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, a 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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