Throwing A Shabby Chic Wedding: Tips & Tricks For The Perfect Day

Shabby chic is defined in the dictionary as “a fashionable but informal style of decoration that uses furniture and other objects that look old and used, not modern and new”.

Looking to bring together the antique appeal and understated elegance of shabby chic style to your wedding? Then keep reading for Peerspace’s most most useful tips and tricks to do so!

Finding the right shabby chic wedding venue

Shabby chic is all about combining features of different eras and aesthetics to create a cohesive whole. Because it’s so eclectic, there are lots of venues that would probably work well for a shabby chic wedding. But that doesn’t mean just any place will do. A great wedding venue can mean the difference between a disappointing day and one that you’ll remember fondly for the rest of your life.

But how to find the perfect venue for your big day? The most effective tool is Peerspace, the internet’s largest marketplace for renting spaces by the hour. There are thousands of listings on Peerspace available for rent in hundreds of cities throughout North America, the UK, and beyond.

Before you jump in and get to searching for venues in your area, we’ll share a couple of examples of locations we think would be great for a shabby chic wedding ahead. They’ll help you get a sense of what Peerspace has to offer.

Vintage, Five Open-Acre Property & Rustic Barndominium in Fort Worth, Texas

We can’t think of a better location for a medium-sized shabby chic wedding than Covenant Gardens. It’s a stunning five-acre property near Fort Worth.

Listen to how the hosts describe their property and you’re sure to be convinced. “​​Our old windmill will greet you in the meadow, while the rustic barn, nestled in the trees, offers precious antiques and other fascinating treasures. Stroll past the pond and into the woods to experience the wild beauty of our forest. You might even encounter a feathered or furry friend along the way! From quiet circles of trees to sunny, open clearings, you will have a variety of locales from which to choose.”

This fabulous rental includes the use of a tiny house they call their “Barndominum,” which would make an ideal location for a dressing room. After all, knowing where you’ll be getting ready for your big day is an important part of planning your wedding logistics.

AIA Award Winning Home with Exceptional Artifacts in Chicago, Illinois

The second you step through the doors of this home, you’ll see why it won a prestigious award from the American Institute of Architects. The hosts call it a “world class designed home nestled in the new Lincoln Yards neighborhood. Our space is filled with exceptional artifacts, fantastic finishes, special patinas and one-of-a-kind artwork.”

All of these features add up to a space that’s unbeatable for a shabby chic wedding. Among the more than 60 positive reviews of this location is this reviewer who held her own wedding here. “This space was better than I ever imagined!! I booked this venue for my wedding ceremony and everything was perfect. Rose was so easy to work with and met us at the venue early to show us around … Everyone who attended couldn’t stop raving about the property. I would book this place again in a heartbeat for any future events.”

Shabby chic wedding decor

What really makes a shabby chic wedding’s distinctive decor stand out is its mixture of contrasting features. As described on wedding blog Serendipity & Spice, it really is all about juxtaposition. “The key to a shabby chic wedding is to mix the rough unfinished elements with the beauty of flowers, softness of satin, and sparkle of diamonds!”

One suggestion this blogger makes is to incorporate rustic wooden signs and/or chalkboard signs throughout your wedding. Another is to use a vintage suitcase/trunk as the official place for your guests to deposit their cards and gifts.

What about a shabby chic wedding’s color palette? All colors are acceptable for this eclectic style, but pastels are an especially great choice. They also happen to be particularly on-trend at the moment!

Your wedding table centerpieces are an important part of the decor. Consider a mix of the delicate and the more rustic here, using white linen tablecloths with lace doilies (delicate) along with burlap runners (rustic) to create the perfect balance.

If you can bring in vintage china to set your tables and vintage furniture for guest seating, even better! This is a great way to achieve that classic shabby chic look and you can easily customize it with the particular china and furniture you select.

As for flowers, wildflowers are the perfect choice for a shabby chic wedding. You want it to look like you could have gone out into the woods and picked the bouquet yourself, so select your flowers accordingly. You can even incorporate some ferns as the foliage in your bouquet.

For shabby chic “vases,” use antique jars or mason jars. You can also use these to hold votive candles or just about anything else at your wedding.

Shabby chic wedding photography

Consider taking some wedding photos in black and white or even sepia for a truly antique feel. You should take some regular photos, too, but having stylized photos will be lovely when you look back on them in years to come. It can also complement the beauty of your vintage or vintage-inspired gown and the shabby chic wedding decor you’ve carefully selected.

A key feature of shabby chic style is that it’s eclectic, too. It typically doesn’t draw from one particular era for inspiration, but mixes pieces and draws inspiration from numerous eras to create a whole new look.

However, if your shabby chic wedding has one era in particular that provides the majority of inspiration, consider asking your photographer to emulate that era in their subsequent photo editing. After all, photos from the late 19th century have quite a different look than photos taken in the 1950s. It’s worth keeping that in mind as you plan your shabby chic wedding photography.

Another thing to consider is booking a separate session just for wedding photos. Of course you’ll want photos of your wedding itself, including candid photos taken throughout the course of the day, but maybe you also want some more formal and posed photos, and your wedding venue isn’t the ideal place to take these types of photos.

In that case, consider renting a photo studio on another day separate from your wedding day to reduce stress and give yourself one less thing to think. For shabby chic wedding photography, we’d recommend eschewing the standard all-white photo studio for a more interesting space with vintage character. A great example of a suitable space would be this private, rustic barn near Denver, Colorado, which has a variety of beautiful spots for photos.

Looking for more tips regarding vintage-style photography? Check out this article from Expert Photography for some more helpful advice.

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