Saturday, June 22, 2019

Vintage 1950s Wedding Receptions



Vintage 1950s Weddings

The Reception

          The 1950s was a time of celebration as soldiers returned home from the war. And this celebration can be seen in weddings as well during this time. The traditional wedding started coming back into fashion, with elaborate church weddings. Brides reintroduced bridesmaids and grooms including groomsmen. It was expected that the wedding party all wore proper wedding attire. Lace or satin gloves became a standard for the brides, as well as shortened veils. Sweetheart necklines became popular by way of Elizabeth Taylor who wore a sweetheart neckline wedding dress in the original “Father of the Bride” movie. Groom's fashion changed as well with a shortened, single-breasted narrow jacket with tapered pants. The tiered wedding cakes made their first appearance during this era as well.


Music
In the 1950s, people... society loved to dance. All weddings had music, live or recorded (record players)

Most popular songs:
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole.
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Doris Day.
I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos.
Pledging My Love - Johnny Ace.
All The Way - Frank Sinatra.
Come Rain or Come Shine - Billie Holiday.
Sea of Love - Phil Phillips.


Cake
When food rationing ended in 1947, wedding cake decoration became extremely detailed.
Fruit cakes iced in white royal icing were in vogue. This period is famous for using muscovado sugar, fine quality fruits, and premium liquors in the treats. The decorations consisted of natural flowers or figurines of the traditional bride and groom on top. The iconic bride and groom toppers went mainstream in this decade because the plastic was affordable.

Groom
For a formal wedding the groom wore a classic tux. The rule of thumb was to play with color (blue for a Spring or Summer wedding, a rich burgundy red for Autumn and Winter. (However, white was most common) By the mid 1950s color, texture and pattern were all the rage.


Food

In the post-WWII years, things changed regarding food. Elegance repeated itself in the food served at weddings. Buffets were very popular depending on the number of guests.

Salad: the era of Jell-O salad. Molded Jell-O made with cottage cheese and canned fruit was vogue. Greens salads would have been made with iceberg lettuce served with French dressing or a vinaigrette.

Appetizer: Deviled eggs, fondue, or fruit skewers. For a more casual wedding, celery topped with Cheese Whiz was served.

Entrees: Roast beef or Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and corn or green beans. For a casual wedding individual pot pies were popular. For something between casual and elegant, steak with fries made its appearance.

Dessert: Fruit cup, or ice cream served with the cake.


Style
Weddings strived for elegance regardless of location. The decor was mostly pink and peach, second most popular was blue or green/yellow.


Flowers
The color palette for the 1950s wedding reception was peach, or teal, with white and occasional gray. The key here is elegance for the bouquet and the table decorations.

          In other words, reception is held as a sort of welcome for those who attended the wedding. The couple received their community, i.e. friends and family, for the first time as a newly married couple. And the celebration commenced.


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