Planning A Vintage Wedding For 50 Guests Under $1,000

Get practical tips to help you plan a vintage wedding for 50 guests under $1000. This post is all about sharing tips on planning a vintage wedding. 

Planning A Vintage Wedding For 50 Guests Under $1,000

Planning any type of wedding is fun and exciting, but it’s also stressful, especially for those trying to plan their wedding on a budget. However, you can still come up with the wedding of your dreams on any type of wedding budget!  And if you’re into the vintage look, you can plan an intimate, vintage wedding (for around 50-60 guests) for $1,000 or less.

These simple steps can help you plan that vintage wedding of your dreams:

BIG Tip- PLAN:

Planning every little detail will save you lots of money. To stay organized, buy a cheap binder, a stack of sticky notes, dividers or paper tabs, highlighters or colored pens, and some loose-leaf paper. Organize the dividers into the four main components of a wedding- Wedding Party and Guests, Wedding Attire, Ceremony, and Reception. Under each of these, you will jot down the things you need to complete your wedding.

You must have a “To-Do” list:

Make yourself a “To-Do” list of the things you need to accomplish and set a date for when each one should be completed. Allow yourself enough time to shop for supplies, and if you are hand-making items give yourself ample time to get them finished.

Tips on Invitations:

For Save-the-Dates, buy a pack of plain index cards with no lines. They can be done in white or a variety of colors, and one pack will cost you around $4. Write the date, time, and place of the wedding on the card by hand, and in the corner stamp a picture of something that denotes the theme of your wedding. You can find lots of great vintage style stamps at craft stores.

For invitations, but a vintage printed packet of scrapbook paper and print the information for your wedding on the paper. Glue it card stock and decorate any way you like. Or take plain card stock in a color matching or complimenting your save-the-date cards and print the information on it, then stamp it with the same vintage stamp.

Ask for HELP!

The courthouse where you get your marriage license can give you a list of area Justice of the Peace services. If you want something more personal, though, you can ask a friend or family member to become a JOP for your wedding. If you know someone that is willing, they can become an ordained minister or JOP online for as little as $25.

Photographers also don’t have to be expensive. Ask a friend that has a good eye to do the job for you, or visit a local college that offers a degree in photography and work out a deal with a fledgling photographer to do your photos for cheap in exchange for them adding the pictures to their portfolio. You can get away with hiring a photographer for $200 or less at that rate.

What are you going to wear??

Tips for the Bride:

One thing to remember about vintage dresses is that they weren’t always white and many were shorter than today’s bridal gowns. When looking for your vintage gown, check out grandma’s closet, or even your mom’s closet. Both of them may have their wedding dresses stored or that great old piece that you love and can turn into a bridal dress. Or take a look at a thrift store to find an unexpected dress. Sites like Etsy and Modcloth also offer great vintage styles for under $100. Even David’s Bridal has some fantastic dresses for $99 that fall into a casual and vintage fashion.

Tips for the Groom:

For the vintage groom, thrift shops are the way to go. Choose a pair of dark-colored pants, a checkered button-up, long-sleeved shirt, a gray or black suit vest, and a bow tie to give a modern twist to vintage attire. To complete the look, wear a bowler or taxi hat.

Choose a venue that will act as a ceremony and reception site.

Picking the venue will be the hardest thing on your budget, but you can get a great space for under $400 if you know where to look. Choose a space in a park under trees and let it double as the reception site. This can be done at a lake or beach, too, and the natural elements will help to cut down on décor costs. If you want someplace inside check out a museum or the town hall meeting room in a small town near you. Many of these can double as the ceremony and reception area, too, and with a few simple tips, they can be made very vintage.

Learn how to make DIY Wedding Gum Holder as party favors!

Ceremony

If you have your ceremony outside, rent folding chairs. For your aisle runner, get a cheap aisle runner at a craft or retail store and buy stencils and fabric paint. Paint a retro or vintage floral pattern on the aisle runner and add your new last initial to the center of it. For an archway, hang an old chandelier in a tree or even inside instead of doing a traditional arch. Or you can use ace curtains decorated with hanging flowers in the center for an even easier and more casual look. To decorate the aisle, place clay pots at every other chair and fill them with wildflowers, using pine bows as filler.

Reception

The best way to get a vintage look is to use items you already own. Ask mom, grandma, Aunt Betty, Cousin Janet, and anyone else you can think of if you can borrow their kitchen tables and chairs. Top these with lace table cloths you can get at thrift shops over the months before your wedding, and decorate them with vases of wildflowers perched on top of books that have been wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine or lace. This look is eclectic, fun, and romantic, plus easy on your budget.

The Cake

One of the most expensive parts of any wedding is the cake, but this is something you can do yourself, even if you don’t have any cake decorating skills. Buy a tiered wedding cake holder and three plain cakes (in white or any color you ask the bakery for). Place the cakes on the holder and wrap the lace ribbon around the bottoms of each cake. Lay faux pearls on the top cake and let them drape down. Place fake flowers at random along the bottoms and top of the cake in an appealing manner and you have a cake that looks professional and vintage chic. Don’t like cake? Pies are very vintage and easy to decorate. Buy a few pie holders and a few flavors of pie. Arrange them on a table in a staggered fashion and decorate the table with vases of flowers or floating candles.

Get tips on planning a 15 Vintage Wedding Decor ideas

The Food

Hands down the best way to get a vintage wedding and reception and feed everyone well is to ask trusted people to bring dishes, pot-luck style. It’s the way weddings have been done for centuries, and it’s still a great practice to employ!

If none of these ideas appeal to you, remember that there are so many options for decorating a vintage style wedding. Other decorations that make vintage weddings pop include:

• Mason jars filled with water and floating candles in each
• Wine bottle filled with wildflowers
• Lace runners
• Anything gingham print
• Old perfume bottles
• Old hats
• Worn books
• 15 Vintage Wedding Decor ideas