Vintage Charm = Less Cheap Crap
I’m a person who has a very hard time finding the exact right item to buy. It never feels easy, I search and search and search - pretty much hating everything I find. If its affordable it’s usually cheap looking and from China. Or it’s prohibitively expensive and still not exactly all I hoped for. It’s missing character, patina and depth.
Vintage is really the only option. And I come by this proclivity honestly, as I grew up in an old house full of antiques and thousands of rare books. My parents own a used and rare bookshop.
So I would encourage you - my equally discerning and stylish friends - to also choose vintage.
And especially when it comes to weddings, this is really a no brainer. Why buy new, cheap, faux vases when you can rent real, quality, charming vintage?
I’ve been collecting vintage vases for wedding rentals for a number of years now. I’ve combed many shops across the country and I’m excited to be able to finally be able offer it to you for your next event or wedding. Here is a peek at my collections:
Do you want to create your own vintage vase collection? Here are my tips for sourcing:
Make friends with your local bottle dump diggers (bottle hounds), antique store owners, and mudlarkers. These are your people! They have all the knowledge of the area to help you in your searching.
Visit your local thrift shops often. You’d be surprised what you find when you do a quick fly by every week.
Search places like ebay, etsy, poshmark etc for your keywords plus the word “lots” or “collection” as you will find more items in one listing.
Be a little flexible in your vision and searching. If you keep it too narrow, if will be really expensive, frustrating and time consuming. For example: rather than only search for white ink bottles, broaden your search to include stoneware, ceramic bottles, jugs or pots. Get creative in thinking about all the words someone who didn’t know anything about the item might use to describe it. I’ve found some great deals this way!
Finally, there are some fabulous other businesses who can help bring the charm of vintage with rentals. Celebrations for Every Season is a great one in the Seattle area. They have tea cups and linens and all the other beautiful vintage touches for your wedding.
Here’s to making all of your vintage dreams come true!