Make your wedding day stand out with these inspiring ideas.
By: Emma ArendoskiBouquets
They are not made of flowers alone... they are made of memories, handpicked and pieced together. For example, an ordinary ribbon bouquet wrap can be replaced with something more meaningful, like a piece of lace from your mother’s wedding gown. Is your favorite aunt known for her amazing rose garden? Are your best friend’s peonies out of this world? Just as homemade food is so much better than store bought, so, too, are homegrown bouquets, so enlist the help of your green-thumbed connections.
On a budget? Formerly known as a “filler flower,” baby’s breath has become quite the stunning bouquet choice. Wrap your bouquet tightly in floral tape, cover tape with burlap for a rustic touch or satin ribbon for a pop of color. Or consider an unexpected fresh- bouquet alternative — “forever bouquets, as I like to call them,” Emma says.
Photo Credit: Sellers Publishing, Inc.
A brooch bouquet is constructed of brooches strung on lengths of wire (sometimes in combination with silk flowers). Or for a whimsical touch at an outdoor ceremony, have each bridesmaid carry a pin- wheel down the aisle in lieu of a bouquet, and then place it in the ground at the end of the aisle. How fun!
Ceremony Ideas
Any wedding location can benefit from the inclusion of handcrafted, personal details. Imagine your favorite flowers lining the way as you walk down the aisle to meet your future spouse — jars of peonies, lilies, daisies, sunflowers. To craft them yourself, fill each jar one-third full with water, place the flowers inside, wrap wire around the top of the jar to create a handle and tie on a ribbon for a pretty bow. If your wedding is outdoors, insert shepherd’s hooks along the aisle and hang your jars from their handles. After the ceremony, enlist friends to help carefully transport the flower-filled jars to the reception site as décor for the head table.
If you’re having an evening wedding, you have the opportunity to revel in the romantic glow of candlelight. Place candles in glass containers — hurricane lanterns, jars or decorative lanterns — and set them along the aisle. Or line the aisle with wreaths. Decorative twig wreaths from a craft store can be embellished with seasonal touches such as moss or ivy in the spring or metallic ornaments and sprigs of holly in winter.
Be creative with your seating. Instead of the soon-to-be spouses’ families picking sides, place a sign outside the ceremony site that tells guests to “pick a seat, not a side” — as both families are joining as one. At an intimate wedding ceremony, seat guests in a circle, so everyone has a front-row view of the nuptials.
