Vintage Wedding

Each piece in the Be.X. and Bohemian Retro Wedding collection is unique …just like every couple

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe.”

Article in Prague Post Wedding Magazine.

While something “old” doesn’t sound very exciting, it’s actually one of the hottest trends in wedding planning, from dresses to jewelry to table decorations.

Just swap the word “old” for “vintage,” and suddenly you’ve got something no other bride does.
“Young girls really like the idea of vintage and the fact that no one else will have it,” said Rebecca Eastwood, owner and proprietor of Bohemian Retro. “No one will say, ‘Oh, I saw that in a shop, and it was 2,000 Kc.’

With vintage, one of the nice things is that no one can ever judge what you paid.”

Vintage dresses can cost anywhere from 700 to 2,500 Kc at Bohemian Retro.
Eastwood’s shop in Žižkov is overflowing with fanciful and unique dresses and gowns of all decades and tastes, and brides to-be can also peruse one-of-a-kind jewelry for their big day.

The advantages of vintage are the small details and embellishments that factory-made and mass-produced gowns lack. Eastwood, who holds a degree in textile design and technology, doesn’t select items for her shop based merely on style or age, but pays close attention to quality, cut and materials.

“I’m pretty picky,” she said. “There’s nothing in here I don’t want here.”

Vintage clothing, never mind wedding dresses and accessories, doesn’t have as big of a cache as it does in other large European cities and in the United States, but Eastwood said it’s certainly catching on in Prague as customers begin to appreciate good vintage as opposed to simply secondhand, and observe the trend firsthand while traveling to other cities.

“People who travel are really happy to see my shop, because they’ve been to Berlin, Paris, New York, Amsterdam – wherever there’s vintage – and appreciate it,” she said. “I think people haven’t caught on to vintage here as much as in these other cities, but it’s definitely coming.”

In cities and countries where vintage has been in vogue for some time, the appreciation has moved in to the wedding realm. Simply type “vintage wedding” into a search engine to bring up dozens of websites selling vintage dresses and accessories, as well as blogs and online magazines devoted to vintage weddings.

And because traditions change from generation to generation, including the idea that a gown must be white, brides who want to go vintage can deviate from the norm and get more creative with their gown or accessories.

“I’ve had a lot of girls come in and pick dresses that weren’t technically wedding dresses.

A girl knows when she finds her dress, I guess,” Eastwood said.

Buying a vintage dress will most certainly mean a trip to a tailor, however, to ensure a perfect fit. Eastwood advised choosing carefully and not being afraid to spend a reasonable amount on fittings.

“Go to somebody you know and trust. It’s an important day, and the important thing to remember is that spending money on a good tailor is money well spent. You don’t want a badly fitting wedding dress. You might pay the tailor the same amount you paid for the dress, but you’ll have a perfect dress.”

Eastwood said she enjoys helping brides pick out accessories to go along with the dress.

She’s also helped outfit couples, using her large selection of well-made men’s suits.

A well-made suit has the ability to make a man look taller, broader in the shoulders and can seem to be instantly transforming

“I’m always picky about what I buy with men’s suits, I always buy pure wool or silk,” she said.

“I see guys try on suits, and trust me, as soon as they try one on that’s well-fit, they look much better, much more put together.

The quality shines through, and it’s very visible.”