Mixing Old & New..

kirabroadwater

I like old fashioned antique items (glass. houses, cars, etc.), but my fiance is all about modern clean lines.  For our wedding I thought it might be neat to mix our two styles together, but I'm not exactly sure how to bring life to my plan.  I bought a bunch of antique bottles and blue ball mason jars to hold the flowers and I also bought modern cylinder vases to put candles in.  I thought I would put two mason jars and two modern vases on each table surrounded by rose petals and maybe additional tea lights...but where do I go from here? Table runners, head table backdrop, hanging decorations, etc.--I'm lost.  Do you guys have any ideas how to bring old and new together?  Any input would be much appreciated, thanks!

vm_andrews

In my opinion it's going to be really hard to pull this together in a way that looks intentional, rather than like you're just using whatever you had on hand. I might go with like a 50s theme--maybe have a jukebox, incorporate vinyl records, etc., which would allow you to include some antiques but also use clean lines. I'm curious to see how other people respond though.

aerinpegadrak

It's going to be about taking elements from each style and combining them, not about trying to mesh the two styles entire.  A few ideas:

- Incorporate damask, which has been really popular lately, so it still looks modern
- For paper products, use an overall simple and modern design but with fancy fonts
- Use a vintage-y color scheme (lavendar and ivory, pale blue and cold, rose and cream) but with a clean-looking decor
- For attire, if your girls are amenable you can do vintage-style dresses, and the guys can wear standard tuxes, which are timeless
- For decor, approach it this way: if this were our living room, how would I decorate in a way that would make us both happy?

Basically, just sit down with your FI and look through some inspiration boards, pictures from the Real Weddings section of this site, bios, magazines, etc. and figure out what elements you like and what you don't.  You'll be able to have a much more cohesive look if you both work on it together.

slubkin

I'd recommend that you look specifically for Art Deco vintage items. They have pretty bold clean lines and he might be willing to work with that.

My FI also loves clean lines, and I am ok with them but Iike vintage and antiques too, so we compromise by choosing things that aren't too fussy.

We thought about doing an art deco themed wedding but our venue's not really right for it, and I feel like I'd need to lose a lot more weight to really pull off a vintage style sheath dress with a birdcage veil the way I'd like to.  We're still having jazz/blues/swing music for the reception, though, cause he and I both really like it.

linguo42

I would keep larger fixtures and items very clean and modern, and bring in the vintage/antique feel for accents. Maybe rectangular or square tables instead of round ones, with simple, unembellished chairs. Use modern plates with antique flatware, or vice versa. Use stationery with a nice clean border, but a weathered-looking font. If you don't go overboard with details, I think it could look really great.

I found some interesting pictures here: http://greenweddingshoes.com/a-bit-modern-a-bit-vintage-for-your-wedding/

If you scroll down about halfway to the decor part of the page, I think this is a nice marriage (no pun intended) of clean lines and antique accents. The lack of linens on the table makes for a perfect blank canvas. The flatware is modern, the plate pattern is vintage-looking, and the bottles/containers are a combination of modern and vintage shapes that go very well together.