1920’s Gatsby Inspired Wedding in South Africa

Kachi prides herself in being extremely observant and hard to surprise. So when Agbon knew he wanted to propose, he went to great lengths to keep it a secret. He told Kachi that they had been invited to a surprise party for one of his friend’s girlfriends.  However, when they got to the hotel, Kachi saw a lot of people she knew. She recalls, ”I found it quite odd that they were there, [but] I thought to myself, ‘Oh well, this is Lagos, everyone sort of knows everyone.’” Later on, Agbon seemed nervous when he told Kachi that he wanted to show her the gift his friend got for his girlfriend. He led her upstairs to a bedroom, and when the door opened she was greeted by the words “I LOVE YOU” written on the bed in rose petals. When she said yes, his family came out of the neighboring suite to celebrate.

Such a romantic and glamorous engagement can only be complemented with an equally luxurious wedding, and no time period personifies luxury and glamour better than the 1920’s. When planning their wedding, Kachi and Agbon referenced the 1920’s with a chic Black, White and Gold color scheme, and Art Deco design influences.  Kachi looked to the iconic book and movie, The Great Gatsby, for inspiration, envisioning what a Jay Gatsby party would look like in 2013 Johannesburg. She states, “I wanted the wedding to be about partying and having fun and no era best typifies opulence and decadence better that the 1920’s post war America.”   Filled with an impressive royal guest list, gorgeous white floral arrangements, edgy laser cut designs, and an eight tier cake, Kachi and Agbon’s wedding was indeed a showstopper with the help of their award winning event design and planning team, Wedding Concepts,  and Ryan Graham Photography captured every moment.

• Bride: Kachi Nwaiwu
• Groom: Agbon Igbinedion
• Date: 05/11/2013
• Wedding Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Description of Event

The wedding had an Art deco them with a very modern twist. I basically thought, “What will an Enoch Thompson or Jay Gatsby party look like in 2013 Johannesburg”. I wanted the wedding to be about partying and having fun and no era best typifies opulence and decadence better that the 1920 post war America.  Although Art deco was the wedding theme, we used it more as a reference than the main feature to avoid it being gimmicky and tacky. The wedding colors were Black, White and Gold. We loved Laser cut patterns so it was also used as a running theme through out the wedding: from the wedding invites to my wedding shoes to the wedding cake.

Wedding Style

My wedding dress was everything I want from a dress. It was elegant, sexy, and delicate and WOW. It was the Monique Lhuillier “Belle” dress; she was gorgeous. I added a black embellished Vera Wang sash with a mesh insert for contrast and a bit of drama. My veil was by Peter Langner it was called “Vita”. My shoes were the “Belinda” by Charlotte Olympia in silver. My wedding dress shopping took 24 hours; I found my dress within the first hour of shopping. To be honest I knew I wanted that dress when I saw the Monique Lhuillier spring 2013 runway show. So when I saw it in person I knew it was definitely the one. I continued looking around for the next twenty-three hours to please my mum. My sister knew I had made up my mind so she and my mum realized it was a futile task so my mum called off the search and we went back to the store the next day to buy the dress. I got my dress from Browns Bridal London. My second look on the day was a gold lace and tulle dress. It was a bespoke dress that was made by a Johannesburg based designer Kristin of Garnish couture.

Most Memorable Moment 

The first dance, we felt like we were the only ones in the room. For that moment we were in our own world.

Loving You Is So Easy 

From the Groom…I love that she is really clever and strong-willed but most importantly she has got a good heart. When she smiles I feel like the luckiest man alive.

From the Bride…I love that he makes my laugh more than anyone I have ever met. I am lucky to be married to my best friend.

This wedding was featured in the FW2013 issue and has been shared with our friends over at Ebony.com.

Vendors

• Wedding Planner: Wedding Concepts
• Concept and Design: Kate Rawbone of Wedding Concepts
• Wedding Dress Designer: Monique Lhuillier
• 2nd Wedding Dress – Garnish Couture
• Wedding veil – Peter Langner
• Grooms Tux: Dolce and Gabbana
• Wedding dress Salon: Browns Bridal
• Bridesmaids Dresses: Vera Wang
• Makeup: Algria Ferreira
• Bride’ Shoes: Charlotte Olympia
• Groom’s shoes: Louis Vuitton
• Ceremony location: Maronite Catholic Church – Our Lady of Cedars, Johannesburg
• Reception location: Urban tree
• Photography: Ryan Graham
• Videography: Studio Memoir
• Cake: Kate de Waal of Sugar ‘n’ ice
• Stationery: Secret Diary
• Event Designer + Production: Stefan Norval