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1940's Vintage Wedding: A "Big Band" Wedding Theme Idea
For those of you who love idea of having a 1940's vintage wedding set in the big band era, this theme should provide a lot of entertainment and fun. Swing was in and the "cool cat" sounds of Benny Goodman, Bing Cosby, and the Andrew Sisters were being heard in ballrooms and nightclubs everywhere. If you love the jumpin' and jivin' sounds of the nineteen-forties, along with ballroom dancing, then why not plan your wedding theme around this fascinating era? Here are some ideas to get you started.
1940's Vintage Wedding Attire
Bride's Attire
Go for a slim fitting suit or a drop shoulder slender fit satin dress with full length gloves and a hat with a netted face veil. Finish it off with accessories such as seamed nylons and spiked healed shoes (make sure they are comfortable though.)
Groom's Attire
Pin striped suits were still all the rage, or because of the war, army uniforms were often worn.
Bridal Party
The bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen clothing should be along the same lines as the bride and groom.
Big Band Wedding Theme Invitations
- If you're making your own, decorate the invitations with pictures of either big band instruments (saxophone, trombone, tuba, bass, trumpet). Another choice is to use a graphic of a wine bottle draped with a string of pearls.
- Use a sepia photo (one that has been made to look antique) featuring you and your fiancée as your background. Surround the picture in a border created to look like it's in an antique frame. Print your wording on vellum paper and secure it over the photo.

1940's Vintage Wedding Decorations
- Fill balloons with helium and float them above the dance floor.
- Create several balloon bouquets and place around the room.
- Secure a mirrored, slow-turning "disco" ball over the dance floor.
- Add strings of small lights over doorways.
- Buy cheap children's musical instruments (saxophone, trumpet, etc.) and create an arrangement on the main food table as a centerpiece focal point.
- Have a fountain that produces bubbles.
- Use posters of famous people of the forties. Hang on the walls. A good place to start your search for low-cost posters and prints is at www.allposters.com

- Find pictures of cars, bi-planes, etc. that relate to that period. Hang on the walls.
Theme Favors For a 1940's Vintage Wedding
- Give an actual antique photo of yourselves in an antique looking frame.
- Create a music sheet with your favorite song, roll up and secure with ribbon.
- Present small bottles of wine or champagne decorated with some ribbon and a string of fake pearls.
- Another idea is to buy cheap champagne glasses and fill with rose petals or mints.
- More suggestions for vintage wedding favors can be found here.
Themed Centerpieces
- You could use wine bottles draped with pearls or army dog-tags.
- Lay long white gloves in the center of the table and scatter rose petals over them. Place a tall vase with a single rosebud next to the gloves.
- Buy a large champagne glass for each table and fill with glass beads; place a candle in the middle of each and drape fake pearls along its stem.
- Create a musical arrangement centerpiece. At a craft supply store, purchase miniature musical instruments (saxophone, trombone, trumpet, etc.), along with a small "music stand" and place an antiqued sheet of music with your songs on each stand.
Suggested Pewmarkers
Buy the small, plastic horns, drums, etc. available at craft stores (usually I've seen them in the Christmas section). Create small music song sheets and secure the instrument to the sheet with a ribbon. Hang as pew markers.
Wedding Programs
Make your wedding programs look like a music book, with a dark "leather-look" cover with your initials or names on it. On the inside, use a music score sheet for your backgrounds (faded, watermark type background) with your program information written within.
1940's Vintage Wedding Music
Any of the big band music that features Jazz and/or Blues -- basically, think "Lawrence Welk" (for those of you who remember who this is - if not, follow the link for a Wikipedia explanation.) You could hire an actual band or find a D.J. that enjoys this type of music and knows what to play.
Search for the appropriate music by the following artists:
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Andrews Sisters
Louis Armstrong
Fred Astaire
Gene Autrey
Cab Calloway
Nat King Cole
Count Basie
Bing Cosby
Dorris Day
Tommy Dorsey
Duke Ellington
Gracie Fields
Ella Fitzgerald
Benny Goodman
Fletcher Henderson
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Ink Spots
Spike Jones
Sammy Kaye
Franky Laine
Guy Lombardo
Jeanette MacDonald
Glenn Miller
Mills Brothers
Cole Porter
Artie Shaw
Frank Sinatra
Mel Torme
Fats Waller
Woody Herman
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A 1940's Big Band Wedding Cake
- Get a regular wedding cake (2 or 3 tiers) and place small, plastic musical instruments along the edges. For the topper, have two figures standing in front of a music stand.
- Have the cake shaped into a musical instrument such as a saxophone, trumpet, drums, piano, tuba, guitars, etc. Brass instruments were very popular then.
Plan A Very Unique Theme Wedding
Kari White's ebook Unique Theme Weddings, features an exclusive collection of 19 complete and unique wedding themes. It's a great resource full of ideas, as well as practical money-saving tips.
 Unique Theme Weddings
Inside, you will find a wealth of information and suggestions on planning an exquisite celebration. For example, here are just a few of the things covered that can help you out tremendously:
- 19 Original Wedding Theme Ideas - Receive step-by-step solutions to guide you in planning the perfect celebration. These wedding theme ideas are sure to spark some wonderfully creative ideas for you
- 1014 ways you can plan a beautiful wedding on a tight budget, saving you loads of money
- 110 inspiring pictures to help you envision your wedding decorations and favors
- Unique and memorable themed invitations that can be easily created and will give your wedding an extra-special, personal touch
- 181 decorating ideas that you can mix and match
This is only a small portion of what's included in this all-in-one wedding planner. Unique Theme Weddings will show you how easy it is to organize the wedding of your dreams and "wow" your guests. Click here to learn how
1940s Vintage Wedding: A "Big Band" Wedding Theme Idea. © 2000-2007, Rose Smith.
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