Gatsby Reimagined

For quite some time we've been talking about how fun it would be to do a styled shoot. One night while I was working at a wedding with two of my favorite vendors, Heidi Ryder of Heidi Ryder Photography and Amanda Claverie of Rosebud Floral Design, the topic came up of the 3 of us working together on our own styled shoot. Our first theme idea was a winter wonderland wedding but unfortunately this year was one of the warmest winters we've had and the snow just didn't want to make an appearance for us. So we went to plan B.  

The 1920s-1930s have been my favorite eras for as long as I can remember and it's my lifelong dream to someday open my own "prohibition style" supper club. So when Heidi pitched the idea of a modern Great Gatsby wedding I was hooked - and so was Amanda. We wanted to do something bold and daring and also something authentic. We wanted to use real pieces from the period and then shoot at a venue that's been around since then. We also wanted to make it even more interesting and dynamic by incorporating a few modern pops. So we came up with our theme - "Gatsby Reimagined."

Now, when we do something here at Wish Wonder Dream - we go big! So we got together all the best vendors in Southern California (and beyond) and we created a huge team of incredible pros who each contributed their products and services for our shoot.

Step 1: Select a Venue. That was easy - I went to the one of my all-time favorite venues, The LA Athletic Club. It's actually been around since the days of prohibition and even though they've done several gorgeous renovations, it has stayed true to it's original style. The staircase where visitors would sneak in during prohibiton is even still there. Kelly, the Onsite Coordinator was absolutely amazing and agreed to let us shoot there. Next we needed a dress. And this couldn't be just any dress - it had to be THE dress. I reached out to one of my favorite designers Lazaro and chose an art deco inspired dress with a killer neckline and a subtle hint of color. Next it was all about the rentals. We needed a mix of vintage and modern so we went to our two favorite sources - Found Vintage Rentals and Town and Country Event Rentals. It was like Christmas getting to visit their websites and select all my favorite pieces! The time we spent at the Found Vintage Rentals showroom in Fullerton was probably one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. If you haven't been there before, you must! After that, we needed our cake. Heidi Ryder has a wonderful relationship with Sonya at The Cake Studio so we put our heads together, designed a cake based on the colors/accents we were using in our design and Sonya delivered brilliantly! Next it was time for stationery. I knew right away that I wanted letterpress and I also knew right away where to find it. A past bride of ours named Elma started a letterpress business shortly after her wedding called Simply Letterpressed and she's quickly become one of the very best in the business. I called her right away and we started sharing ideas. After a short trip to Las Vegas, where I found some inspiration in the show "O" and a few other beautifully decorated restaurants and clubs, I scribbled down my vision for the invitation and matching set on the hotel stationery. I couldn't believe how perfectly Elma translated it and when I saw her finished products I almost fainted - they were better than I ever could have imagined. After that, it was time to choose our entertainers. I reached out to a wonderful local band The New Recessionaires (who we happen to be doing a wedding with at LA Athletic Club this June - shout out to Brianna and Charlie) fit our theme perfectly and were amazingly fun to work with. They dug deep in their closets for their most authentic 20s attire and came to the shoot looking like they'd just stepped out of a time machine. They were perfect! After that, it was time to get to the details. Linsey Lucas of Arts Delight provided our beautiful custom gold garland, Kristen James of Gilded Shadows custom-designed our swoonworthy headpieces, Jessie Chadderdon of IngredientsforLovely provided our emerald green pocket watch, and Paperlanterstore.com provided our star chandelier (painted perfectly by Heidi Ryder). Amanda Claverie worked her magic with custom linens and the most beautiful florals you've ever seen and we were set. Photos of the day were shot to perfection by Heidi Ryder Photography and captured wonderfully on video by Jeff Roy of Visioneer Media. You'll see the awesome video below. The set was lit in our signature emerald green and gold by the amazing Ambience Pros. Last but most definitely not least, I must'nt forget to mention the bride and groom who brought it all to life and made us (almost) believe they were truly in love. Thank you SO much to Hayley O'Connor, our lovely bride and professional model and to Grant, our groom (and our intern Taylor's ever-so-helpful boyfriend). He was the perfect gentleman and quite the looker (we think you'll agree!) He even came with his own suit, which was styled "to a T" by Aaron Cordell of Klein Epstein & Parker. Angela Tam of AT Makeup Pro worked her hair & makeup magic and made our gorgeous bride and groom even more gorgeous!

We hope you love the result as much as we do! It was a lot of hard work and even more fun. It's the best feeling in the world to get to work with a team of people you respect and truly get along with. It wouldn't have been the same without you Heidi and Amanda and I'm ready for the next one just as soon as you two say the word! :) 

20s-themed Wedding Concept at the LA Athletic Club from Visioneer Media on Vimeo.

Photography: Heidi Ryder Photography | Florals: Rosebud Floral Designs | Design: Wish Wonder Dream | Videography: Visioneer Media | Hair & Makeup: AT Makeup Pro | Venue: The Los Angeles Athletic Club |Vintage Furniture & Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals | Table Settings and Chairs: Town and Country Event Rentals | Bridal Gown: Lazaro  | Bridal Headpieces: Gilded Shadows | Groom's Bow Tie/Pocketsquare: Klein Epstein & Parker | Cake: The Cake Studio | Band: The New Recessionaires | Stationery: Simply Letterpressed | Pocketwatch: Ingredients for Lovely | Star Chandelier: Paper Lantern Store | Gold Garland: Arts Delight