Wedding Bells: 1920’s-Style!
For my second wedding as maid of honor this year...I was a flapper. Quite literally!
Naturally, as everyone who knows Claudia and David would expect, they had a 1920’s wedding. We made the flowers out of paper (a very old art form), got some of our dresses from Leluxe, a vintage clothing manufacturer on eBay, Claudia made her own veil out of an appliquéd chiffon, we made our own flapper headpieces, built the wedding altar out of an outdoor canopy tent, some fabric, homemade stars and a moon, and laid the table with all the props they would need, like candles, stones, herbs, pictures of the bride & groom in old-fashioned frames, cups, boxes, pouches, a huge broom made from twigs...they had a pagan ceremony (complete with hand-binding, invoking the four directions for blessing, and jumping the broom), with some Jewish traditions included, like klezmer music, being under a canopy (a kind of chuppah) and the breaking of the glass by the groom. It was so...Claudia and David...so lovely and full of soul!! When they said their vows, I became verklempt. They are absolutely perfect together, singing and dancing their way through life, and they belong in rocking chairs together on the front porch when they are old and grey!!
We were driven to the reception site (a friend’s backyard) in antique cars! Ours was a red 1920-something Buick, might have been a Model 35. It was a ragtop! People were staring and beeping and waving and smiling! We all looked the part, so they were seeing living history in front of their eyes! It was the bees knees, baby!!
Here’s me with a car...
Naturally, as everyone who knows Claudia and David would expect, they had a 1920’s wedding. We made the flowers out of paper (a very old art form), got some of our dresses from Leluxe, a vintage clothing manufacturer on eBay, Claudia made her own veil out of an appliquéd chiffon, we made our own flapper headpieces, built the wedding altar out of an outdoor canopy tent, some fabric, homemade stars and a moon, and laid the table with all the props they would need, like candles, stones, herbs, pictures of the bride & groom in old-fashioned frames, cups, boxes, pouches, a huge broom made from twigs...they had a pagan ceremony (complete with hand-binding, invoking the four directions for blessing, and jumping the broom), with some Jewish traditions included, like klezmer music, being under a canopy (a kind of chuppah) and the breaking of the glass by the groom. It was so...Claudia and David...so lovely and full of soul!! When they said their vows, I became verklempt. They are absolutely perfect together, singing and dancing their way through life, and they belong in rocking chairs together on the front porch when they are old and grey!!
We were driven to the reception site (a friend’s backyard) in antique cars! Ours was a red 1920-something Buick, might have been a Model 35. It was a ragtop! People were staring and beeping and waving and smiling! We all looked the part, so they were seeing living history in front of their eyes! It was the bees knees, baby!!
Here’s me with a car...
And me and Claudia’s brother John in a car...
And here’s Lulu, my co-maid of honor (who was a real mensch and an excellent friend throughout the entire week), Claudia and me...
The backyard was decorated with strings of lights and paper lanterns and everyone was dressed in Jazz Age attire! There was even a gazebo where the musicians played...
And the guests, many of them the jazz musicians in our circle, all played their instruments and sang till late into the evening. It was a labor of love, love for the bride and groom and love of jazz. They even found a way to get the piano out into the yard, next to the gazebo. It was absolutely magical! One of their friends did the catering and the wedding cake, and it all came out so lovely and delicious—mad props to Babette!! They did the announcement of the bride and groom and the wedding party, where we got our pictures taken as we stepped into the limelight. There were toasts, speeches, comedy bits, the cutting of the cake, and true to form, they danced their first dance as the party was winding down! Claudia and David even performed a few of their songs together at the end of the evening—so perfect! Some people danced throughout the evening, but I was far too tired to dance by the time it came ’round. My legs just wouldn’t. I shimmied a little, but that’s about it. But I talked with my fantastic, amazing friends and ate and drank beer and had a grand time!!
Mazel tov and blessed be to the newlyweds!! I love you both so much!!!
Comments