Hurrah for Vintage!

Doesn’t the very word ‘vintage’ bring joy to your heart? Everything about it makes me want to smile…and the prospect of a vintage wedding turns me into the giddiest of kippers.  It has charm, warmth, nostalgia and prettiness all at once. Is it any wonder that so many brides want to create their very own version of this delightful style?

In my blog over the next few weeks I will be posting articles and images on different aspects of this adorable favourite. From flowers to table plans, I’ll be scouring the mags and shops for divine details and inspirational ideas.

Today’s topic is vintage china and glass. That smile has appeared as I think of the boxes of gorgeousness I have collected over the recent months. Just too pretty for words.

The addition of genuine vintage china really can transform the whole look of your wedding; and there are many ways of going about it. You may opt for original old jugs, vases or teapots for your centrepieces.  And no, don’t worry about trying to get anything to match!  The joy of vintage is prettiness, but the charm comes from randomness. A teapot and sugar bowl crammed with country flowers on one table, a wonderful old water pitcher filled with the same on the next. Grouping a mixture of china in this way looks sublime, as does dotting in a few original ceramic candlesticks here and there.  Old fashioned cut glass footed bowls turned into candles or spilling with blooms will give your tables a 1940s retro feel, or stick to ceramics for a country garden look. For an alfresco wedding, how about dainty coffee cans hung on ribbons from branches? Think of cut glass trinket boxes and perfume bottles for ladies’ favours (genuinely old ones lovingly rediscovered), and of course, we mustn’t forget the teacups. Quintessentially English, the humble cup and saucer, like nothing else, will make your tables sing with vintage.

The possibilities are endless – which means that a vintage wedding is always going to be original and your own.  You can use items from yours or your family and friends’ homes, and mix them. You may not have enough this way, but there’s nothing at all to stop you blending personal items with those bought from car boots and flea markets, or hired from yours truly at Go Glorious.

If time is on your side, trawling those car boots and charity shops is great fun. But, take it from one who knows – it is a little heavy on the clock.  The trick is to hit the car boots at the crack of dawn, and keep going back to those charity shops over and over.  Some of the ones I go to label the stock with the date it went in.  So I know that I am buying things that have only been there a day or two. I do get a ridiculous feeling of elation when I clap my hands on something stunning, and think ‘phew, so glad I got here first!’  Another tip is to get friends, mums and aunties on the case – but ask them to snap it and MMS you before they buy, in case it’s not your thing.

I generally bring home my loot, lovingly wash it and beam as it springs back to life. Twenty years of dust down the plug hole and it’s back to its former, sparkling glory.  I have heaps of lovely vintage nestled in bubble wrap, carefully boxed, and waiting with baited breath to land on your table.