girl and ring bearer will give you a chance to come up with a charming vintage-inspired concept that is age-appropriate, cute, and giving guests a hint of what’s to come next.
Turning the flower girl and the ringbearer into mini versions of the bride and the groom is going to look super cute. You don’t have to create elaborate outfits for the kids. The right accessories like a flower crown, a bejeweled headband, or a bowtie will set the mood and help the creation of a cohesive concept.
To increase the stylishness of the outfit selection, stick to the same color theme for both the flower girl and the ringbearer.
Finally, remember to have fun while conceptualizing and styling your vintage summer wedding. Don’t be afraid of breaking the rules or coming up with an eclectic concept. It’s your special day – choose the things that will make you feel happy, fulfilled, and seen.
