One of my favourite books in high school was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby is more than a great story – it offers a fascinating glimpse into the roaring twenties and prohibition era – which make it an incredible source of inspiration for a vintage wedding!
As I was searching for images on The Great Gatsby themed weddings to share with you, I stumbled up the Art Deco Society of Oakland, Calfornia. Every year for the past 26 years the society has hosted the Gatsby Summer Afternoon, an event that pretty much blew my mind. I swear I would travel across the country to experience it just once!
“The Gatsby Summer Afternoon lets several hundred aficionados of the 1920s and 30s step back to a time when elegance was a way of life and the Charleston and fox trot were all the rage.This is not a spectator event. From 1-6pm the panoramic Dunsmuir {an 1899 neoclassical revival mansion} front lawn becomes a stage on which all participants picnic, dance and sip champagne, reminiscent of a scene from The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel of 1925 …. With everyone attending this event in period fashions, the effect is stunning! Many guests bring period-perfect picnics, with settings from elaborate spreads, complete with silver, crystal, linens and china, to simple wicker baskets on vintage print tablecloths.”
Can you imagine?
As one participate wrote:
“People take this day seriously. Quite damn seriously. I like to think of this day as Burning Man for those who bathe and prefer a strong cocktail over sand and hallucinogens,” says Mena, whose experience is featured on Nested.
In fact, if you read Mena’s story, preparing a picnic for the Gatbsy Summer Afternoon didn’t sound all that much different from planning a small, outdoor wedding reception. Here are some photos from her picnic:
{Below: She purchased authentic vintage soda labels on Etsy, and filled her own bottles with beverages that matched the labels.}
Hmm… I wonder if they’ve had any weddings on site at the Gatsby Summer Afternoon?
First Photo: Gatsby themed wedding shot by Josh Goleman; Second, Third, Forth Photo: Nested
