military brides from decades past

I'm a military bride. My fiance, who would like to remain as anonymous as possible, has been in the service for close to five years now. He's planning on making it all the way through to a 20 year retirement. In some respects, I'm marrying the military too-- not just my man. 

There is something so captivating about vintage military wedding pictures. The attire, the seriousness on their faces and the stories that my imagination makes up while looking at them make these photos so precious. 

Let's look at these pictures from top to bottom. First, there is a vintage military cake topper found on fancyflours.com. There is a large array of vintage wedding cake toppers, it isn't just military-specific. The prices range from reasonable to something that collectors could afford. My military groom chose not to wear his dress uniform to our wedding, which is perfectly fine with me! So instead of using a military cake topper we are blessed to use my grandfather and grandmothers chalkware one from their wedding fifty years ago in 1949. I will post pictures of that one later! 

The second picture I found on a military website, grunt.com, and it is the most interesting and sweet of the bunch, I think. Here is what the excerpt next to the picture said, 

"It didn't take a double wedding for two Marine PFCs to get married. Cutting their wedding cakre are Pfc and Mrs. William R. WIlder, Jr. Th bride, formerly Nancy Olsen of Chicago, is also a Pfc. The bride and groom are both stationed at HQMC." The picture was taken June 25, 1950. The day the Korean War started. " Published in Leatherneck Magazine September 1950. Submitted by SSgt William R. Wilder.

The third photo is a military wedding from an unknown date between 1940-1943. Read here, http://www.fashion-era.com/wedding_pics_1940s.htm, for more information. I was trying to figure out if that was an eye patch on the maid of honor? 

The fourth and final photo is the oldest of the group. Taken in 1919, the caption read "Bill Swinton getting married to Vera Burr just after the Great War" I love the look of the bride's train and that each of the bridesmaids wore a veil as well. Wouldn't it be adorable to bring that fashion trend back?

I hope you enjoyed these photographs. Someday I will be a vintage military bride myself! The idea of some girl hunting around the internet for photos in a hundred years looking at old wedding photos blows my mind!!!

xo,

a touch of southern hospitality

Mason jars, how I love their charm! The glass isn't fussy, they can do just about anything and they remind people (especially me) of family tradition. I think mason jars are so cute that my grandmother, mother and I homemade grape jelly and filled 170+ 3 oz. jars for favors we are giving to the guests at the reception. Now that was a lot of work!

Mason jars are a relatively inexpensive way of personalizing your reception decor. Something about them just screams southern hospitality! I love they way they look hanging together with small candles burning inside. More antique versions come in gorgeous colors perfect for a beach themed wedding. Also, I'm convinced that by using them you can do some up-cycling after the wedding-- think recycle, but cooler! After all of the movin' and shakin' from the wedding has died down, you can make your foray into domesticity by pickling vegetables or making jams and jellies. I know I'll be spending a few relaxing Saturday afternoons with a family recipe for hot pepper jelly and our leftover jars!

I've even seen these jars filled with sand and candles to make clustered centerpieces, or filled with gumballs at a candy buffet. I have even seen them hanging from shepherd's hooks and filled with flowers from the farmer's market as ceremony decor for an outdoor country style wedding. Plus, these jars are relatively easy to find: think local super centers, grocery stores, etc. and somewhat inexpensive. The possibilities are endless!

Look here:

www.cowtowncollectibles.com

here:

http://kristinandryan.blogspot.com/2008/07/mason-jars.html

and here:

www.pastthemoon.com/reception-decor/

something to cry over

For my second post I am going to show you the darling handkerchiefs I bought on ebay via the Make an Offer feature. Coming all the way from China are almost forty brand new, never used vintage style handkerchiefs complete with floral patterns, scalloped edges and bright colors. 

I plan on putting these little darlings in a basket at the entrance of our ceremony set up with a little sign that says something about criers taking one! 

I am so excited to get these in the mail, the seller was very prompt and helpful--- she gave me the tracking number for the package within just a few hours of buying it! I bought the hankies for a great price and they will be one of those little personal touches than many will remember. 

There are many options for brides out there looking to do something similar. For the bride who needs instant gratification, you could purchase real vintage hankies little by little from antique and thrift stores, making sure to wash and press them before the big day. Or, if you are lucky enough to live in a place that holds a monthly antique show (Antiques by the Bay), you can scour the vendors and find them all in one place. For those who are more patient, internet shopping such as on Etsy.com or ebay.com is a great option. I put 'vintage style handkerchief lot' in the search engine and was pleasantly surprised!

a warm welcome!

Hello and welcome to Vintage Inspired Bride! My name is Katie and I will be your beloved blogger.

I decided to create Vintage Inspired Bride after diligently reading vintage blogs, one with the focus of weddings, and finding that my creativity led me in other directions, which I would like to share with you! Please, feel free to leave comments & suggestions-- I will kindly respond to them!

For my first official post I decided to showcase some very sweet vintage flower card and seed package images that I stumbled across a few days ago. I thought they would be perfect printed then framed in lieu of table numbers at an intimate garden wedding! 

Also, I think they would be fantastic as shower hostess gifts or favors. I am planning on printing out the daffodil card and decoupaging it on the side of an inexpensive brown cardboard gift box and then filling the box with bulbs to give to my bridesmaids. For the shower hostess, I will purchase a baby rose plant and either re-pot it in something less commercial-looking or buy a rose that is meant to stay small and plant it in a pretty pot. Then I will take my rose card, paste it to a stick and back it with a strong cardboard making a little sign. 

Adorable, right? 

Download the images for FREE here (website complete with instructions):  

Thanks for reading! Be on the lookout for more posts coming real soon!