There is something truly captivating about a themed wedding and nothing captures the imagination and romance quite like a great Gatsby themed wedding, so you can imagine our excitement when this stunning 1920's affair came across our desk!
Captured by Brandy Angel Photography, Dana and Robby were married on new years eve at the Soho South Cafe located in the heart of historic downtown Savannah, Georgia. We caught up with Dana and Robby to chat all about their wedding day and here is what they said.
Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
First we chose Savannah, GA as we wanted to do a destination wedding as a getaway for us and our families and friends that could make the trek! We also wanted to do a wedding on New Year's Eve, and decided it would be EXTRA fun if we added a 1920's speakeasy Gatsby-esque theme to it for that evening. We weren't sure if we were crazy or brilliant with that timing but with kids not having to miss school for travel, we got the blessing and went for it!
Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
We knew we wanted to capture the speakeasy vibe and with the beautifully eclectic and vintage vibe of Soho South Cafe, we knew it did not need much. We bought cigar boxes from our local cigar bar, Maxwell's in Woodstock, GA and brought them to Savannah, where our florist and rental company, Carlson's added floral design to each one of them. We also rented vintage chairs and couch for the bar, along with an LED sign "The Frederickses" which we had built specifically to make our own little speakeasy. I also bought a ton of signage with GATSBY quotes for throughout the wedding venue which added to the vibe.
What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
I actually bought a bunch of feather bouquets from another bride on Instagram! I started following #gatsbywedding on Instagram and saw this beautiful bride with an amazing bouquet and direct messaged her. She was so wonderful and let me buy a ton of decor from her. For the rest of the floral, we went with cigar box bouquets, and some floral centerpieces to add to the tables and ceremony backdrop.
Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
Some of my favorites parts were just the decor that added to that speakeasy vibe--the signage, the themed dressing, the vintage signs, and each kids (we allowed kids since it was during the holidays, and we had 21 kids under the age of 21!!!) received a goodie bag filled with glow sticks, pop rocks, chocolate cigars, colored pencils/crayons, adult or kid coloring books and of course, the room flip where we got trolleys to take us around the city with the beautiful backdrop of Savannah and the holiday twinkle lights still aglow! (=magic)
Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
I wanted a retro look, but I wanted to look like a bride, not in costume. I looked far and wide and found a beautiful Watters Too dress at White Magnolia in Atlanta, GA that was lace and had an art deco type pattern on the lace with a hint of glistening beading. I added to the look of the dress with a 1920s style headpiece with pearl and glass beading with a feather, and belt found at etsy shops, earrings from White Magnolia, and D'orsay bronze Badgley Mischka shoes found on sale at (where else?) TJ Maxx.
How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
Little did we know that each of our lives would forever be changed when we moved to Woodstock, Georgia…Robby had moved up to Woodstock for his job , and Dana had bought a townhouse in order to get more space for she and Hayden. Dana happened to meet Robby through the bustling social life of downtown Woodstock, a northwest suburb outside Atlanta. What started as the funnest, most real and true friendship blossomed into love, adventures and real life romance. Never ever in her life had Dana ever met a gentleman of Robby’s nature—rugged outdoors-man who wears crazy t-shirts, funny as hell, who will host parties and dress up for pub crawls yet at the same time don a tux for the gala for Kate’s Club where Dana volunteers. And I’m not sure Robby had ever met such a down-to-earth, Midwestern girl who was sometimes a bit of a diva yet equally fun, with a huge heart. After a few years of dating, Robby surprised Dana by popping the question (100% surprise)with her son Hayden and 4 nieces on a trip to Cocoa Beach, FL. After a couple days of beach, swim, surf lessons with 5 kids, they took them out for a seafood dinner at Fish Lips on Cape Canaveral, and he popped the question after dinner! The kids were in on it, and it was so touching.
What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
Incorporating our families into our wedding--my son into the ceremony vows, as a commitment from each of us, my nieces and son reading quotes about family, my cousin reading on behalf of my uncle/his father who recently passed ---a reading about authentic love ("When Harry Met Sally" quote), my brother officiating the entire thing, Robby's cousin and wife being Best Man, Bridesmaid and the the theme being that authentic love, and family is everything!
Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
Be true to you. Don't follow rules. Make it fun for yourselves, too, not just your guests. Don't fall victim to societal pressures to do or not do certain things. Slow down, eat dinner, and enjoy every single moment.
MEET THE TEAM:
Photography: Brandy Angel Photography
Second Shooter: Alex Ugolini
Venue: Soho South Cafe
Event Planner: Anna Kate Events
Equipment Rentals: Carlson's Premier Events
Band: Emerald Empire Band
Transportation: Old Savannah Tours
Cake Artist: Wicked Cakes of Savannah
Caterer: Soho South Cafe
Hair Stylist: Julie Dittmer
Makeup Artist: Lindsey Wihrt