Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

The first image you’ll see in this inspirational wedding photo shoot is the bouquet, and rightfully so. An incredible design and the perfect blend of colours – we love it! The wedding cake is extra special too.

Details for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

A Gone with the Wind themed wedding is one that is dominated with Old World refinery, flowing dresses with bustles underneath, long, dramatic staircases, and Southern mansions inspired by Greek Revival architecture or Neo-classical architecture.

A Gone with the Wind themed wedding will focus on tradition, elegance, and a ballgown wedding dress. In fact, bridesmaid dresses will also be inspired by the ballgown motif. You’ll also want to host a sit-down reception meal with all the finest foods.

You may choose to hold a Gone with the Wind wedding outdoors, but a mansion with a long staircase is the optimal venue for such a wedding.

What to Look for in a Venue for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

Gone with the Wind and the Titanic movie shared one iconic piece of architecture – a grand staircase. Many historic homes and mansions feature a grand staircase that can be decorated to the hilt with fabric, ribbon, and floral sprays. The grand staircase also makes for a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.

An alternative to this indoor venue is a garden associated with an antebellum home or a historical mansion. Many antebellum homes featured lush, elaborate gardens (in fact, much courting between Southern gentlemen and refined ladies took place in the gardens of these homes). You can set up a ceremonial arch in the garden or you may take advantage of a structure on the property such as a patio or a gazebo for the nuptials.

Food for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

During the day of Scarlett O’Hara, food was truly organic and sourced from livestock on the property. This meant lots of fresh vegetables, pork, some beef, chicken, and occasionally a roasted turkey. Meals typically involved some type of bread – this may be hot, handmade biscuits or cornbread.

Vegetables were seasonal, and many men supplemented what was raised on the farm with wild game, including venison, rabbit, and fish. For those who lived near sloughs or in coastal areas, shrimp or oysters might be harvested as well. You could decide to serve what we call seafood today - shrimp, chiefly.

However, if you choose to stick with the more traditional Southern meal, be sure to offer fresh vegetables in season as well as some type of bread along with the main meat dish.

Table Setting Style for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

When picturing how you’ll set up the tables for a Gone with the Wind themed wedding, conjure up the finest dinnerware, the best flatware, and linens made from the highest quality fabric – in white, of course.

The Gone with the Wind themed wedding table setting will involve a place setting for a four-course meal. You’ll want to add the salad fork and dessert fork as well as the dinner fork, and you’ll need to place a bronze or gold charger under the dinner plates. Napkins should be folded elegantly and a champagne glass should be offered with the place setting.

Wedding Dresses and Accessories for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

The Gone with the Wind wedding dress and accessories should be inspired by a ballgown.

Scarlett O’Hara’s dress was fashioned with billowing sleeves a sweetheart neckline, and long, satin fabric that had lace floral accents sewed into the bottom third of the gown. Scarlett wore long, white gloves, as was the custom then. She also wore a veil attached to a tiara. In true Scarlett O’Hara fashion, she woree an opulent diamond necklace.

If you’ve ever been to a pilgrimage event in places such as Memphis, Atlanta or Natchez, you’ve observed ladies bedecked in ballroom gowns with a hoop skirt. These dresses are often slightly off the shoulder, and the skirts are ruffled and elaborate. You can opt for a dress with a cap sleeve if so desired. Gloves work well with these dresses, too.

Bridesmaid Dresses for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

Again, you’re going to want to call on inspiration from one of the pilgrimage costumes for your bridesmaid dresses if you really want to conjure up the Gone with the Wind wedding theme.

Many women would wear corsets underneath a ball gown in order to draw their waists in to fit the tight bodice of the ball gown. However, it’s not a requirement that your attendants adorn this part of the outfit. Ball gowns today often offer just the right amount of poof at the bottom without the need of a hoop-shaped slip underneath the dress, nor do they require a corset for the fitted bodice.

Menswear for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

Scarlett O’Hara’s groom was serving in the military during the time period of Gone with the Wind, so, for their nuptials, he adorned his soldier’s uniform. This works well if your groom is a member of the military, but, you may need to find a time-period appropriate suit for the nuptials.

In fact, most men in the antebellum South – regardless of social status – wore their best suit for their wedding day. Being able to actually buy a new suit, which would have to be tailored specifically for that individual, was a big deal during that time period when clothes weren’t mass produced.

The suit might be fashioned from lightweight material, but typically men wore dark suits. The suit coat was long, and men wore a cravat and a top hat. Some men would use a ribbon tied in a simple knot at the neck as a tie.

Wedding Cake Ideas for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

Anything Scarlett O’Hara desired was over-the-top and elaborate, from her dresses to her entertainment to her taste in food. A Gone with the Wind themed wedding cake designed by Ms. O’Hara would definitely be multi-tiered, opulently decorated, covered with flowers and a traditional topper, and covered in rich buttercream icing.

However, you don’t have to go all out with your Gone with the Wind wedding cake! You may scale down to three tiers (or two!), but make sure to offer a traditional white wedding cake with traditionally flavoured buttercream icing. Add scrollwork for decoration, and ask your baker to add sugar flowers as a topper for the cake.

Outdoor Wedding Ideas for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

While most picture a Gone with the Wind themed wedding taking place indoors – in front of the grand staircase, of course – you can still host your Gone with the Wind themed wedding in an outdoor setting.

The most appropriate setting would be in the garden area of an antebellum mansion. Many historical societies still keep up these gardens in the tradition of 1850s Southern flower gardens. However, you may be able to find a historical home that is built in Greek Revival or in Neo-classical architecture and utilise their garden for the Gone with the Wind themed wedding.

Ceremony Decor for a Gone with the Wind Themed Wedding

Opulence is the key to a Gone with the Wind themed wedding. If your venue is an indoor one, then you’ll want elaborate floral sprays and attachments throughout the ceremonial area.

While the guests at Scarlett O’Hara’s Gone with the Wind wedding stood during the ceremony, you’ll want to provide seating for your guests. Look for old church pews to really present a rustic, vintage theme. If possible, try to find pews that are all wood without any padding.

Forgo the ceremonial arch in order to use the grand staircase as your ceremonial backdrop. Wind ribbon, lights, and floral sprays down the stair rails for breathtaking decor.

Classic, Southern Wedding Inspired by Gone With the Wind

Gone With The Wind really is not only one of my favourite books of all time, but also one of my favourite movies so I’m just gushing over today’s southern wedding inspiration shoot. Inspired by the novel, J. Woodbery Photography and Studio Flower created a perfectly gorgeous editorial filled with details worthy of a southern bride.

From J. Woodbery Photography – “Tiffany Robinson of Studio Flower and I wanted to do something that had a classic, old south feel to it – something that felt like a scene from Gone With The Wind – a very Scarlet O’Hara vibe with rich reds and blues. We knew that The Oaks would be the perfect venue for the shoot and Teresa, the owner, was so sweet to let us shoot there!

Our whole team was so perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to come together for this wedding inspiration shoot. Our models Karis and Caleb killed it! Caleb already had his own seersucker suit and Karis is a fashion blogger and part-time model so she looked lovely in a Hayley Paige gown from Ivory and White!”

Credits: Photography: J. Woodbery Photography // Floral Designs: Studio Flower // Wedding Dress: Hayley Paige from Ivory & White // Paper Goods: Salt and Paperie // Cake: Barb’s Cakes, LLC // Makeup: Rawwbeaty Makeup // Rentals: Cameo Vintage Rentals // Models: Karis and Caleb // Venue: The Oaks at Centreville in Alabama.