To love and to cherish: vintage hankies

{Melissa Musgrove via Marry You Me}
First of all, I want to apologize for my absence the last few days. That being said my wedding is NEXT MONTH!!

In the last month, I have been in Spain, France, Belgium, and Germany. Along the way I've collected a number of great little trinkets to include in our big day. I'll blog about all the great stuff I've picked up but today I just want to talk about vintage hankies!

Much like the rest of the blogosphere, I am head over heels in love with vintage handkerchiefs.
I've been picking up handkerchiefs at flea markets across Europe at around $0.25-$0.50 a piece!

Here are some of my favs!

{Personal Photo}
Last weekend, I also picked up three handmade lace embroidered hankies in Brugge, the lace capital of the world.

{Personal Photo}
This one is for my bridal bouquet. Since it's all white I'll probably use some twine or pink ribbon to add some texture and color.

{Personal Photo}
I picked these up for mama Pancakes and my FMIL . I am considering getting them embroidered with our wedding date but they are so sweet already, that I may just leave them alone!

Now that I have all these lovely floral hankies, I have to decide what to do with them. I originally thought I would take the traditional route and put them in a basket for my guests, much like our very own Mrs. Cheeseburger.

{Mrs. Cheeseburger/Photographer: Jessica Ames}

But then I began to have second thoughts. This may sound a little selfish but hear me out. One of the reasons I am reconsidering the hankies in a basket option is because I am not sure that many people will appreciate having a vintage hankie. On the other hand, I would LOVE to own 30 vintage hankies. I would use them all the time! The less selfish version: I really want to give my guests favors/gifts that they will not just appreciate but enjoy and cherish. So I am thinking perhaps I should use the hankies for something else.

Here's a great way to present these hankies as gift to your bridesmaids. Lauren's blog has a complete tutorial on how to put together these sweet little gifts.

{Lauren Elise Crafted}

Now if you've been on the wedding blog circuit from awhile you will recognize this next picture. I mean, who doesn't love Dani, from Oh hello Friend! Not to mention the gorgeousness that is Simply Bloom (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably head over and check out both their blogs. After you finish reading this blogpost, of course. :D)

{Simply Bloom via 100 Layer Cake}

Point is, a vintage handkerchief banner could be soooo perfect. Imagine it hanging over a dessert table with a gorgeous cake and lots of baked goodies piled high on perfect little vintage cake stands!

I think I prefer the triangle look but the squares with the clothespins also has a certain rustic sweetness to it. I image this option would photograph really well at an outdoor wedding with a slight breeze. Doesn't that sound to die for?

{Jill Thomas via Style Me Pretty}

Then there are these less traditional uses which I don't love as much but I thought I'd share!

{Once Wed via Fill Your Well}

{For a DIY tutorial check out: Skip to my Lou}

Last but not least, here are some great things I could do with the hankies after the wedding.

Wouldn't a vintage hankie quilt make the best wedding memento?

{Etsy: Mary McCulty's Design Shop}

{Poppytalk}

What do you think? How would you put these vintage lovelies to use? What other options did I miss?