I had great fun planning a Gatsby-themed 1920’s party for the Space Coast Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. With a twist on the name to The Great Adsby, this 1920’s party came together with handmade items, simple supplies and a little creativity. Even with a slim budget I created a 1920s environment with cute decorative touches for the guests to enjoy a fun evening at the speakeasy.
Matchbooks made the perfect table cards. Each matchbook featured the table name and their secret code word to get into the SpeakEasy. These same code words also matched up to door prizes during the evening program. And they were simple to make by buying white matchbooks in bulk, printing artwork on plain paper and gluing to the matchbooks. Easy!
Table names were chosen from prominent figures during the Gatsby era. This included artists, actors, and musicians. A local restaurant saved liquor bottles for me for a few months that then became table decor along with small decorative signs. 1920’s era advertising also became small signs for the tables.
By far the hit of the evening was the “characters” who attended the event. Friends of mine dressed as Al Capone, a keystone cop and even a couple cigarette girls (who peddled vintage candy). My friend John Biondi was so excited about being Capone, he even had business cards printed that he passed out! I really appreciate their willingness to help out in such a huge way.
The cigarette trays the girls handled were filled with 1920s era candy and candy cigarettes. Inexpensive wood trays were painted black and ribbon run through the handles.
Guests made this 1920s party a hit.
What made the evening so much fun was how the guests dressed the part! I worked with a photographer to create a police lineup background for group photos. Everyone really showed off their best creativity.
This was a great theme to work with for a party. Whether you have a big budget or small one, a 1920’s party is a hit.
Photos by Dominic Agostini and Amelia Woodbridge
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