Seattle Wedding with Vintage Glam Flair

If you’ve got a vintage wedding theme in mind, you may want to take notes from Zora and Jerome’s Seattle wedding. Kim Smith Miller, McKenzie Powell, and Simplicity Events LLC were the perfect team of vendors to execute Zora’s vision, which included nods to her recently passed grandmother’s impeccable style. Prepare to fall in love, folks:

From the bride, Zora: I wanted the aesthetic of the wedding to be a blend of vintage and classic elements to compliment the rustic environment of Sodo Park but I also wanted to maintain an overall elegant feel. I wanted my look to complement the venue and enhance the elegant, timeless feel I was aiming to achieve. My grandma was my style icon and truly the most glamorous women I’ve ever known; her influence was definitely a huge factor in creating my look for the big day. Before I even started looking at dresses, I knew “the-one” would have to work with my grandma’s long, art-deco inspired, opera glass necklace. I tried on many white dresses before finding “the one” which just didn’t feel right to me – I wanted something more unique and interesting. The minute I spotted the Jenny Packham Eden dress in Platinum, I knew it was the perfect dress to tie all the elements I wanted together. I guess you could say I was going for a vintage glamor look, sort of my grandmother’s glamor meets Great Gatsby – I really didn’t want it to be too theme-y. McKenzie described it as, “A touch of the dark and romantic offset by the light and fresh. Ornate + rustic + clean + simple + lush + vintage + timeless… blended all together and not too much of any of it.” I asked the bridesmaids to wear long black gowns of their choosing and the men were all in black suits with white shirts, black ties, and tie clips. I felt this look would add to the elegant, timeless, and formal look I wanted to achieve.

Bouquet recipe: Black-eyed white anemones, white peonies, rich greenery, delicate textural flowers, and berry accents.

I was really reluctant to choose “my wedding colours” as I wanted the colour palette to be rich and was worried selecting one or two colours would make the aesthetic flat. Thankfully, with the help of our florist and event designer, McKenzie Powell, we were able to select a more complex colour palate of neutral tones with accents of emerald green and dark dusty blues. McKenzie posted a great blog entry describing the aesthetic of the wedding here. I added touches of vintage throughout, such as: a vintage cigar cart, a table with old family wedding photos which were displayed in mismatched silver frames and our ceremony backdrop was a pair of vintage glass doors with dark green and white floras draped over top. For the décor and table settings the focus was mostly on florals, mismatched silver trays and lots and lots of candles. I included a few personal touches to the day: I made the wedding invitations myself from vintage handkerchiefs. We wrote our own vows and preformed a wedding wine box ceremony, where we chose a bottle of wine, wrote letters to each other and sealed it all in a wooden box made by the grooms father which we will open on our 5th wedding anniversary. My favourite detail was the fabric swatch with my grandma’s picture on it that I got sewn to the underside of my dress — that way both she and my grandpa would get to walk me down the aisle (I always told my grandma that she and my grandpa would one day walk me down the aisle; my grandma passed away two years ago, so this was a way to fulfill that).

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? It’s so easy to get carried away, remember what it’s really all about – the couple! Everyone says that your wedding day will fly by and to take it all in, and that is more true than we expected! It went by in a flash. I never would have hesitated to hire a day-of-coordinator or in getting a videographer, they were worth every penny!

See Also

Monogram Magic In This Textural & Earthy Wedding With Elevated North Carolina Flair

Wedding Music:
Family Processional: “When You’re Smiling,” Louis Armstrong
Bridal Party Processional: “La Vie en Rose,” Edith Piaf
Bride’s Processional: “At Last,” Etta James
Recessional: “Home,” Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes
First Dance: “Your Song,” Ellie Goulding
Mother/Son and Grandfather/Granddaughter Dance: “Have I Told You Lately,” Van Morrison
Anniversary Dance: “All My Tomorrows,” Frank Sinatra
Farewell Song: “It’s Business Time,” Flight of The Concords

Wedding Location: Seattle, WA / Photographer: Kim Smith Miller / Floral Design: McKenzie Powell / Wedding Coordinator: Laura Gram of Simplicity Events LLC / Venue: Sodo Park / Wedding Dress and Headpiece: Jenny Packham “Eden” via The Dress Theory Bridal Shop / Bride’s Shrug: ChicAura / Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Jewelry: Handed down from late-grandmother / Alterations: Debra Hedeen Custom Bridal / Hair and Makeup: Salon Maison / Groom’s Suit: Custom My.Suit / Groom’s Shirt and Bow Tie: Hugo Boss / Groom’s Suspenders: Trafalgar / Groom’s Shoes: Bruno Magli / Caterer: Herban Feast / Desserts: Simply Desserts / DJ: Bamboo Beats / Rentals: Vintage Ambiance amd Sodo Park / Officiant: Groom’s Uncle, Ron Halweil / Graphic Design: Julia Manchik / Wedding Invitations: Bride / Videographer: Josh Perrault