Creating a wedding day with all the elegance of yesteryear is very much in vogue. The wonderful thing about a vintage wedding theme is the endless choices available. You can have a uniquely individual celebration for your special day and it can also be a very eco friendly affair when old items are reused.

When I think of vintage I see an old fashioned church, beautiful old fashioned garden or castle, a delicate romantic setting with beautiful china, crystal glassware, and masses of old fashioned roses, antique furniture, vintage cars and the bride dressed in a beautiful recycled wedding gown originally worn by her mother or grandmother.

But that’s not the whole picture a vintage wedding theme could be based on the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s eras. The terms vintage, antique and retro are often used incorrectly. When buying clothing or items labeled as vintage, antique and retro it is important to know the difference. I thought I would clarify the terms here.

Clothing created after the 1920s to the early 1980 are considered Vintage. Garments created before the 1920s are referred to as antique. However 1960s and 1970s casual wear is often referred to as retro clothing. Clothing created after the 1980s is just known as secondhand. As a rule of thumb anything less than quarter of a century old is not considered vintage.

Wedding inspiration moodboard created by Rosena on SampleBoard.com

You can quickly identify a wedding dress to a particular era by remembering some key feature/s. For example the drop-waist dresses of the 1920s. Sleek full length bias cut silk gowns were popular in the 1930s. Nipped in waisted full skirted dresses were in vogue in the 1950s.

During the 1960s psychedelic prints in man make fabrics like polyester, miniskirts and rounded Peter Pan collared shirts along with short length empire line dresses were considered trendy. Bohemian, gypsy, peasant style dresses were all the rage in the 1970s. Power suits with gilt buttons, wide shoulders and nipped in waists are from the 1980s also popular in the 80s sequins, beads and studs.

To successfully create a vintage wedding it is best to select one particular era although you can add contemporary items. Often the wedding dress can dictate the theme for the whole wedding for example a drop-waist 1920s dress belonging to a family member may be offered. Or a particular style of wedding dress may have appealed to the bride since she was a young girl. Although I did not have a vintage themed wedding I had always loved the simple sweet heart neckline satin dress styles of the 1930s. I had my wedding dress designed and made in that style.

The setting, the cars, the style of cake, bridesmaids, groom’s suit and flowers will work best if they echo the selected theme be it 1920s, 1930s, 1950s or 1970s. It will also make it easier to organize and to make decisions if you stick to one era. I love the trend at the moment of using vintage china, silverware and crystal.

Vintage themed weddings do have a wonderful whimsical, nostalgic romantic elegance about them. Maybe that’s why they are so on trend in 2012.

Author: Rosena MacFadzean for SampleBoard.com – concept creation online