Since most couples end up paying for their own second weddings, it makes sense to find ways to keep the costs down. One cool and easy wedding “theme” (a very anti-hip word) is for the couple to cobble together a laid-back hippie wedding, where the bride wears a 60s or 70s vintage dress or some type of casual wedding gown.
Bohemian Vintage Wedding Dresses
In the 60s, a true hippie chic wedding dress (UK word is hippy) would have been made of cotton, silk, or some other natural fiber. Polyester products were the antithesis of natural anti-corporate sensibilities.
For neo hippies, a perfect hippie chic wedding dress would, ideally, be made out of some eco-friendly fabric such as:
- Hemp
- Organic Cotton
- Bamboo
- Flax Linen
- Ramie Cotton
- Very lightweight Wool (if outdoors in a cooler climate)
Hippies were those crazy people who started Earth Day, so it just seems like a boho chic wedding dress should reflect an environmentally friendly style. (Check out The Natural Wedding Company.) To really go green, wear a (recycled) vintage wedding dress. Just, look for a white, off-white, or pastel colored dress or gown from the 60s or 70s, or a vintage dress (any decade) that is somewhat unstructured and long.
Tip: Do not tie-dye a wedding dress, as some articles suggest. Chances are it would look tacky and ruin the garment. For a mellow look, tea dying (allover) might disguise shopworn fabric on an old dress, but practice on something else. Small stains could be covered with embroidery, cotton flower appliqués, or recycled appliqués made from sections of an old sequined or beaded party gown.
A girl who makes her dress unique would be using the spirit of self-expression that was the essense of hippie/counter-culture style.
Vintage Wedding Dresses
When shopping for a vintage dress, making one’s own gown, or buying a new vintage-style wedding gown, look for these details:
- A simple casual style (no ball-gowns or anything remotely debutante).
- A long flowing dress (ankle-length or floor-length).
- Empire waist (with square neckline) or v-line drop waist bodice, like a Guinevere hippie wedding dress (LindsayFleming.com).
- Sleeves should be long, puffed, medieval, off-shoulder peasant style, or sleeveless. Short sleeves might look wrong.
A white embroidered Mexican-style peasant top with a long white gypsy skirt or a vintage Mexican wedding dress would be perfect. Another idea is to make a ditsy flower print "Talitha Dress" (long A-line, sleeveless, small square-neck empire bodice) or a beautiful, elegant Prairie Dress (no bonnet) in a flattering color. Beautiful.
Hippie Wedding Hair Styles
If a woman has long hair, she should wear it down and flowing. It should be straight (with no bangs and parted in the middle) or curly and as close to natural as possible. Short hair can also work, but it should look natural.
Braids are another 60s style. Either Native American pigtail style or two small braids (from either side of the part) pulled back and pinned together at the back of the head. Sometimes hippies put beads into their braids. By the way, hippies wore little or no makeup, but they often had a slight tan.
Bohemian Style Wedding Veils
A hippie chick headpiece can be:
- A large floppy hat
- A simple circlet of hippie daisies around your head: Try Artfire or Etsy.
- A wreath of ribbons
- A natural leather or hemp-rope headband (braided or unbraided) worn Indian style across the forehead
A "normal" wedding veil would look strange, because it would be too “straight” and not rebellious enough. If a veil is important, find or make something with obvious flower details. Here is an absolutely fabulous perfect boho hippie wedding veil. (HolladayWeddings.com)
Hippie Wedding Shoes
Back in the day, a real hippie Bohemian wedding would have been in a natural setting, such as, a beach, a park, a mountaintop, or a backyard. Therefore, the appropriate footwear would be:
- No shoes - Barefoot
- Suede moccasins
- Leather thong sandals in a natural leather color
- Flat Thong Sandals with Beading: Break them in.
Hippie Jewelry - Low Cost Marriage Hippie Style
Actual 60s hippies wore:
- Colorful seed-bead necklaces (love beads), that were made by a man or woman, and given to a friend (or sometimes exchanged like rings in a wedding ceremony)
- Gypsy hoop earrings
- Silver jewelry from India, Morocco, or Mexico
- Dainty 30s or 40s vintage jewelry from thrift stores
- Handmade macramé bracelets and necklaces
Boho Wedding Bouquet
Instead of buying expensive orchids flown in from the Philipines (jet fuel would be environmentally wasteful), a hippie chick would pick some flowers from a friend’s garden. If that wasn't practical, she would find something simple, in season, and inexpensive, like:
- Daisies (or gerbera daisies)
- Peonies
- Wildflowers (some wilt, so investigate)
- Daffodils (for spring)
- Sunflowers (for late summer)
- Chrysanthemums (for fall)
- Holly berry (for winter)
Tie simple flowers, and natural greenery, together with a ribbon or a braid of macramé. Roses would be considered a bit bourgeois, and silk flowers in a bouquet would be gauche. However, silk flowers in the hair might be cute.
Almost anything simple and unstructured (wedding dress and wedding ceremony) will come off as cool neo hippie chic.
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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