Whatever your first choice for a wedding theme, you need to make it your own, whether that’s highly stylised, avant garde, completely wild, or as low key as possible. For some couples that means dressing up in full costume as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, complete with an Imperial Storm Trooper for a best man. Others want something completely modern, with every traditional element reinvented for maximum impact and with a heavy stamp of their own personality. For others, a Vintage wedding hits the spot; classic, timeless and beautiful. If you’re in this third category, you’ll find Tower Hill Barns makes a naturally ideal venue. Where better to tie the knot Vintage style than in our exquisite location in an idyllic setting, nestled in the Welsh countryside. We have lush greenery, a spaciously refurbished barn venue, and a long experience of hosting memorable wedding experiences with an individual twist each and every time.
So what’s involved in planning a vintage wedding?
Essentially it’s about taking certain key elements of marriages from times gone by and incorporating them into your own day. If you like you can go the whole way and tailor every single part of the ceremony and reception authentically to recreate something along the lines of the wedding day your Grandparents would have enjoyed. If you are lucky enough to have some handed down wedding clothes such as a vintage suit or dress, so much the better. If not, you can either scout around for period clothes that would fit the bill, or else choose some vintage looking fabric and designs to add to a contemporary dress.
Alternatives to an authentic vintage wedding dress
Some brides prefer to take an old dress and update it by using the old fabric but in a new design. Find a dressmaker who can achieve this for you while still retaining the authentic feel of the gown. Alternatively you might choose not to change the design of the dress but instead simply have it fitted exactly to your figure. This is a much smaller job, but it’ll make all the difference.
It’s worthwhile making sure that all the clothes worn by the bridal party work well together. It’s no good the bride turning up in a vintage dress if the groom then arrives in something quite obviously off the shelf from the latest season’s high street collection.
For the bride, add to your wedding gown just the right jewellery to make the look complete – pearls, diamonds and semi-precious stones in keeping with the era. Lace gloves make a lovely finishing touch.
When it comes to choosing a vintage accent colour for the bridesmaids, you’ll probably want to go for something soft and gentle to be more in keeping with the look, rather than vivid and vibrant colours. But there are no rules, and if you find just the shade that works for you, then run with it.
Vintage props that are easy and effective
One vintage touch that is easy to achieve is a display of framed sepia or black and white photographs. These could be from your family even in recent years. With today’s technology it’s very easy to Photoshop your snapshots and give them more of a vintage feel, and if you can find a helpful teenager or creative friend to step in with their photo editing skills, you probably won’t even need a professional to achieve this.
You could add some vintage bunting to decorate the venue, and for flowers why not use loose bundles of long stemmed blooms tied up with a gold or ivory ribbon. You could also use props such as old books and suitcases.
Music and fragrance to add to the vintage ambience
Candles and fragrances help create an ambient feel, and you should pay attention to the music you play in the background too, whether live or recorded. A jazz trio or barbershop choir could make a fascinating addition that would help to build the vintage experience, but you could equally used some old jazz records complete with scratches. Why not consider having a gramophone with a large brass bell along the lines of the His Masters Voice logo. If you have an vintage instruments such as an old guitar, ukulele, banjo or violin, these could add richly to the decor and scenery.
At Tower Hill Barns, we’d love to host your vintage wedding. Just get in touch and see how our friendly team help bring your dreams to life.