Vintage Wedding Dresses: Get the Retro Look for Your Wedding Day

I suggest wearing a pair of white heels with the dress and showing off your legs. Open-toed heels look great but you could also opt for round-toed heels to keep the vintage look. If you have long hair, tie it up in a high ponytail as they did in the 1950s.

When Kate Middleton married Prince William in April 2011, everyone wondered what her wedding dress would look like. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she didn’t wear a big, Princess style wedding dress. She went for elegance and simplicity with the Grace Kelly wedding dress.

This is one of my favourite vintage wedding dresses for its beauty. It has a simple white under-layer with a lace over-layer and comes with a lace cropped jacket. A white ribbon sits just under the bust to draw attention to this part of the body—usually smaller than the waist! The back even has the button down to the hips, giving it the 1940s style.

Are the Victorian or Edwardian eras ones that interest you? There are some great vintage wedding dress ideas from these periods, whether you want something traditionally white or something with a little more colour. Many of these will usually show up in a search for gothic wedding dresses, though, especially if you want something in blacks, reds and greens.

I loved the white dress with the black damask detail on the hood, sleeves and body. It really brought out the 16^th century look that I’ve always wanted to have—if you haven’t noticed by my history articles, I’m a big fan of that time. The hood as part of my dress was my favourite part. The only thing I’d change if I did it again is that I would lose weight and have a dress that pulled in at the waist more but there was nothing I could do since I’d had my daughter a couple of months before this.

I’d suggest leaving your hair down if you’re going to opt for a dress like this. If you really want it up, try pushing it to one side. Accessory wise, you only really need a necklace. My mum and sister were lucky enough to find a black choker that had the 16^th century style to match the dress.

I have seen this same dress in different colours. Below are some great options from eBay!

Those are just a few vintage wedding dress ideas. There are a lot to choose from and many places to buy them. There’s no need to spend a lot but it will be worth it for the quality and comfort throughout your wedding day.

You don't need to opt for a white wedding dress; with the vintage styles, you could opt for any colour you prefer. Remember that white wedding dresses only became popular because Queen Victoria wore one when she married Prince Albert! Before that, reds, golds and purples were commonly used.