The intimate 1920's/30's house party wedding..

 

 Gosford Park (2001)

I completely fell in love when I first saw Robert Redford in the Great Gatsby dressed to the nines in white tie and tails, so stunningly handsome and suave.  Back in the early 20th century the men in their evening attire and the ladies in their satin gowns and perfect hair oozed sophistication and glamour - the perfect inspiration for a stylish wedding.  Host an evening dinner party reception in a grand venue for close family and friends and live like lords and ladies for a day.

Satin bias cut gowns are the order of the day and nobody does these better than Jenny Packham.  Her dress are sleek and sophisticated, perfect for the Hollywood Vamp look..

For a similar dress on a smaller budget look for destination dresses from Dessy, or Monsoon in the UK.  Also look at evening style bridesmaids dresses (I love the ones at Watters & Watters) and order in white or ivory! 

Complete the look with a sleek waved hairstyle and statement crystal hairslide like thew models in the photos above - traditional veils and boho hair is forbidden!  If you want a more bridal look go for a small birdcage veil, there are so many versions on Etsy.

The perfect venue for this type of wedding would be a grand country house available for private hire, where you and your guests can lord it up for the weekend.  If your budget won't quite stretch to this, look for a hotel with a private dining room, the grander the better.  For brides inviting a few guests, have an intimate candlelit dinner party.  If you are inviting more guests, cocktails and canapes are the way to go.

I love this theme - but it will only work if you ban any guests in 1920's gangster costumes, you want a sophisticated wedding, not a fancy dress party!

In The Beginning......

This is my wedding. After nine years together my partner and I were married in London in June 2009, an intimate affair with a small budget, close family, friends and our two small children. The ceremony was at the grand Wandsworth Register Office, the transport was a 1950's Greenline bus and the reception was at the Dukes Head, on the river in Putney. The rain stayed away and the day went without too many hitches! The day went so quickly, after months of planning we finally did it.
When I first started planning our wedding I had a few ideas as to how I wanted to day to be. I bet a lot of you felt the same as me when you went and bought those first bridal magazines, flicking through them excitedly and devouring all the info on dresses, flowers, receptions, cakes, venues, rings, music, guests, stationery, catering, bridesmaids, favours..... phew! There are soo many choices out there for brides to be and it can all get a bit much. I must have changed my mind about a hundred times as to what I wanted, and to tell the truth, I still think about how I would do the day differently, changing the theme, the colours and style.

And so this blog was born. After a lot of searching and planning my own wedding I hope that I can give you some ideas about how to plan yours, looking at different styles, different products and general info on wedding companies, retailers, offers and events. I've chosen to concentrate on more informal weddings rather than big ballroom affairs, looking at non-traditional styles that don't cost big bucks. And of course this deal works both ways because it means that I can continue planning for my renewal of vows! (Don't tell my husband...)

Sarah xx