Harmony Walton, of BridalBar.com has called for the end of the vintage wedding trend. “Over the past few years,” she said, “we’ve seen such a clamoring for personal and nostalgic wedding details that those details have lost all personalization and actual meaning.” On its own, that statement seems benign, maybe even true. But let’s think for a moment: must ever detail, from the flowers used in the centerpieces down to the shoes on the bride’s feet, be chosen solely because they have personal meaning to the couple? By that standard our wedding décor should have included mix CDs and a Star Trek themed cake. Is there something wrong with choosing a particular flower just because they’re pretty and not because they have inherent personal backstory? No, I say! Pretty for prettiness sake is part of being human. Why else would be spend so much money on art, makeup, and outrageously small portions of beautifully styled food.
Paper Lanterns
An often used element in vintage weddings is the paper lantern. Love it or hate it, this wedding cliché is going nowhere thanks to its affordability and mass appeal. I can’t think of a wedding style or budget that couldn’t accommodate lanterns. Having seen paper lanterns used for bazillion (technical term, you know) years one must wonder if there are any fresh ways to use this versatile piece of décor. Have no fear lovebirds, you can make paper lanterns original and personal. Take that, vintage wedding naysayers.
DIY Decoupage Lanterns :: Green Wedding Shoes ♥ Mini Lanterns with Twinkle Lights and Twigs :: Lark Photography via Weddings by Lilly ♥ Multi-Colored Lanterns :: Tanja Lippert Photography via Bridal Guide ♥ Patterned Lantern :: Aubrey Joy Photography via Adore by Chloe
One of the best ways to de-cliché paper lanterns is to customize their look. The lovely Christy of One Handspun Day was gracious enough to put together a tutorial on how to personalize paper lanterns by means of decoupage.
View the entire tutorial at Green Wedding Shoes
Although, she uses fabric you could certainly use paper. You could even incorporate ticket stubs, receipts and other pieces of memorabilia collected during your dating days for a very personal touch. Be sure to use photocopies of the real thing if you wish to save those mementos for years to come.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle joy of altering dozens of paper lanterns or you’re looking for a more classic, tailored style consider this simple idea: vary the size of the lanterns.
By simply changing the size and color of your lanterns you can add a lot of visual interest in addition to saving some moola (hey, whaddaya know smaller lanterns are cheaper!). Let’s be honest, one large mass of single-colored lanterns can look dated. Throwing in other colors, patterns, and sizes to shake up the look will give your lantern décor a new life.
Love,
