Morgan and Sam’s Disco Honky Tonk Vintage Wedding: Unique Wedding Ideas

Funky, colorful, nostalgic vibes are my whole entire jam as a Chicago wedding photographer, and Morgan and Sam’s vintage wedding brought it all. If your dream wedding looks a little nontraditional and a little retro… You’re not gonna want to miss these unique wedding ideas from a wedding that actually had my disco-loving soul screaming all day long.

Unique Wedding Ideas From Morgan and Sam’s Cool AF Vintage Wedding

Chances are, you’re probably a bit of an old soul if you’re still here. And if so, we’re gonna get along just fine. You probably don’t want your wedding to be super traditional, and I totally get it. These unique wedding ideas are going to be exactly what you’re looking for to plan a wedding that feels more like you and less like a Pinterest board from 2016 just threw up all over your day. 

Pick a Bold Color Palette

Color sets the whole energy for your day, because, trust me, color psychology is a real thing. If you want something that feels kind of electric and ultra-unique, bold colors are always the way to go. Because boring, muted colors? We don’t know her here. 

Morgan and Sam’s pink and red wedding color palette had me actually dying behind the camera. Like, being wrapped in this retro Valentine’s wonderland was kind of everything to me. 

A few unique wedding color ideas that I’ve been obsessed with recently are: 

• Baby blue + cherry red 
• Neon green monochrome 
• Teal, green, and pink 

Choose a Theme

Vintage elements + a theme always work well together. Morgan and Sam went full disco honky tonk, which, like, has my whole heart. Disco balls galore, retro fonts, and the vintage bowling alley? I actually cannot. Here are some unique wedding ideas for a wedding theme:

• A disco-themed wedding, like this day at Celeste.
• A 20s speakeasy-inspired wedding, because the Art Deco vibes are truly immaculate. 
• Vegas-inspired. Because the sparkles + retro vibes? Obsessed.

Unique Wedding Attire

Okay, I love bridal style for vintage weddings because there’s so much you can do here. You can go full vintage and shop somewhere like Silver Moon Bridal, or pick a modern dress with vintage elements, like Constance by Sottero and Midgely, and pair it with some unique pieces, like Morgan’s pink and red cowgirl boots. And as far as suits, you can definitely get funky with it. Sam’s bolo tie and cowboy hat made the perfect style for this disco cowgirl day. Here are some style ideas: 

• The Rosie Mini – no notes. 
• These red chunky heels – because they would be insane paired with an all-white look. 
• Anything from Madison Chamberlain, but specifically this Polly Veil. 

Do a Fun Activity

One of my absolute favorite unique wedding ideas is to do something fun and different. For Morgan and Sam, this looked like heading to a bowling alley, which was everything to me. For you, it could be something like parading down the city street to your fave bar. Your opportunities are literally endless, and that’s something I love about Chicago weddings! 

Change Into a Fun Second Look

Reception outfits always get a yes from me, and Morgan’s version of this slayed so hard, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. If you love the vibes as much as I do, here are a few more ideas for reception dresses that’ll make your main character moment pretty damn sweet: 

• The Cupid Mini Dress from Clio Peppiat
• The Moon Mini Dress from Lirika Matoshi
• The Beaded Feather-Trim Dress by Bergdorf Goodman

Book Vendors Who Know Unique Weddings

When you’re planning a nontraditional wedding, booking vendors who know what to do is key. Finding people who specialize in your specific vibe is, like, the best thing you can do so that you can party on the dance floor without having to say, “Ummm… Where the hell are my linens??” 

Make it You

At the end of the day, the best unique wedding ideas will be the ones that make your wedding feel like you. So if that’s eloping at the city hall, then going out bar-hopping, I’m obsessed with it. If it’s inviting everyone you know to a Chicago wedding venue with a funky AF dress code, I love it. As long as your wedding day feels totally true to you and you’re making decisions based on what you want (never on what you “should” do), it’ll be absolutely perfect. 

Unique Wedding Venue Ideas in Chicago

As a Chicago wedding photographer, I know that there are some really good wedding venue ideas in the city. You can see my full guide to the 10 best wedding venues for unique weddings here, but these are a few I always suggest to couples, especially for vintage weddings: 

• Celeste
• Beatnik (here’s my guide to this one!)
• Salvage One (all the planning info you need right here)

How to Choose a Vintage Wedding Photographer in Chicago

Your Chicago wedding photographer for your vintage wedding should have a little bit of an old soul, just like you do. You need to make sure you vibe with them (more on that here) and that their pictures tell the full story of your day. And, of course, you need to make sure they have that vintage, nostalgic, grainy flair in their editing style. If you’re looking for someone who checks those boxes, I’m your girl. You can inquire here, and we’ll chat about how to bring allll your retro goodness to life. I can’t wait to connect, babes.