Wedding Breeze

If you are looking for fun wedding that your guests aren’t likely to forget soon, maybe you should consider a 1920s wedding theme at a wedding in France?

Jazz was all the rage at this time so if your budget permits hire a jazz band.  Women threw away their corsets, cut their hair, wore trousers, smoked cigarettes and drove fast cars To emphasize their new found freedom. Life was for living.  Sounds like a perfect wedding theme for a wedding in France.

Think about The Great Gatsby (remember all those gangsters in Wing Tip shoes?). Ostrich feathers, dresses shorter in the front and longer in the back. But be warned—this type of wedding party is not for the faint-at-heart!  The 1920’s girls wore provocative make-up, showed their knees and abandoned themselves to the wild rhythms of Jazz, Charleston and the Black Bottom. They listened to the songs of Duke Ellington, Al Jolson and Fanny Brice and marvelled at the dancing of Isadora Duncan.

A term popular during Prohibition to describe an establishment selling illegal alcoholic beverages. In order to gain entrance, you had to speak in a low voice through a small opening in the back door and tell the attendant inside who it was who sent you to the place. The term itself (which dates in print to 1889) may derive from the English “Speak-softly-shop,” an underworld term for a smuggler’s house where one might get liquor cheaply, its usage in this sense having been traced back to 1823.

[First, you’ll need to think about your invitations. These will set the theme for the party, so you’ll want to make sure that they are eye-catching. ~You could look for a vintage invitation, or you could be really unique and include a homemade CD with a selection of 1920s jazz to get your guests in the mood for the event.]

You might want to add “1920s dress encouraged” on your invitations.  It is the best way to liven up your party would be to ask your guests to dress as one would in the 1920’s. If you do opt for guests in costume give a best costume prize on the night. 

With decorations, you should be able to transform just about any building into a jazz nightclub. Think silver, red and streaming ribbons!

You’ll need to organize certain events that will set the mood for your event. Swing dancing and the Charleston were popular forms of dance in the 1920’s. In addition, you could have a dance contest at the end of the evening to see who learned the most number of moves!

- Set up an old-fashioned, deep-claw bathtub near the bar. Fill with ice and add bottles of “hootch”, “bathtub gin”, “red ink” (homemade wine),  “bootleg”, “moonshine”. (The bottles won’t hold real liquor, just water and printed labels created on a computer. Find the appropriate types of bottles for “moonshine”, etc.)

 Hang beaded curtains in doorways

 Some famous faces are: Jimmy Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Laurel & Hardy, WC Fields, Mae West, Louise Brooks, and Buster Keaton.

You will want to look the part, especially since if your guests will be dressed for the occasion. The bride could wear a dress that is short in the front and long in the back—a style common to this era. Instead of a veil, you could wear a headband, complete with ostrich feather. Coco Chanel, Sir Norman Hartnell, Jean Patou, Madeleine et Madeleine and Worth were all famous designers of the era.

A zoot suit with ascot tie, and a felt, roll-brimmed fedora hat or zoot suit hat really hits the spot. Another option is to wear a double-breasted 4 button jacket with wide-lapels, cuffed trousers, ascot tie or white scarf, white gloves, spats (shoes), black top hat and a walking stick.

Pinstripes were also popular during this time if the groom wasn’t that brave.

For your photographs, you should think about having some of them done in black and white so that they will go well with the vintage dress and decor of the wedding hall.

Play casino games such as blackjack, poker, craps.  Have empty violin cases as props scattered around.

A citroen traction 1920s vintage car is a nice touch and looks very gangsterish.  We know of a vintage gangster car driver with a ZZ-Top moustache which looks fabulous in photos.

Black and white theme can play nicely with a 1920s wedding theme.

If you have short hair a 1920s theme will look fabulous – forget up dos.  Think a classic short, neat bob cut or the shorter Shingle, which showed the back hairline and was curled at the sides – think french chic and Coco Chanel.

A champagne pyramid is decadent and in keeping with the style. By having a 1920s theme wedding party for your wedding in France, your guests will likely be talking about it for years to come!