When Victoria (Eustis) Martin and her husband, D.J., began planning their September 2010 wedding, they said the traditional trappings of dress styles, tuxedos, colors and invitations began to weigh down an experience they wanted to enjoy. Early theme ideas were focused on color, autumn shades of maroon, green and gold. It seemed a good start for a fall wedding, but it lacked the spirit the young couple wanted for their day. “We wanted to have fun and we wanted everyone to have a memorable time,” said D.J.

Victoria, whose professional experience included working for Martindale Country Club, had seen “a lot of weddings” and, after a while, she admitted, one wedding began to look like another. From her off-scene vantage point, she learned what centerpiece designs she liked and what worked best for table conversation, what menus were most tempting, and she definitely learned how to create a “cookie cutter” wedding.

The idea for their 1920s wedding was born of D.J.’s fondness for zoot suits (twice he wore them to proms) and Victoria’s love of lace. “He looks good in a fedora,” Victoria confirmed.

These three little points then waltzed their wedding away from just plain “swell” to a day that could only be described as “the bee’s knees.”

D.J. entrusted Formal Image on Main Street in Lewiston with fitting him, his best man, groomsmen and ring bearer for the big day. “I liked working with Formal Image. We already had a professional rapport so I wanted to go back to them. They were great to work with, able to get us everything we needed.”

Of course, the 1920s theme called for, what else but, black zoot suits with light striping and matching fedoras. “We were ready months before the women,” smiled D.J.

Finding bridal and bridesmaid dresses and accessories with the 1920s flavor was more challenging. Victoria’s mom, Janet Eustis, said allowing time for research is the key to creating a period look or theme. She and Victoira watched “The Great Gatsby” together, paying particularly close attention to the wardrobe of “Daisy” to gather style ideas.

They scoured sites including www.my1920swedding.com and www.uniquevintage.com, where Janet found her mother-of-the-bride, ivory and silver beaded flapper dress. They even found grandson, Liam, knickers, a bow tie and cap from another site, www.dapperlads.com. They were mindful of utilizing local retailers including Claire’s for black lace gloves and accessories.

David’s Bridal in Portland dressed Victoria for her day as a 1920s bride. “I tried several dresses, but many had modern detailing,” explained Victoria. In the end, she chose a soft ivory, all lace dress with a short train paired with ivory, low wedge heels.

A bride fit for the Charleston, she completed her look with a “bird cage” floral headpiece in ivory with a short, netted veil, pearls, diamond and pearl earrings, and long, ivory gloves with lace and bead accents. Her attendants wore classic black, fringed flapper dresses found online, black chunky-heeled shoes and strands of cultured pearls, given as gifts from Victoria, and also purchased on line through www.rosssimons.com.

True to the period, Victoria wore her curly, strawberry blonde hair in a classic, wavy, bob. Her finishing touches were trademarks of the 20s: porcelain skin highlighted with rouged cheeks, accentuated eyes, and scarlet red lips drawn up in a defined “cupid’s bow.”

Finally on September 18 at 4 p.m., under a trellis of silk roses and tulle on the 10th hole of the Martindale golf course, D.J. and Victoria exchanged their vows in a short ceremony before 80 of their closest friends and family members.

While the two were whisked off for photographs, guests enjoyed a bountiful wedding buffet of Victoria’s favorite Martindale dishes including chicken Zinfandel, carved top round, roasted potatoes, tortellini, and salads.

Tables were adorned with red and cream colored roses in black art deco style vases that had been collected from area antique stores and garage sales. All the flowers were designed by Blais Flower of Lewiston, another local business with whom the couple had developed a professional trust. For fun and visual interest, a vintage candy buffet, complete with old-fashioned candy including sixlets, jellybeans, and lemon sours, welcomed each guest to fill a black container with sweets to take home as favors.

As in the 20s, the music was an integral part of setting the mood for the dinner and reception. Benny Goodman and his orchestra, Louis Armstrong and the All Stars, Count Basie and his orchestra, as well as Louis Prima and the Glenn Miller Orchestra were among the musical selections for dining and dancing.

“Our taste in music is very different, but we both like jazz and we really wanted the reception to be fun for everyone,” said the couple. “The music had to be something that all the generations could dance to.”

Though Victoria and D.J. opted out of dance lessons, they did have guests who could swing dance and some who dressed in 1920s garb, as their invitation suggested. Victoria and her dad, who put on the Ritz in a vintage Masonic tuxedo and top hat, shared a turn around the floor to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

As day drew to evening, the wedding party made an escape for one final “formal” snapshot, a special request of Victoria’s. Outside the country club, in the growing dusk, an old-fashioned lamp post shed a pool of hazy, white light along a stretch of stone curbing. It was there the group gathered with the bride and groom, striking a pose for a quintessential 1920s wedding photograph.

Looking through the wedding album today, Victoria and D.J. are pleased with their choice to step outside of the traditional wedding experience. The 1920s was a time when young people cast off societal restraints of older generations, kicked up their heels, and had fun with dance, music – even ways of using the English language; by that definition, Victoria and D.J.’s creativity and free-spirited ideas turned their wedding into a “swanky blast from the past.”

“Couples shouldn’t be afraid to switch it up,” said D.J., referring to wedding plans and etiquette. “Make it different, have fun, make it interesting, but mostly, make your wedding your own.”

Copy the Story Link