Retro Wedding

Imagine kicking up your heels and celebrating your nuptials in true retro style! Fun from decades past is the inspiration put together by Ashleigh and Angela Marie. Glamour and artistic alternatives shine in this wedding photo shoot.

A Rice Krispie cake and a dress with a red petticoat break all traditional barriers for retro-artsy style at its best. Considering a wedding venue in Glasgow? Look for a natural setting like Kelvingrove Park and maybe even take a few photos on the bandstand!

Dresses and Accessories for a Retro Wedding

Retro weddings dresses will greatly vary depending upon the time period the bride chooses. Some brides may opt for a Roaring 20’s wedding theme while others will choose the brightly coloured, over the top 80s! Outfits will be key to pulling off a retro wedding theme, so make sure everyone’s outfits reflect period-specific characteristics. Brides can do this by choosing colours popular during the retro era or by dressing grooms and groomsmen in accessories such as bow ties or suspenders.

Experts recommend that brides should choose a modern dress with details that match the vintage era rather than a truly retro gown. A Twenties theme might call for a dress with detailed beading and sequins, but a Fifties era bridal gown might be a simple, tea-length A-line dress.

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Colour Palettes for a Retro Wedding

The colour palette for your retro wedding can be influenced by a wide range of colours. Most wedding pros recommend a mixture of wine colours – red, burgundy, and muted pinks; however, some brides may opt for dusty yellows as well as darker greens. Some brides are even using ebony colours as well!

One colour palette includes carrot, bubblegum, merlot, olive and onyx, which would be perfect for any season. A great spring wedding palette includes cherry, fire, mustard, mauve, and indigo; these colours would be great for a 60s retro wedding! For fall retro nuptials, brides may choose goldenrod, dusty blue, moss, apricot, and cider as well as ruby, robin’s egg, sage, and marigold. A winter retro wedding might utilize espresso, chocolate, pumpkin, apple, and fern green.

What to Look for in a Venue for a Retro Wedding

The venue can really set the mood for a retro wedding. Perhaps the most important element of the wedding venue is the architecture of the site. Brides can play up the architecture already there by adding a backdrop that highlights the vintage era of choice. A space that already sports a distressed look will lend to the idea of a vintage theme at your ceremony.

A historic venue is also a great choice when hosting a vintage theme wedding. Bonus points if the venue already offers antique chandeliers or possibly an industrial look to the property.

Any venue should offer plenty of room for your guests, and you’ll want to ensure that parking is in abundance. Venues that offer the use of furniture – particularly if it is antique – as well as linens and a sound system can also make planning the wedding easier. Think of these venues as a one-stop-shopping source; brides can save a great deal of money on venues that offer these staples as a part of the cost of renting the venue.

Food for a Retro Wedding

The bride and groom may choose to serve some of their favorite dishes at the reception, and this can be made to fit a retro theme. Brides can opt to set up grazing tables around the wedding reception ; bonus points for utilizing an antique table decorated with ivy garland. You may choose to serve cheese trays or fruit trays at the grazing table. When placing centerpieces on these grazing tables, opt for wildflowers mismatched vases holding greenery.

Brides utilizing a Roaring Twenties theme may want to borrow from Jay Gatsby by having a champagne toast. Build a tower of glasses a la Gatsby for the best man’s toast opportunity.

Some brides may even opt to serve cheesecake, which was a staple at traditional Greek weddings.

Budget for a Retro Wedding

The budget for a retro wedding will largely depend on the era you choose, but it need not be an expensive wedding!

Some brides tend to focus on putting the bulk of the budget on the dress, the venue, and the decor. However, there are ways to save money on these items as well. Some brides shop vintage shops for a gown (you’d be surprised what you can find at the local Goodwill!).

Other brides may use a wedding gown worn by their mother or grandmother, with a few updates and alterations to put a few modern touches on a retro dress. The venue you choose can also save you some dough – look for a venue that offers a diverse package with audio equipment, basic decor, and possibly linens for the reception for added savings.

Speaking of decor, the vintage shop or a flea market may hold a great deal of retro decor that adds the perfect touch to your retro theme.

Outdoor Wedding Ideas for a Retro Wedding

A wedding held outdoors can easily be adapted for a retro wedding. The backdrop should be the focal point of the ceremony, and you can decorate to invoke the theme. A wooden mantle from an older house makes the perfect backdrop. Repurpose the mantel with distressed paint, add some flowers as well as other greenery, and you’ve got the perfect backdrop for your outdoor retro wedding.

A retro theme utilizing the 40s or the 20s should exude elegance as well as simplicity. Sheer drapery and greenery will fit either of these retro eras.

Ceremony Decor for a Retro Wedding

Since the decor will need to match the era you’re featuring, you’ll need to choose decor carefully.

Here’s where your venue comes into play. A historic venue will already offer much of the decor for your ceremony. The architecture of these venues provides lots to work with, and they offer a classic background that a retro wedding features. However, if you are hosting a 50s or 60s theme, you’ll want to choose a venue that has a classic yet modern vibe.

A neat decor idea is to provide unique seating, such as wooden benches rather than folding chairs. This is perfect for an early twentieth-century retro theme.

Menswear for a Retro Wedding

The guys in the wedding don’t have to go all out when it comes to retro wear for the big day. In fact, just a few simple items can make the groom and his party appear just as retro as the bride.  

While the groom doesn’t need to break out a pastel tux for the big day, he will need to choose accessories that are reminiscent of the era you’ve chosen.

Guys can wear accessories such as suspenders, ties, and hats from the chosen era. Pair these items with a white dress shirt and khakis or dress pants for a retro look.

Wedding Dresses and Accessories for a Retro Wedding

The bride may be surprised to find that she need not wear a puffy-sleeved dress to carry out a retro look on her wedding day. In fact, most modern wedding dresses can be outfitted for a retro look with very little effort.

Brides who are hoping to have a retro 40s or 50s wedding? Choose a wedding dress that is knee-length with cap sleeves. A tea-length A-line dress is also a great choice for that era. Brides may opt for a pillbox hat as an accessory.

Brides with a throwback to the 20s themed-wedding may choose a long gown with lots of intricate beading.

Wedding Invitations for a Retro Wedding

Brides have many options when choosing invitations for a retro wedding.

Considering a 1960s theme? Peace signs, bold colours, and even smiley faces can adorn your wedding invitations. A 1940s theme might utilize calligraphy or engraved invitations denoting elegance and class.

However, a 1980s theme invitation should be written in script with an RSVP for guests. Don’t forget to include all the details of the big day, such as parent names and an embossed design border common to wedding invitations of the time.

Retro-loving’ wedding ideas

Today’s retro-inspired wedding, editorial from Angela Marie Events and Ashleigh Jayne Photography is absolutely darling. It’s full of fun surprises and impeccable styling details from decades past.

From Angela Marie Events – “The inspiration came from the old VW bug that was once Ashleigh’s grandfather’s car since she was dying to do a shoot around it. Being that we are from the South, we also wanted country roads and natural settings. I took Ashleigh’s retro-arts style and mixed it with my natural style plus a bit of glam.

The wedding cake is a Rice Krispy cake and the cute retro dress is a nice alternative to a traditional gown, especially with that red petticoat. I used old records for chargers and big heart balloons on the car. The floral designs by Poppy and Mint were outstanding and there are even cherries in the bridal bouquet!”

Credits: Photography: Ashleigh Jayne Photography // Coordination & Styling: Angela Marie Events // Place Cards: Peter Loves Jane // Flowers and Fabric Hearts: Poppy and Mint // Hand-Lettering: Whatchawant Design // Hair: Alison Smith with Parket Paris Salon // Makeup: Shena Cox // White Cart & Vanity: Timeless Vintage Rentals // Gold Sequins Tablecloth: Sparkle Pony // Dress, Fan, Cake Topper, Petticoat, Gold Pumps, Heart Sunglasses: Modcloth // Tin Container, Striped Ribbons, Heart Chalkboard, Candy Containers, Cake Stand, Black Lace Runner: Afloral // Notebook, Glasses on Table, Napkins: Anthropologie // Groom’s Attire: Urban Outfitters // Venue: Desert Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana.