A Very Gatsby Wedding

There wasn’t a more fabulous time than the roaring twenties. And there wasn’t a better book to capture what it would be like to be a 20’s socialite than The Great Gatsby. Take away the homicide, tragedy, prohibition, and you get a series of evenings filled with grandeur, lavishness, culinary splendor, lively guests, dancing, music, and libations in abundance. Hmm, doesn’t that sound a lot like a wedding reception? The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a favorite among us Y-Gens, and many are choosing to use the style of the 20's for their weddings. You could really get into it and do a theme wedding (complete with flapper dresses, character roles, and the works), but if not, just keep things light, fresh, fun, and fabulous and you're well on your way to a 20's event. Here are some ways to have a Gatsby inspired wedding reception:

• Keep your overall style light, avoiding formality and stuffiness.
  


• Use flowers popular in the 20’s: Gladiolus, mums, lilies, and gardenias







Keep things colorful and fresh: Use fruit such as oranges and limes as decorations and centerpieces at buffet tables.

Adopt the style of the 20’s with a modern twist: Bride, wear something sleek, like a slipdress, to accentuate a simple silhouette characteristic of the 20’s, but embrace details such as lace, embroidery, anything to add a bit of flare. Wear period jewelry, as well. Groom: Wear an ivory suit, with a colored tie (peach was a trendy color in the twenties).



Have jazz music playing, and swing for dancing (You can also buy the soundtrack to The Great Gatsby and listen to it for inspiration)



Use a black and white checkered dance floor

• Rent these movies for inspiration:
  Oscar (with sly stallone)
  Bullets over Broadway
  The Great Gatsby (Obviously)
  
  

I love the idea of a Gatsby inspired wedding. There are scads of resources on the internet, too. I think the romance of the 20’s comes from the knowledge that, even though things appeared to be fabulous, fun and fancy free, it was about to take a turn for the worst (think October 1929). At first thought, the roaring twenties doesn’t seem like a good metaphor for a wedding. But life having its ups and downs, its triumphs and trenches, is inevitable, and when you are at a party, in the company of family, good friend, and marvelous people, well that, like love, is timeless.

Most resources found from:

http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/Guides-Resources/The-Wedding-Planner-Spring-2007/Creating-a-Great-Gatsby-Wedding/

Fairy Tale Fabulous

We may have been small children (or prenatal) during princess Di’s wedding to prince charles, but as children of the 80’s, we grew up with, not Pixar, but the fairy tale. And what other wedding was more of a fairy tale than hers? A kindergarten teacher finding her prince charming (at least, it seemed that way at the time) couldn’t get any more like a bedtime stoy, and her wedding dress was the perfect princess dress:

”Diana's wedding dress was a puff ball meringue wedding dress, with huge puffed sleeves and a frilly neckline. The dress was made of silk taffeta, decorated with lace, hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. It was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, and had a 25-foot train.” ( http://womenshistory.about.com/od/diana/a/diana_wedding.htm )

Sounds pretty 80’s, right? Puff sleeves were my favorite style of dress as a kid (yeah, that with a side ponytail and some jellies – very regal indeed). I do like the element of tradition that comes with sleeves on a wedding dress, but I’m pretty sure I could only get away with puffy ones if I were actually marrying royalty (who wants to put a bet on whether Harry will accept my offer?). Puffy sleeves aside, Diana’s dress has every classic wedding gown attribute that embodies a gown fit for a royal fairy tale wedding (sleeves, a veil, a –very – long train, the puffy skirt, a frilly neckline). Let's be honest. No normal person could pull off that dress. But you don't have to embrace all of these things to achieve the look. If you’re a romantic and want a bit of bravura in your gown, I found some Carolina Hereira dresses that exude a more modern fairy tale appeal. This dress in particular:

Carries the allure of the veil, the femininity of some ruffle on the neckline - without making the bride look like she belongs in a Shakespearean play – and the grandeur and enchantment of a full skirt. The overall look? Fabulous.

I like the lace sleeves on this dress, as well. It keeps the look subtle, yet still traditional. If you don't like sleeves and want some grandeur, a dress with some volume to the skirt and a small train might suit you:

Dresses property of Eden Bridals: http://www.edenbridals.com