Vintage Brides: 1950s

After years blemished by financial depression and war, the 1950s were a breath of fresh air. Much like the 1920s, previous social values were overturned and people felt liberated by this new freedom. None more so than young people. For the first time, the transition from childhood to adulthood was acknowledged and given a name- teenage. They ruled 1950s society- the fashion, the music and the celebrities were all dictated by young people.

As the average age of marriage in the 1950s was 20, these changes were especially present in weddings of this era.

The Dress

The fashion of the time was inspired by Dior’s “New Look” and featured calf-length dresses with petticoat skirts and cap sleeves. Wedding dresses followed this trend, and were often decorated with lace and satin ribbon. The hourglass silhouette is encouraged with a small waist and flared skirt. She wears low-heeled court shoes and a simple veil.

There are many places to buy vintage or reproduction vintage wedding dresses for the bride who wants a similar shape. Ebay often has original 1950s dresses appear for low prices. They are also regularly sold in vintage shops such as Beyond Retro (www.beyondretro.com), usually for no more than £200/ 230 euros.

If second-hand is not your thing, then there are numerous designers that sell fifties-inspired dresses. For the bigger budget Candy Anthony (www.candyanthony.com) designs beautiful vintage-themed dresses. Starting at £1450/ 1680 euros, they certainly aren’t cheap! However, help is at hand for the bride who wants a 1950s dress without the price tag.

Vivien of Holloway (www.vivienofholloway.com) sells dresses very similar to Candy Anthony from just £69/ 80 euros! They make beautiful dresses for brides, and with a whole range of different fabrics they can also be used for bridesmaids. A word of caution: These dresses are cut to vintage sizing which is much smaller than modern sizing, so get your tape measure out!

1950s shoes were very simple, and the styles of the era are still fashionable today so they are available readily and cheaply. Round-toed court shoes, peep toes and strapped sandals were very popular.

The Reception

For the reception, an original theme would be 1950s Americana. Meals of cheeseburgers and fries, with Coca Cola served in small glass bottles or strawberry milkshakes. Tables could be named after fifties stars- Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe for example. The venue could even be decked out as a diner with tin signs, jukeboxes and checkerboard floor coverings.

Rock n Roll was extremely popular in the 1950s. Bands specialising in this genre are very common so it’s easy to hire a band that will have the whole party hand jiving. There are also many romantic ballads from this era so your theme could stretch to the first dance- Elvis Presley’s “Love me Tender” or “In the Still of the Night” by the Five Satins are perfect choices. Or how about taking Rock n Roll dance classes and choreograph a fun routine to “Great Balls of Fire”?

Celebrity Weddings

September 1953 was the date of future President of the United States John F Kennedy to Jacqueline Onassis. It was the wedding of the year, with over 1200 guests invited to the reception to see them cut their five-tiered cake.

The dress was a stunning white silk dress typical of the era with a huge skirt. It had pleats on the bodice and around the bottom of the skirt, forming a circular pattern. It was worn with white gloves, a pearl choker and diamond bracelet. Her lace veil had been her grandmother’s years before.

There were no less than 12 bridesmaids dressed in pink for the church ceremony. The couple spent two weeks in Acapulco for their honeymoon.

Wedding Traditions

The 1950s brought formal bridal wear back into tradition. After the previous eras that saw brides wearing existing suits, brides could now buy their outfit. It was much more common to be able to buy a wedding dress from a shop, rather than having to make one.

Wedding cake toppers became more prevalent in the 1950s to symbolise the togetherness of the bride and groom.

The 1950s is a versatile theme- it can be portrayed as elegant Hollywood glamour, vintage English countryside or fun Rock n Roll celebrations. This means that you can adapt the theme to fit your wedding perfectly.