INSPIRATION: Retro Weddings!

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I was SUPER fortunate to have the opportunity to emcee the wedding fashion shows in Casper & Cheyenne. (THANK YOU to Rocky Mountain Sound and Light in Casper, Hart’s Tux & Gown in Casper and Dan D Party Corner in Cheyenne and Mountain Valley Bridal in Laramie for those opportunities!) I LOVED what Hart’s and Mountain Valley Bridal selected to display for 2012 — one thing I particularly enjoyed seeing what the little retro elements thrown in: lace, birdcage veils, variance in sleeves (cap/short/long), and be still my 50’s fashion-lovin’ heart… SHORT dresses!!! Eeeeek! This is one gorgeous dress worn by the beautiful Kelli Erickson, owner of Mountain Valley Bridal in Laramie…

So…50’s weddings. What do you think of first? I think of the glamorous elements of the 50’s first — stars like Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly or Elizabeth Taylor…a groom with the look of Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Montgomery Clift in Raintree County… Then I combine it with the memories shared by my grandmother, who was married in 1954. The reality of a real, small-town America 50’s wedding: a small church wedding at the family church, followed by a reception in her parents’ Kearney, NE backyard. The neighbors all came over, and everyone brought a bit of food for a potluck. There was no band, no dance floor. No champagne. She had a short dress, short wristlet gloves, and my grandfather wore a suit jacket and trousers for the ceremony, but lost the suit jacket for the June reception. My grandmother is the youngest daughter of a seven-child family: six girls, one boy. My grandmother’s sisters all eloped — her wedding was the only wedding her parents attended of the six girls. Sound interesting? I agree! Sound unusual? Surprisingly, not so much, once I had visited over the years with other seniors that I met through my work and volunteer activities. There were big, elaborate weddings like what we’re accustomed to today, but they were far more the exception than the rule. Depression, wars, a view toward a wedding as a beginning of a marriage, much less the elaborate affair we know it to be today…all these things affected the way a true ‘retro wedding’ was assembled. Justice of the Peace weddings and small weddings were definitely common in small towns across the country. (Heck, when my parents were married in 1977, their wedding was quite typical according to my mother: their ceremony took place in the church sanctuary, with their reception held in the church’s meeting hall in the same building. A receiving line, simple food and cake — no dance floor, no dancing, no toasts. I had to do some serious educating of my family when it came to our wedding in 2000, lol!)

So here’s what I’m thinking… If my grandmother would have told me in 2000 that I should have a retro wedding like hers, I probably would have cried! Many of these elements work VERY well for modern couples — and I celebrate that! — but I know for me, and many other brides I visit with every year, we like the idea of the modern wedding. So when it comes to ‘retro style’, I suggest that we take elements of retro decor and fashion, and perhaps let the retro habits remain celebrated in the annals of wedding lore…unless they float your boat! (And in which case, bravo!)

All right. That was my muse on American pop culture a la weddings for the week. My Laramie High School Humanities teacher, Mrs. Maxfield, would be quite proud! Enough of me talking…time to check out some pictures! Here are some modern twists on retro goodness…50’s style!