Stroll into any flea market and you will find dozens of brooches tucked away in glass cabinets and corners. Always eclectic, sometimes sparkly, these eye-catching trinkets hook countless shoppers who wish for a good reason to pick these little guys up. Until recently, aside from making a fashion statement, there has been little use for vintage brooches.

Thankfully, with the emergence of the DIY weddings and eco-friendly wedding design, brooches are a great way to create unity and add a fun touch to a ceremony or reception. The possibilities for these glittery gems are truly endless!

Flowers

A touch of vintage sparkle is the perfect compliment to any floral design. Contemporary or traditional, all wedding flower arrangements can be punched up with the addition one (or several!) brooches. Attach them to blooms, ribbons, or stems of flowers in centerpieces, on top of napkins, or in a bouquet. They won't detract from the arrangement; instead, they will add a oodles of character to your flowers! A few bold brides are even creating all-brooch bouquets!

Table Decor

Press brooches into inexpensive candles for a high-end look. Attach them to napkin rings for added embellishment, or lay them intermittently down the center of the table among centerpieces and candles for a glittery, elegant effect.

Wedding Attire

Creative brides are adorning their hair, dresses, and bridal party with brooches. Attach them to hair combs for a vintage look, or create a small cluster on a sash around the waist; brooches add romance to any style.  Small ones can even be used on the groom's boutonniere. Brooches can take a wedding ensemble from plain to modern classic.

They don't have to match, and they cost next to nothing. Brooches are the perfect addition to any wedding design, thanks to their versatility and charm. Picking up a little nostalgia is a modern way to make your wedding day special!

Photos Courtesy of Mileena, nein09, shannaleigh,& Muffet via Flickr Creative Commons

This post is sponsored by Chevy Chase, Maryland, wedding planners.

Although there are practical reasons for carrying a hanky (to dab away the tears of happiness) on your wedding day, there are also traditional reasons. A common wedding tradition goes like this something old, something new etc – the something old is often the wedding handkerchief that has been handed down through the generations. In Belgium, the bride is given a family hanky with her name embroidered on it for her wedding day. After the wedding the bride places the handkerchief in a frame and displays it until the next female family member gets married; thus passing it on to the new bride. In many Irish weddings a special wedding hanky is carried. After the ceremony the bride adds a few stitches to the handkerchief turning it into a Christening bonnet – when the child weds it can be convert back into a hanky.

Why doe you place a penny in the bride's shoe. The wedding tradition of placing a penny in the bride’s shoe was made popular with a Victorian rhyme – something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe. Over the years, the term sixpence has been replaced with the term penny. In this rhyme, the penny was used to ensure the wealth and good fortune of the couple. In some European cultures, this penny was saved by the bride; later given to her daughter on her wedding day. In contemporary times, brides often have the penny made into a piece of jewelry after the wedding.

This wedding tradition may have gotten its start from the Scottish Penny Wedding. The penny wedding Continue reading "A Sixpence (Penny) In Your Shoe" »

Like tossing the bridal bouquet, the tradition of tossing the garter is rooted in the ancient belief that pieces of a bride’s attire can spread her good luck to the person who holds them (see "Why toss the bouquet?"). As a personal item, the bride’s garter is imbued with even more meaning than her bouquet, and should only be removed by the groom. In some traditions, the garter represents the bride’s virginal girdle, and the groom claims ownership of her body when he removes it. This proved a dangerous thought in some cultures, for drunken wedding-goers would attempt to claim the garter themselves and soil a bit of the bride’s chastity in the process. Thus the groom would ceremoniously remove the garter and toss it to his attendants or best Continue reading "Why Toss The Garter?" »

Brides have worn veils for centuries. In ancient cultures, it was considered bad luck for any male outside of the bride’s family to see her before the wedding. She often wore a thick and dark-colored veil for several days preceding the ceremony in order to prevent such an occurrence. On the day of the wedding, she continued to wear a veil (now sheer or white) and surrounded herself with attendants in hopes of fooling evil spirits that might try to harm her and foil the fortunes of her family.

The unveiling took place when the bride was finally presented to her groom. The veil then symbolized Continue reading "Why wear a veil?" »

Recently I attended a wedding and the bride had a dollar dance what is this tradition and where did it start?
Dollar dance, money dance and bride's money purse are all variation of a tradition which is rooted in the 1900’s. Polish immigrants to the USA, would pin a dollar to the bridal dress or would pay a dollar to dance with the bride. This money was a way to give the bride and groom some money for their honeymoon or to help in the cost of setting up their home.

We can’t be to sure of where the idea originally came from; but, it does seem as though it has ties to the Continue reading "Dollar Dance Wedding Tradition" »