Category: Wedding Style

Vintage Wedding Accessories for Women

Bride and Bridesmaid Accessories with Vintage Flair

Even if a wedding doesn’t have a full-blown vintage theme, classic elements will never go out of style. Here’s how to use vintage pieces when outfitting a wedding party.

Vintage is “in” everywhere: fashion, interior design, even cutlery–so why not incorporate a little into a wedding? Even couples who may be nervous about having a theme wedding can use vintage pieces as accessories without going over the top.

Vintage Jewelry
Jewelry is an easy way to allow gorgeous vintage pieces to mingle without making a huge statement. Vintage jewelry can be found everywhere, so it’s handy to have a good idea of what style or era of jewelry to shop for. Here’s a rundown of some classic styles that could easily make the cut as wedding accessories:

  • 1900’s. The Victorian era revealed in colors like ruby, sapphire, opal, and ebony jet. Coordinating necklace, earring, and bracelet sets were popular, although one of these pieces is enough to make a substantial statement. Shop for cameos, pendant necklaces, and intricate metal cuff bracelets.
  • 1920’s. Vibrant colors like peacock blue, deep dark red, and emerald green celebrate the Roaring Twenties’ adventurous, glamorous side. The Art Deco movement meant that geometric floral shapes and angular graphic designs were all the rage. Look for chandelier earrings, cocktail rings, and long strands of pearls.
  • 1950’s. In colors like turquoise, coral, and purple, vintage mid-century jewelry suits a lively summer wedding. Look for unique items such as pearl chokers, delicate brooches, and gilded cuff bracelets.

Vintage Headpieces

  • Headpieces are a way to make a dramatic vintage statement. These veils, hats, and other pieces are not for the faint of heart, but when used tastefully can add an air of sophisticated style to any wedding party.
  • Birdcage veils. Reminiscent of film noir, the birdcage veil is a very short veil that lies either just under the cheekbone or the chin. Paired with a delicate headpiece, pillbox hat, or a comb, the birdcage veil is an elegant way to blend a vintage look with contemporary style.
  • Feathered headpieces. Feathers work in weddings from formal to funky and hearken back to the high-rollers of the 1920s, or the romance of the Victorian era. Check out etsy.com for handcrafted headbands trimmed with feathers.
  • Hats. This often-forgotten accessory has had a rich history. Consider outfitting bridesmaids with a close-fitting 1920’s cloche or a dramatic wide-brimmed hat.

Vintage Gloves
Once an essential part of an outfit, gloves are a great way to add some refined elegance to a wedding party wardrobe. Antique gloves can be found online in the wrist- to bicep-length. For strapless gowns, go with a longer glove; for a cap or short-sleeve gowns, stick with shorter gloves that end before the elbow.

Where to Find Vintage Wedding Accessories
It’s best to start looking for vintage pieces to use for accessories well ahead of the big day. This ensures that there is time to return the piece if it is in poor condition or won’t work with the outfits, and to spruce up any jewelry that could use a little polishing.

Search for vintage accessories online, at antique malls and shops, at estate sales, and at thrift stores. Etsy.com, vintagejewelryonline.com, and absolutelyvintage.net are some places to start looking online.

Vintage elements in a wedding don’t have to end with fashion accessories: they can be used as wedding centerpieces, invitations, reception decor and more.

Wedding Dress Bra and Lingerie

Bra, Bridal Corset, and Undergarments Make or Break the Perfect Dress

The perfect gown is only as impeccable as the bride’s bra and other undergarments. A wedding corset, bra or underwear are a vital part of the look of the wedding dress.


The bride who’s found the perfect dress, shoes, and veil still needs one more thing to complete her ensemble – the perfect wedding undergarments. Finding the right wedding dress bra, a slimming corset, or panties with an invisible line can make the difference between a glittering success on the big day or an outfit that didn’t quite work.

Lingerie Will Make or Break the Perfect Wedding Dress

Although no one except the bride and groom is even going to see it, bridal lingerie can go a long way to either help or hinder the look of a beautiful dress. There’s nothing worse than visible panty lines to spoil a look or an ill-fitting bra to ruin the bride’s enjoyment of the big day, so finding the right bra, panties, and corset to go under the wedding gown are of paramount importance to any bride.

There’s another reason to take time and spend a fair bit of money on finding beautiful wedding undergarments: to enjoy them on the wedding night.

Finding the Best Wedding Dress Bra

The most important undergarment for any outfit – but especially under a wedding dress – is a properly fitted, supportive bra. The wedding bra not only determines the bride’s comfort, but it also affects her shape and posture in her dress. The right bra can take off ten pounds as well as improve the bride’s posture and comfort level on her big day.

The trick to choosing a bra is finding the right one for the right dress:

  • Strapless Bras for strapless or off-the-shoulder gowns
  • Backless Bras for backless or low backed dresses
  • Halter Bras for dresses with an open back but that have a strap that drapes around the neck (halter top dresses)
  • “U” or “V” Bras that offer support without showing in the cleavage of a low-cut neckline

A corset can fill the role of a bra as well as slimming a woman’s figure. A wedding corset is a dramatic fashion choice that offers support and a beautiful silhouette under even a modest or simple wedding dress.

Preparing the Wedding Dress Bra or Corset

The first and most important step in choosing a bra is making sure that it is sized correctly. Most well-endowed women are accustomed to wearing a bra with a too-large band size and cups that are too small, making for a sloppy and uncomfortable fit. This can easily be remedied by having bust measurements taken at a quality lingerie store.

Once the bra, panties, and/or corset have been chosen, it’s important to take them with to every dress fitting to ensure that the gown is adjusted to fit the bride’s figure with the wedding undergarments she’ll be wearing on the big day.

Finally, make sure to wash and wear the wedding lingerie at least one or twice, for comfort, so that there’ll be no surprises at the church or during the reception.

 

Wedding Style, Length, Cut: Bridesmaid Dress Fashion Favourites

You can check our new styling services from our Kleinfeld Bridal Consultant.

Factors to consider for wedding coordination include letting bridesmaids pick their own dress fashions to suit their individual lifestyles and body shapes.

 

During an uncertain economic climate, practical choices for bridesmaids in length, fabric, and style may be wise. Agreeing to dresses that the girls can wear again for social occasions, fashion classics, could be the way forward.

What if the bride’s chosen friends are all different shapes, sizes, and skin tones? It is worth considering that identical style dresses will not have wardrobe longevity. Identical dresses also may not look so good on the final photographs. Uniformity of color rather than style may be the most useful strategy.

Bridesmaid Dresses Style and Cut

Factors to consider when ringing the changes on a tradition with bridesmaid attire include:

  • Neckline
  • Sleeves
  • Length

Brides need to consider whether to make it clear if sleeves, strappy or strapless are what is preferred for her bridesmaids. Different necklines need careful consideration; straps, halters, asymmetrical shoulder detail may all be fine among the same group. If the girls all choose different styles, various strappy styles would combine well with strapless, but not perhaps with sleeves.

Flattering styles for larger girls are often sleeveless, but with a pashmina shawl or a shrug. For larger girls are preferred frills, although full skirts and with few tweaks in waist may suit some.

Length tends to be around knee length or slightly longer rather than excessively short or touching the ground. A knee length dress can be worn again at regular social events after the wedding. A dress hem that is touching the ankles rather than the floor is better than full length and keeps clean.

Bridesmaid Fabric and Drape Choices

Consideration should also be given to:

  • Fabric
  • Silhouette
  • Wearability

Fabrics readily available are satin, silk, organza, taffeta, silky soft draped jerseys, and chiffon. Jersey lends itself to soft ruching and cross-bias draping while taffeta weaves hold shape more strictly. Chiffon will gather or flare prettily, yet is less easy to control than some other fabrics.

The softness or crispness of the fabric will influence the silhouette of the gown. An A-line taffeta dress will stand out at the hem, a soft jersey one may cling to the body line. Bridesmaid style for the twenty-first century allows for top fashion shapes such as a chic shift shape rather than bouffant and frilly.

No Halloween or Costume Party Bridesmaid Styles

Avoid buying into a dress style that will later survive only as a fancy dress party or Halloween costume - avoid frills, flounces, patterned fabrics, bold appliques that only a bridesmaid’s mother could love. A wedding may seem as fairytale as Cinderella, but the central characters do not want to look back and see themselves like caricatures.

Bridesmaid Style Co-ordinated Footwear

Shoes are an important accessory to the bridesmaid outfit. They would traditionally be of light colored leather or fabric, either of which can be dyed the same color as the dress. Leather can be dyed again to a more durable color for later everyday use, so consider wearing classic court shoes, especially at a cold-weather wedding.

Silver or gold sandals or pumps look good with most colors of the dress and can be worn again afterward. Generally, if your girls can find their most comfortable style in the same color, differences in heel height or strap detail will not spoil the co-ordinated look.

Shoes often add the finishing touch for the bridesmaid outfit.