Vintage | Houston Wedding Blog

Something Old IS Something New

Don’t get us wrong. We love our iPads and Droids and Spanx and Priuses (Prii?) as much as anyone. But some stuff, especially WEDDING stuff, is perfect the way it is and has always been. Take, for instance, letterpress invitations. The letterpress technique, which involves individually arranging, inking and pressing blocks of print onto paper, has remained almost unchanged for centuries. And guess what? It’s back in high style–and STILL makes for a singularly stunning invitation.

Now, take Katie Hackedorn of Houston’s Katie & Co. Sure, she’s a thoroughly modern designer—and among the very best anywhere. Nevertheless, our girl Katie LOVES letterpress. “I like the vintage look of it, and the texture of the paper is very luxurious to the touch,” she tells HWB. Plus, letterpress is incredibly versatile, and can be used to create unique, original designs and patterns that no other technique can duplicate.

And finally, take a look at Katie & Co.’s coveted invitation design work, including a spectacular box invitation (above, left) in muted ivories and metallic pinks, with rhinestone-centered flowers and tulle bows. Gorgeous!

Katie Hackedorn Photo: D. Jones Photography

Sweet Tooth: Little White Wedding Bites

Vintage Dessert Displays

We know a gal who swears that as a toddler she went through a phase where she’d only eat white food. Cottage cheese, rice, white bread. That sort of thing. Now that she’s all grown up, our formerly finicky friend has expanded her culinary tastes exponentially. Thank goodness, too. Because white food is blah food.

Except when it’s dessert. Wedding dessert, in particular. Picture a post-meal sweets spread, filled with exquisite goodies in different wedding-white shades from snow to cream, beckoning guests to dig in. Pretty, right? Especially when displayed on lovely, vintage-inspired tiered dessert trays and cake plates like these. Have your cake…and eat lots of other yummy desserts, too, we say!

Vintage Cake Stands

Photos: (Top, clockwise) Beau-Coup, Diary of a Mad Hausfrau, Sweetly Scrumptious, Amy Atlas Events; (Bottom, clockwise) Preston Bailey, Kaboodle, Re-Found Objects, Burlap and Blue

Bold, Beautiful Bridal Headpieces

Somewhere between veil and headband (with a little bit of tiara tossed in for good measure) lies the wedding headpiece. If you can get over that word, which, to our thinking, makes it sound kind of Vegas showgirl-y, which these are so NOT, a headpiece can be the answer to one of your biggest bridal accessory dilemmas. If you’re not the traditional veil type, but, at the same time, can’t imagine a complete bridal ensemble without some kind of statement-making hair accessory, a wedding headpiece is a great way to go. We’re showing some of our favorite headpieces here, including gorgeous new feather-and-jewel creations (above) from the ever fashionable Jannie Baltzer. For a sense of how a headpiece can transform a bridal look, have a look at our “Glamorous Gowns” features, on pages 326–339 of the new print issue of Weddings in Houston.

Peanut Butter? We Like Ours Smooth. Bridal Jewelry? We’ll Take Chunky All The Way!

Itty-bitty pearl drop earrings and delicate little diamond pendants are perfectly fine for weddings. Really. But the hottest look in bridal jewelry these days, like the hottest thing in soup (hey, those chilly nights are just around the corner!) is bold, thick and chunky.

We are crazy about these chunky wedding jewelry pieces—and we hope you are, too. No wallflowers here, thought fabric flowers aplenty (check out that peach-satin and black-glass bib from RiRiFisch—gorgeous!). Plus chunks of crystal, big fat faux pearls and lots of lush color.

How yummy are the two styles above (necklace on top, beautiful ribbon bracelet below) from MEG? “MEG is a brand that has the chunky style down,” says our friend Lindsey Brewer, bridal consultant extraordinaire at Brickhouse Bridal, who’s seen many a Houston bride fall hopelessly in love with the line’s lovely, statement-making pieces.

The “Ellen” necklace by Erin Gallagher is like a cascade of sparkle–imagine how stunning this would look draped against your decolletage at your candlelit reception.

The “Your Majesty” bridal necklace by Etsy’s Sol Bijou (above) combines Kyanite, Labradorite, Blue Mystic Topaz and Rock Quartz with polymer clay and organza flowers, faux pearl clusters and French satin ribbon, all in grays, blues and shades of white. And, like your wedding, it’s one of a kind. Wow.

With its matte peach satin blossoms accented with jet glass beads, RiRiFisch’s “Dianna” necklace is a vintage-inspired vision of loveliness. It comes with black ribbon ties (a hint of elegant edginess we LOVE for winter brides), but you can switch out for a different color if you so desire.