bridal wear

1950s Americana Style Wedding

If you’re looking to try and spice up your wedding décor with something a little different, then why not consider a sprinkling of 50s retro American style kitsch? If you and your husband or wife to be love the era and icons like Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe, have a penchant for rock ‘n’ roll and love the quirky fashion from the time, then it’s the perfect theme for your wedding day.

It’s all about having a little fun and you can really go as full on or a subtle as you like. Think about tea length dresses for the bride, polka dots for the bridesmaids and even a little Pink ladies and T Birds vibe a la Grease. Channel the trend in your food with modern takes on diner inspired American classics like sliders, posh dogs, Coca-Cola, milkshakes and popcorn.
Why not hire a retro style Chevrolet as your wedding transport, have a retro photobooth with 50s style props and have a juke box in your venue too playing the hits from the ear?

If you’d like to chat about this, or any other aspect of your wedding day décor or planning, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly.

 

The Fashion
Set the tone for the day with the fashion and have a tea length dress for the bride. Think lots of lace and short veils and why not mix it up and have converse shoes instead of heels? For the bridesmaids why not have bright polka dots or have some Grease style pink ladies chic elements to the hair and makeup.

Table Décor
Music is a huge part of the Americana era, it was all about rock ‘n’ roll, so why not have records as your table names and as you centrepieces? Think about including nods to the big icons of the era, such as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. Have mismatched retro china and glassware reminiscent of the era. Lace was big, so think about having lace table runners to for added elegance.

 

Creative Touches
What about arriving in a pink Cadillac as your wedding car? Nothing screams 50s kitsch like a caddy car or truck, no matter what the colour. Also why not have pieces like jukeboxes, vintage luggage, old fashioned food crates filled with florals and retro style photobooths with lots of 50s props for guests to have fun with.

 

Food and Drinks
You can really have fun with your food with this theme. Think retro Americana in the form of old fashioned Coca-Cola glass bottles, milkshakes, 50s style champagne towers, straws, ice cream cones, hot dogs, sliders and popcorn to name but a few.

 

 

Non White Wedding Dresses

While many women will confess to having dreamt of walking down the aisle in a white dress at some point in their lives, not every bride wants to wear white on their big day. Indeed, today’s modern bride has a myriad of beautiful choices for what to wear on her wedding day and the traditional white gown is now only one choice in a varied field of options. Catwalks are now often full of alternative wedding dress colours, from pastels, to off whites, to blush, blues, canary yellows and much more. And even if you’ve never really considered anything but white or ivory, it’s nice to know that you’ll have the option of trying on something different in many bridal boutiques around the country.

Finally remember that your wedding day is a really special one and hopefully you’ll only be walking down the aisle once in your lifetime, so you need to make sure you are wearing the dress you want. Not the dress someone else wants you to wear. So if you’ve always wanted to have a blush pink, or champagne coloured dress then make sure you follow through and try to find the dress of your dreams.

If you’d like to chat about any aspect of your wedding planning or room décor, then please get in touch today.

 

Off White
Off white might not sound like a massive deviation from the traditional white wedding dress, although as you journey through your wedding dress search you’ll begin to realise that many dresses which appear white, are indeed ivory. That said there are a few off white colours to consider that will give a little inflection of colour difference. Think champagne, ivory, eggshell and true cream.

 

 

Blush and Pale Blue
Blush has seen a rise in popularity in recent years, Jessica Biel famously donned a blush pink gown for her big day and it’s a colour that’s certainly becoming a very real choice amongst brides. This year expect to see some pale blues making an appearance. The beauty of both of these colours, is that they are light injections of colour, rather than a deep, rich, bold colour, so that if you do fancy something different to white, but don’t want to stray too far, both of these pale inflections of colours are worth considering.

 

 

Watercolour Gowns
A big trend for this year is a move toward watercolour style dresses. Think elegant prints and florals with an almost painted feel to them either as a pattern on the dress or as the entire colour. What’s great about these dresses is that, again, they aren’t too overwhelming in terms of bright colours, yet are still feel individual and unique.

 

 

Daring colours
Choosing a red, yellow, green, purple or even black wedding dress may be far from the norm, there’s absolutely nothing to say you cannot choose to have a more vivid colour for your wedding dress. Indeed, if it’s always been your dream to walk down the aisle in red, then do it! Never feel under pressure to wear white because it is your special day and you want to make sure everything is as you want it to be.

Wedding Veil Alternatives

For many brides the idea of a long veil is something they’ve looked forward to wearing since childhood. Playing with net curtains as little girls, they cannot wait to wear their own veil for real. But not every woman is into a traditional style veil and thankfully these days the modern bride has a massive choice when it comes to what she wears on her head (if anything!) on her wedding day.

Today there’s a real trend for re-inventing the retro, such as the 1920’s Juliet cap or Gatsby style headband, as well as Jackie-O style pill box hats, blusher veils and even top hats to be seen. Ultimately, it really comes down to personal choice. Simply put, stick with what would love to wear down the aisle. If that happens to be a flower crown or a bling encrusted headband then make sure to run with that and don’t feel you trapped into wearing a traditional veil.

If you’d like to chat with about how I can help plan any aspect of your big day, then please get in touch.

 

Hats
From the 1960s style Jackie-O pill box, to modern streamlined designs, to wide brims and even top hats, there’s plenty to choose from if you’ve always wanted to float down the aisle with a hat rather than a veil. Remember to discuss the hat with your hairstylist and if possible have your trial with the hat of choice.

 

Headbands
Headbands have been popular since the 1920s and they’ve still got a huge following today. Whether you prefer a bling encrusted style piece that sits on top of your head, or a simpler wreath style or even a retro Gatsby style headband that goes across your forehead, it’s a look that really lets you have ultimate choice on how you wear your hair.

 

Headpieces
If the idea of a headband doesn’t appeal to you, yet you still want something special to wear in your hair, then a headpiece could be just the thing. From sparkly slides and combs, to larger eye-catching pieces that will sit into your updo or even as a cap style piece, you can really let you imagination run riot with all of the options on offer.

 

Flowers
For all the boho loving brides out there, flowers are a wonderful choice. From large colourful floral crowns, to blooms, dotted into your updo or slotted into the side of your hair, it’s a naturally beautiful look that can work no matter what the season with some carefully chosen flowers to reflect the time of year. Don’t forget you can always go for synthetic flowers as well as fresh blooms.

 

Variations on a Veil
If you want to pay homage to the traditional veil, but still want to put your own stamp on the look, then there are lots of great veil variations to think about. Consider a retro blusher or birdcage veil, covering just your face. A flyaway veil will cover your shoulders, or you could channel your retro 1920s bridal look with a side veil or Juliet cap.