As we move towards a more environmentally friendly fashion future, many brides are choosing vintage wedding dresses over commissioning new bridal looks, and we love it! When it comes to wedding dresses, calling back to previous decades is a great way to showcase your personal style. If you’re looking for a traditional ball gown to complete your’20s-inspired bridal look, there are a ton of options out there to match your vision. However, finding the perfect dress can be challenging, especially when dealing with vintage styles. So that’s why we are here!
What’s their appeal exactly?
It's pretty easy to see the appeal! There are many great reasons to choose a vintage wedding dress over a more modern number: its story, utter uniqueness, irreplaceable look and feel, or its sustainable credentials. It is also unique – you can find amazing dresses from the past that no one else will have. Plus, it is more eco-friendly – while a new dress is wonderful, it will only be worn once, whereas vintage means you are giving a new lease of life to an old dress.
What To Think About When Buying A Vintage Wedding Dress
Do Your Research
As with all wedding dress shopping, you should clearly define the type of look you want. If you’re shopping for a vintage wedding dress, be aware of the multitude of choices laid out for you. Define the look you want and collect inspirational images to figure out what decades are inspiring you. Additionally, try to focus on popular silhouettes or accessories of a particular time, rather than attempting to completely replicate a specific look.
Fall in love with special laces
Maybe you cannot easily decide the style that suits you, but you can easily navigate to different websites to look at different vintage laces that you like. You may like cotton laces, brocade fabrics, macrame laces etc etc. You can also show to an atelier that makes custom wedding dresses what kind of lace you like so that you can create your dream dress from scratch.
Know Your Measurements
Knowing your exact measurements is essential when it comes to shopping for any type of wedding dress, especially vintage looks. Anyone who has shopped for vintage clothes before will know that sizing has changed a lot in the last fifty years or so, meaning a size 12 from the 1960s is more like a size 8 now, and so on.
Clean the vintage wedding dress before using it?
We know you want that chic, vintage look on your wedding day, but the last thing you want is for your dress to look faded and dated. The best way to ensure your vintage wedding dress really “wow’s” your wedding guest is to have your wedding dress professionally cleaned and restored before your big day. Interestingly, we have found that many brides like the “aged” look of a vintage gown and prefer not to have it professionally cleaned. In these cases, spot cleaning and pressing are typically done.
Be yourself
The most important advice we give to any bride considering vintage for their gown is really no different than a bride looking for a more current style. Go with what feels the most comfortable and makes you, the bride, feel the most beautiful. It really is as simple as that!