Tracey and James ‘Gatsbofest’ Floral, Art Deco, Festival Wedding. By Divine Day

Todays wedding is just gorgeous, a beautiful art deco wedding mixed with Boho festival touches that Tracey and James have called ‘Gatsbofest’. They  decided to throw tradition out the window and put together the wedding that they wanted, by mxing in all of their favorite things and creating a truly stunning day. With beautiful florals, amazing decorations, gorgeous outfits, fun games, fab food and some truly creative DIY projects, this wedding is just perfect. Big thanks to Divine Day for the beautiful images.

‘We nicknamed our wedding a “Gatsbofest” – inspired by The Great Gatsby film and a boho festival vibe. Our wedding was all about having fun without the usual formalities of a wedding – no speeches, no cake, just good company, food, music, games and cocktails!’

Tracy & James were married on the 12th July, at The Gazebo, The House Meadow at Worsenden Farm, Biddenden, Kent. ‘We wanted somewhere where the kids could run and play.We had 65 guests and the wedding took 8 months to plan’.

How they met
We met watching an England football game at a pub in. We have been together for 14 years and have 2 sons together, Kyan and Jayden.

The proposal
Not very romantic I’m afraid. Jim just asked me in the car on the way home from the petrol station! It was about time!

How did you allocate your budget?
We didn’t have any savings so we spent as we went and we found the money for the things that really mattered to us and made savings by skipping the things that didn’t matter so much e.g. by not having a wedding car, and cake etc.

How did you choose your photographer?
Photography was an important part of our wedding and we wanted arty photos that were special and different. We found Sandra on the internet and we made a perfect choice.We were also lucky enough to have our amazing friend Tom Jeavons as our guest photographer.

The dress and accessories
Lillian West dress purchased from Bellamore, Bexleyheath, Kent. 2 pairs of shoes – Ivory Rainbow vintage peep toes purchased from Bellamore, and L.K.Bennett gold wedges. Vintage 1920s Filagree bracelet from Etsy. Sapphire/diamond necklace from Fraser Hart.

The suit and bridesmaids
Topman suit (well the trousers would have been Topman but they got left at home by mistake and a £20 pair from Burton had been packed by the Groom instead! Not that he realised until he was in daylight and driving to the ceremony! He was really upset at first, but we both agreed that they actually looked quite good!). Shirt, tie and shoes from Next. DIY pocket handkerchief made by bride’s mother. Megan (eldest bridesmaid) Miss Selfridge. Molly (youngest bridesmaid) Jigsaw.

Theme or colour scheme
Floral and art deco. Colour scheme – pink, black & a bit of sparkle.

The flowers
• Hair piece – veronica, Singapore orchid, lavender and gyp;
• Bridal bouquet – roses, veronica, Singapore orchids, lizzianthus, lavender and pearls. Bridesmaids bouquets – gyp and roses.
• Buttonholes – gyp, lavender.
• Corsages – pearl bracelets & similar flowers to headpiece; chair ends – veronica, Singapore orchids, lizzy, pink roses, lavender & pearls;
• Ceremony jars on shepherds hooks – gyp;
• Barn – gyp balls and gyp wall garland;
• Swing – cinni eucs, ruscus, lavender, gyp;
• Various wild flowers in glass jars and bottles (diy recycled jars & bottles with keys, lace, and straw, made by bride).

What sort of decoration did you have?
Haystacks for ceremony guests. Lace chair sashes on chairs for bridal party. A pagoda tent on the meadow with bunting, various wild flowers in glass jars and bottles. Charity shop vintage candelabras and glassware, and shepherds hooks with various glass lanterns and candles. Birdcage & rustic candlesticks
Tree & barn– diy sun catchers, barn tables – Art deco style paper lanterns with LED tea lights, Barn ceiling – white paper lanterns with LED lights

The food
Canapés – focaccia with burata and lemon rocket oil; beetroot arancini with Pont L’Eveqe camembert; pea and lemon arancini with aged gouda, Cumberland sausage and mustard mash, sweet onion and cheddar, ginger crusted scampi with a wasabi mayo.
Traditional High tea, sandwiches, wraps & cake
Diy candy cart with sweets
BBQ – salmon, halloumi, homemade beef burgers, chicken and chorizo skewers, new potatoes, corn, various salad and rice dishes.
Dessert – crème brulee and strawberry meringue and shortbread and cream.
Evening farmhouse buffet .

Entertainment
Amazingly talented acoustic guitarist singer & friend– Jo Williams;
Afternoon background music – our own playlist on a wireless Bluetooth speaker;
Garden games – giant Jenga, diy bottles & hoops, diy Alice in Wonderland croquet, hula hoops, football
Evening rock band – The Jukeboxes.

Buy or DIY your Stationery?
Our friend Nicola Sullivan made the invites.

Personal or handmade touches
• Jim runs his own carpentry business and made a candy cart, Alice in Wonderland croquet and decorated wine glasses for games.
• I recycled and decorated used jars and bottles for wildflowers and candles
• I made sun catchers for the tree and barn.
• We had complementary drinks in a boat
• A firepit and marshmallows for the evening.
• Flipflops and blankets for guests
• A vintage decorated suitcase for cards

Special moments or highlights
The sun came out just as I arrived to the venue. It really was like someone was looking down on us and it meant that we could enjoy the venue to its full potential. Kids took their shirts off and ran wild and free for most of the day!

Biggest surprise
Being photographed with a horse!

Advice for other couples
Recommend a lot of research on Pinterest for inspiration!!
Diy makes your wedding really personal. It was wonderful that we could take our decorations home after the wedding and reuse them around the home – constant living memories.
Be prepared that your day will fly by, my only regret is not having a videographer to capture all those moments.

Supplier Shout Outs:

• Photography – Sandra at Divine Day Photography – divinedayphotography.com. Sandra was wonderful, such a charismatic person, and so many of our wedding guests spoke highly of her. How often do guests get to know the photographer?! She was very professional and knew exactly what shots she wanted. She really did make us feel at ease and has captured so many amazing photos for us.
• Tom Jeavons Photography – www.facebook.com/jeavonstom.photography. Just take a look at his facebook page and his photos speak a thousand words.
• Acoustic singer – Jo Williams. We were truly blessed to have Jo play at our wedding as she is such an outstanding musician. She played a variety of her own songs and some covers. We will never forget her rendition of Woodstock by Joni Mitchell. Jazz, blues, folk, perfect for festival weddings. Myspace.com/missjowilliamsmusic. Mob. 07976328165.
• Broadway Flowers – www.facebook.com/pages/Broadway-Flowers-01322-619862/120018218072033?sk=page_map. How lucky were we to have our amazing Sister-in-Law, Tracy Hollands, as our wedding florist. She has her own florist shop in Crockenhill, Kent. Flowers were a huge part of our wedding and they are something that I will never forget. The perfect balance of elegance and rustic.
• Hair & Make up – Tanya King, www.kingshairdressing.com. Tanya not only did an amazing professional job on the hair and make up for myself, my mum, and bridesmaids, she is one of those special people that you rarely meet in life. She is so caring and considerate and so calm. I could not have wished for anyone else in my hotel room on the morning of my wedding. I was also lucky enough to have the pleasure of her sister Nadine’s company too, and they both went above and beyond hair and make up.
• Catering – The Secret Restaurant – www.thesecretrestaurant.co.uk.  I like quality food, but I found it incredibly difficult to source a caterer who provided quality food in an informal environment. Then I came across The secret Restaurant. Nicola could not have been more accommodating. The food was outstanding and the staff were excellent.
• Music – The Jukeboxes – www.alivenetwork.com. Alive Network were very professional and it was extremely easy to make the band booking. The Jukeboxes were our dream rock band, dressed very smartly in vintage style suits and waistcoats.
• Candy Cart, Alice in Wonderland Croquet, Bottle art – www.bexleycarpenter.co.uk

For more information on Sandra’s work please go to:

www.divinedayphotography.com
divinedayphotography.wordpress.com
FACEBOOK
@svonriekhoff