Retro kitsch wedding ideas for fun loving brides

Retro Kitsch Wedding Ideas

So what better styled shoot to get involved with than a retro kitsch wedding shoot with attitude in
abundance. If you looked up the word ‘kitsch’ in the dictionary then rest-assured it would be wearing a
garter. It would have pushed aside its own definition and would be displaying its new accessory for the
world to see. Kitsch is fun, confident, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously – which is exactly what
brides who wear our garters are like too.

It takes a special type of person to pull off a garter. You don’t have to look a certain way, or have a
certain body shape, but you have to have a little bit of sass, a little bit of confidence, and not be afraid to
break the rules. Garters are traditional; but our garters mix the modern with the classic and are best
worn with some attitude.

Retro Bright Colours and Pretty Pastels

A couple of things are essential for a retro kitsch wedding – bright colours (extra points for pastel shades like
mint green and ice cream pink), animal motifs, and a nice touch of glitter. Which is exactly what this
shoot, captured by Becky Ryan Photography , produced. Oh, and the venue has to be pretty jazzy too, so
thank you to The Pumping House at Ollerton for providing the fabulous location.

Retro Kitsch Wedding Garter

As much of a well-loved tradition as wearing a garter is, many people don’t know where the tradition
comes from or what it means. It’s the equivalent of the bride throwing the bouquet for all of the single
girls to catch, but it’s the groom that tosses the garter for the single fellas to jump for. It spans from the
superstition, hundreds of years ago, that owning a piece of the wedding dress promised good luck.
Wedding guests would therefore essentially ‘attack’ the bride at the wedding to end up with a fistful of
wedding dress. This led to brides opting to wear a specific accessory which could be given out as the
lucky piece.

The garter! Another superstition states that the garter is a symbol of the newlyweds
consummating their marriage, so family and friends would take the garter as proof of that. Both of these
superstitions resulted in the garter being removed from the bride and given to someone else at the
wedding. And nowadays, wearing one is a really a fun way to instil a bit of tradition in your wedding day.
We offer an array of garters for weddings – from silk to lace, from classic white to shades of blue and
pink – so there is something for everyone. They can be adorned with silk ribbons, handmade silk flowers,
crystal glass beads and diamante trims. We also have a range of silver charms that can be attached to
the garters, like the doughnut charm you see here, perfectly matching the shade of the garter. All of our
garters can be personalised with the name of the bride and groom, as well as the date of your wedding.
We can even sew a silver sixpence inside for some extra special luck!

Bespoke Retro Kitsch Wedding Dress

The dresses for the shoot, handmade by the lovely ladies at Bella Figura , were just born to be matched
with our garters! We especially love the sparkling sequin applique that give the dresses some added
quirk. If you feel like rocking a unicorn-emblazoned dress on your wedding day then you know who to
call! And we’d definitely recommend you ordering a glittery ice cream clutch bag, from Gigi’s Pin-Up
Couture , to go with.

Vintage Retro Bridal Hair and Make Up

We have to talk about the amazing hair and makeup styling in these pictures,
because it’s such a beautiful statement that cannot and should not be ignored. Retro curls, here
executed by Pin Up Curl , are such a glamorous wedding day hairstyle which can flawlessly sit beneath a
veil or, just like in these stunning images, bear a floral headpiece (in the same shade as our garters – so
you can match!) We also think that the floral headbands, by Gigi’s Pin-Up Couture would look fabulous
on a tribe of bridesmaids, strutting their stuff. The makeup, by Bethany Jane Davies , is bright, bold,
glamorous and a clear nod to the great pin-up girls of the past, like Bettie Page. Strong brows are such a
trend in everyday beauty styling, but most women shy away from bold brows on their wedding day,
assuming they’re not very ‘bridal’. However, this shoot just shows how replicable the look really is, and
we say embrace it!

Kitsch Wedding Jewellery

The jewellery was provided by Splendette and there’s a real nostalgic feel that comes from wearing
pastel coloured bangles stacked on your arm. It gives a school disco / prom vibe, and inspires that same
confidence you had dancing in the school hall, linking arms with your best friends, as your wrists jingled
with excitement. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Not if you’re a kitsch cutie decked out in pastel
shades, complete with heart-shaped sunglasses. Bangles are the way to go.

Kitsch Wedding Stationery

Stationery makes a wedding. It sets the scene for the whole occasion when your guests first receive their
save the date in the post, and it’s (quite literally) a paper trail over the months – with invitations and
RSVP slips – leading up to your wedding; where the seating plates, menu cards and any other signage
take centre stage. A big shout out to With Love Wedding Stationery for creating the perfect suite for this
theme. The welcome sign is pure cool, and it features that iconic emblem of the kitsch world. The menu,
table numbers, and name cards follows suit and completely captures the personality of the whole shoot.
Orange Tree Weddings provided an extremely vibrant array of props which really brought this shoot to
life!

Retro Kitsch Wedding Decor

We love the shimmery pink backdrop, the retro pink parlour chair (every bride should have one of
these to perch on as they are fawned over by the hair and makeup team). Lamb ornaments, flamingo
and dog statues, and a cheerful vintage typewriter deliver just the right amount of quirk to this shoot.
The Sweet Stuff made a cake that was pure glamour and candy deliciousness. The mint green icing the
perfect backdrop for the display of pretty pink macarons and edible flower adornments from The Flower
Deli . And for a kitsch wedding, you can’t forget about the sprinkles! This cake holds its own against the
spectrum of colourful props, and blows the traditional wedding fruitcake out of the water!

Bright Wedding Flowers

The bouquet by the lovely Blooming Wild Flowers goes hand in hand with that stunning large flower
fascinator. The two look like they were made for each other. The colours are bright, happy and
romantic, whilst still being cute and fun – which was definitely the brief here. You know the flowers are
spot on when they are just too beautiful to throw. Sorry single ladies, you’re not getting your hands on
this one in the bouquet toss!

And there we have it. It was truly lovely to be involved in this shoot, and to have our garters shown
alongside these other incredible suppliers is a real delight. We hope this has provided you with some
inspiration for the different ways you can style out our garters and if this has convinced you that you
*need* one for your wedding then you can purchase one here: www.extraspecialtouch.co.uk
And remember, kitsch is cool!