Vintage Wedding Ideas

What do you do if you’re a design-savvy couple who want a smart, uncluttered look for your wedding scheme? Perhaps you hate sugary colours and aren’t fans of hearts, flowers or butterflies – motifs that tend to dominate when it comes to decorative items for your special day. It might seem that finding something a little less fussy and a little bit more utilitarian is an impossible task, so you’ll be pleased to hear that we have a range that’s perfect if you’ve been searching to no avail. ‘Just My Type’ is a collection of accessories and decorations that cleverly combines sleek, simple design with a vintage aesthetic, creating something that has a distinctly retro feel without being fusty or fussy. It uses a bold, retro font-face that typography aficionados will love and a brown paper bag effect – trust us, the effect is more elegant than it sounds! Simple embellishment comes courtesy of a single red heart, making this range perfect for those who like their vintage to be chicly utilitarian rather than shabby chic. This collection has a big dose of style rather than chintz, so while there’s bunting in the range (surely everyone loves a bit of bunting?!) there’s not a floral flag in sight. Bunting makes a great fuss-free way to dress your venue, whether strung around a marquee, used to decorate the new couple’s car or attached to the top table chairs to give the bride and groom’s seating some subtle enhancement.

This range has been designed to offer an understated and unobtrusive look, leaving plenty of space for your other accessories to do the talking. Splashes of red and white allow you to have some fun with your floral displays – how about co-ordinating with bold red and white roses or enhancing the retro vibe with jam jars filled with fresh-from-the-meadow wild flowers? Tie your jars with a luggage tag, adorned with red and white string to give even the simplest of displays an extra flourish.  Pop a chocolate square onto each table setting or choose a heart-shaped sweet treat, covered in co-ordinating red foil. A scattering of table confetti adds a sweet but subtle addition without detracting from the timeless elegance of a table set with heavy silver cutlery, sparkling glassware and crisp white table linen.

While you may want to keep things chic, vintage-style weddings do give some scope for having a bit of fun with your theme. We love the idea of sourcing an old-fashioned typewriter and inviting guests to type out personal messages which you can collect to make an original and imaginative memento of your special day. Keep an eye out on sites such as Gumtree or your local charity shop for old typewriters. You could also use antique furniture and suitcases to enhance the theme – a beautiful antique bureau makes a great backdrop for a candy buffet or bar, for example, or a place to display favours or a selection of favourite black and white pictures of the married couple.  If time doesn’t allow for scouring your charity shop for ideas you can keep things traditional with a classic guest book for family and friends to sign or doing something a little different with a wedding wishes post box – leave matching cards on each table for guests to write their messages on.

If you want to give your favours a dose of nostalgic charm, use a traditional brown sweetie bag, resonant of old fashioned sweet shops and perfect for filling with your chosen favours. Take a look at our selection of chocolates, sugared almonds, dragees and rock sweets for ideas. Give your drinks a makeover, too, by stocking your bar with old fashioned cloudy lemonade and classic cocktails – think a Hollywood-era Manhattan, Sidecar or Brandy Alexander. Enhance drinks with little old-fashioned touches such as red and white striped paper straws, and use jam jar glasses or authentic antique glassware to make your drinks look extra tempting.

If you’ve been inspired to go for a similar look for your special day why not take a look at the full ‘Just My Type’ collection here for more ideas.