Vintage wedding couple

The Life and Death of Wedding Trends + One Trend I Hope Never Dies

Is the Vintage Wedding Trend Really Dead? (Who Cares?)

Vintage wedding coupleImage from Audrey Hannah Photo and Flourish Studio Photography via The Wedding Chicks

Harmony Walton, of the popular wedding blog Bridal Bar, recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post claiming that the Vintage wedding trend is dead.

First I’d like to say, if you’re personally tired of the “vintage wedding trend” (whether as a blogger or a bride) then by all means steer clear of it. There’s always going to be someone who’s sick of what everyone else is doing and demands new and innovative things. And we bloggers, who look at hundreds of weddings each month, are the worst when it comes to this. We’re like magpies, always looking for the latest Pretty-Pretty, and seeking out new and different details and decor.

Disagree with that need for the ever-new? Great, then don’t try to replicate it; be comfortable with your own decisions.

Some brides, bloggers, and wedding pros just need to leap out of the box. Harmony cited Linda Pittelli, owner and lead designer of Eventful in Los Angeles, who had a bride getting married on an empty beach. Now for some of us, just standing on the beach is lovely and amazing enough. But for Linda and her bride, the beach was not even close to adequate.

“I needed to turn that into something very special since the bride was wearing an amazing ball gown! The feeling I was going for was an English garden on the sand. We built a platform, carpeted it and added lots of hedging and flowers, and poof: a formal ceremony area on the sand!” Linda explains.

So what does this mean in terms of anyone else’s wedding? Nothing. It means that particular bride, and that one planner, and that blogger, thought turning a sandy beach into an English garden was cool.

Q. Does this mean the English garden beach wedding couple is any more or less shallow or inauthentic than the vintage-loving, mason jar-wielding bride?

A. Who knows? You never will and neither will I! We’re all smart women here, and we all know we can’t judge the strength of someone’s relationship by the party they throw or the resulting pictures that are published online. Besides, it’s none of your business. Mind your own Ps and Qs on this one.

And remember, today’s way of “expressing true love and authenticity” is tomorrow’s dead trend. It’s scary when a blogger writes:

“So say farewell to the photo of the couple in the field, and say hello to the next token iconic wedding image … perhaps a kiss on a regal balcony? At least this image will be anchored by the love of the couple and not the lack of creativity in design.”

Pish-posh. In five years we bloggers will likely be bitching about the inauthenticity of a “staged kiss on a balcony” and how every wedding takes place on a grand estate where no one really lives. We’re a fickle lot, dear brides.

If there are elements of the vintage wedding trend that you simply love, then by all means, incorporate them into your wedding. Don’t let trend watchers and wedding industry pros make you feel bad or inadequate about your decisions. Remember, many of us see our job as publishers as a mandate to seek out new ideas and push the design envelop. It’s your job as brides to go with your hearts (and budgets). And for the love of Pete, don’t let us bloggers get you down by our claims about whether your wedding is an authentic enough statement of your love for each other or your family. Please, take us with a grain of salt!

The Loveliest Vintage Wedding Detail of them all

Image from Pretty Stuff via Pinterest

OK, so one vintage wedding detail I hope to see never die is the heirloom ring.

Yup, Kate wears one, and so do I. Here’s a run down of why I think vintage rings are the bee’s knees:

  • They’re green! Even if you buy a vintage ring, you are taking something that’s already made rather than demanding that something be newly manufactured.
  • They’re one-of-a-kind. Many heirloom rings are uniquely designed. You can find lovely and unique wedding and engagement rings online, at an estate sale, or at a pawn shop. But if you are given more traditional rings by your family, like the classic (and ubiquitous) gold band and round-cut diamond solitaire that I wear, each heirloom ring has a unique story. When people comment on my rings I have a story about my new family and their history.
  • They represent the joining of new families. If you have a close relationship with your new family, they can represent the ties that bind you not only to your new spouse but your new family as well.
  • They can be cheaper (as in free.) Our families donated our wedding rings. I wear great-grandma Cartwright’s rings, and Hindsight Groom wears a ring from his mother’s family and a ring from mine. (We each wear two wedding bands, one for each wedding celebration.)

What else makes vintage rings awesome? Let me know what you like about vintage rings!