Rustic Centerpieces and More - Beyond Mason Jars

Rustic themed weddings are becoming more and more popular.  New "barn-like" venues are opening up everywhere.  Many brides love the look of mason jars for their rustic weddings, and I agree that they're a wonderful element to enhance that rustic feel.  But I felt the need to explore other ideas and design some new ideas for the Rustic Bride.  Many of these containers I will be renting to my brides - others are for sale.  A huge THANK YOU to Ron DLutz (dlutzphoto.com) for his fabulous photography skills!

 I have a series of three "corroded" containers - two differently shaped watering cans and one bucket - that have a definite rustic charm to them.  There is a hit of a bluish/green tint to them. These can be used separately on each guest table and are available for rent from Whimsical Welcomes.

Yes, I love chickens.  I have them all over my kitchen walls. And while I do understand that they are very "county", they also fit the bill for a rustic wedding. So I've been collecting ceramic chickens that hold flowers, containers that have chickens painted on them, small ceramic chickens for decoration, and several buckets with pictures of chickens on them. I have so many more than those pictured above.  My large chickens can be used by themselves on a guest table or in conjunction with other items.  For instance, I've filled a small produce basket (I've got lots for sale) with apples.  Any fruit, veggie, gourd, or pumpkin will work.  I've also filled one chicken's wheelbarrow with succulents for a different look.  These chickens are for sale and would work best with a color palette which includes red, yellow, white, bright blue, and/or green.

These amazing containers are perfect for a rustic wedding.  They are glass jars with almost "rusty" lids full of holes to hold flowers.  Each container sits in a metal holder with arms.  I have them in three sizes and they are available for rent or for sale.  The branch frame would look perfect decorated with a bit of flowers and holding a photo of the happy couple inside.  This is for rent and would be decorated by Whimsical Welcomes.

I've looked for ways to decorate a rustic wedding using fairly inexpensive pieces and I found a great combination.  First I located these rustic looking lanterns, which I will gladly rent out.  You can buy your own real pillar candle or use an LED candle inside of it.  I can also arrange flowers around the outside of the lanterns or inside the lanterns if you like that idea.  I paired these replica rustic metal pitchers or measuring cups with the lanterns to use on the tables that don't have my flowers on them.   They have a lip and a handle.  These are for rent or for sale. I think they look terrific together!

When I think rustic - I think rust!  Perfect for fall are another inexpensive set of rustic elements.  The flowers are arranged in a rusty bucket.  At the top I've sprayed rusty stars and then used wheat among the flowers to mimic the spray design.  Paired with the rusty buckets are two options.  I've wrapped a pillar candle with a garland of rusty stars and placed it in a rusty dish for table protection. To increase the space, I'd use some kind of Fall leaves, rose petals, or some of the fabulous fall "acorns" I have.  These items are all for sale.  Another option are my metal pumpkins.  They can be used in a simple manner holding a votive candle. Again, something should be scattered around the base.  But I have also done flowers in a wreath holding the pumpkin and flowers inside the pumpkins.  The metal pumpkins are available for rent.

Want something different for your rustic wedding ceremony?  Our artist painted the names of the bride and groom on each of these watering cans which sat on pillars for their wedding ceremony.

I used ribbon on these produce buckets to mimic the color of the dahlias.  I have baskets with two colors already painted on them for sale.

Antique cans - and even some interesting new cans, can be filled with flowers or flowering plants for rustic centerpieces.  I've collected a number of these for sale. Behind the can is a red glass vase shaped like an old milk can which works for a red and white rustic wedding .  The bouquet off to the left is wrapped in twine and decorated with red heart buttons.

Another of my cans - this one for rent or sale.

I have a small version of wheelbarrow which I've filled with veggies.  This would add a rustic flair to a placecard table.

I own a lot of adorable berry boxes that can be lined with any kind of moss and then filled with flowers.  These can certainly alternate with another rustic container.  The baskets are for sale - a real bargain!  I have the perfect idea for the two antique farm funnels.  One can be painted by our artist with the bride and groom's names on them - the other with their wedding date.  They would look terrific paired up on the placecard table and make a terrific memento. And they only need to hold one large flower!  These are for sale if you want them painted or for rent if not.

These are two very different types of containers but will absolutely work well for a rustic wedding.  I wanted to find some things that would work with white and lighter colors.  The container on the left is a replica of an old butter container.  Any color ribbon can be wrapped around it's neck.  I also have white replica milk containers that would work with these.  The second pot is a painted clay pot made in Portugal with a blue design around the top.  It reminds me of the countryside in Tuscany, Italy.  These containers would also be beautiful with yellow and white flowers too!  The bouquet is done with coral roses, baby's breath, and dusty miller.

I thought I'd add in a few more rustic bridal bouquets.  I use raffia, twine, burlap, and buttons to add rustic elements to boquuets.

Wooden elements always add a touch of rustic to  wedding. The pink flowers are arranged in pots covered in birch bark. The bottom tree logs were made by my husband from trees that have fallen on our property.  They are so popular for rental that he is going to be making more this winter. I've also got lots of pictures of tall arrangements done with branches for weddings.

Finally I've got several gray container to be used for rustic weddings. On the left are gray "garden" produce type baskets.  In the center are gray, weathered wooden boxes.  For this shoot I filled it with a flowering plant. And to the right is a gray two-handled metal bucket filled with flowers and mini-peppers.  All of these items are for sale.  I can also fill the large produce baskets with flowers for a ceremony. It doesn't get more rustic than that!

I've been gathering a lot of of ideas and containers for rustic elements.  I've got even more in my workshop to share - many are one-of-a- kind items.  I'd love to help you design your rustic wedding.  Please ask me lots of questions and let me know what you like about the ideas I've shared.  Leslie

Julie & Josh = Joy!

Julie wanted to use bright, fun colors for her wedding and chose a mix of brilliant pink, radiant orange, and lime green. So for her bouquet, I used a pretty mix of fuscia roses, orange ranunculus, and green hypericum berries all wrapped up in fuscia ribbon. I also used the fuscia rose for Josh's boutonniere.  Thanks to my friend Ron Dlutz for taking the bouquet photos for me!

 Bridesmaids carried a mix of orange spray roses and bright pink mini-carnations. Groomsmen wore boutonnieres made up of the orange spray roses.

The ceremony flowers were waiting to be put on the pedestals on this very, very windy day.  The bright orange, pink, and green flowers really "pop"!

 I put bright orange Asian lilies in bright pink vases for the cocktail tables and added some colorful ting ting. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the placecard table flowers.

We created an array of brightly colored Spring flowers for guest table centerpieces and double wrapped the square glass containers.

The smaller flower arrangements on the sweetheart table replicated those on the guest tables.

Thank you to Julie and Josh for having me help you with your special day. My best to you always!

Katie & Tim - Yay for Yellow!

You would expect someone called Katie to be adorable - and this bride was absolutely that and more!  She was a delight to work with and was just so happy about everything. What a wonderful way to enjoy life!

I originally met Katie and her sister at my very first Bridal Blossoms Show.  The next time was at my home to plan her wedding.   Katie wanted to use a color palette of yellow, white, and blue with touches of gray.  She was hoping to add a touch of "vintage fun" to her wedding and I think that we provided that for Katie and Tim through several elements.

Katie loved the craspedia - the little round flower balls often called Billy Balls, so we added lots of them into bridal party flowers.  Katie's bouquet also included white mini calla lilies, pale yellow alstromeria, white lisianthus, and a collar of gray dusty miller. Tim wore a white calla lily boutonniere with a craspedia at the base.

The bridal party wore gray dresses. Katie's wonderful sister Tara.  her MoH, carried a bouquet of white alstromeria, craspedia,  and yellow mini calla lilies.

Bridesmaids bouquets were made up of white alstromeria and craspedia.

All groomsmen wore boutonnieres of craspedia.

The young flower girl wore a halo of yellow satin flowers and carried a very light weight pomander made of tulle and yellow satin flowers.  I make these for the little ones because they can wear them on their wrists if they prefer - they have no heft to them at all! 

Katie & Tim's ceremony took place in the gorgeous National Historic Landmark Church - St. Peter's Church in Society Hill. This church was built on land donated by William Penn's sons.  The first service took place on September 4, 1761 and has been in continuous use through Katie and Tim's August, 2013 wedding and ever after.

The couple's reception was held at the Society Hill Dance Academy - right outside of HeadHouse Square.  There were a few cocktail tables scattered throughout the layout so we added simple blue vases of yellow and white daisies.

I added a blue vase of yellow zinnias to the sign-in table. 

Since Katie and Tim are both involved with mathematical careers, they "named" their tables after mathematical equations.  We did some tablescaping on half of the guest tables - each one slightly different - but they all contained a clear glass vase, a blue vase, and a vintage-like yellow ceramic piece.  

The other half of the guest tables held large bowls of yellow Asian lilies and daisies.  If you look closely you'll notice that I added a fun yellow and a white "daisy" collar to each bowl to hold the flowers. I also added yellow bubbles into the base of the bowl.

Thank you again to Katie and Tim for having me be a part of your special day.  I wish you a long and happy life together.

Angela and Andrew - Daisies Galore!

Angela wanted to use a color palette of white, green, and yellow for her wedding. She loved daisies, so they were a natural for this absolutely adorable wedding at Penn Oaks CC. Angela worked hard and added a lot of her own personal details to her wedding. And daisies became our theme! We had daisies line the aisle. Daisies painted on watering cans. Daisy pomanders. Daisy bridesmaids' bouquets. I even had ceramic pots of daises to use! Everything came together so well! This was so much fun to work on and it will always be one of my favorite weddings!  Thank you to Ron DLutz photography for the professional pictures.

Angela loved craspedia so I tucked it in among her beautiful white peonies and lemon leaf. Notice the daisy buttons I added to her bouquet wrap! Andrew's boutonniere was also made up of craspedia.

Bridesmaids' bouquets were made up of daisies, craspedia, and solidater. Groomsmen wore matching daisy boutonnieres.

The flower girls carried pomanders of silk white daisies.

 The ringbearer carried a nest of daisies and "pretend" rings.  I don't advise giving little boys the real wedding bands. Better safe then sorry!

I had two watering cans painted with daisies and the name of the bride and groom. I filled them with yellow, white, and green flowers for the ceremony. They stood on pillars in front of the gazebo.

I had "wicker" daisies that I tied bows/streamers around and stuck in the grass to line the aisle. This was a fun, inexpensive way to add a touch of whimsy and color to the ceremony.

Just something cute for the cocktail tables - I taught Angela how to make these containers out of straws and added daisies.

 Guests found their seats on this windowpane.  I filled two boxes that Angela had constructed with wheatgrass and daisies to flank the window.

 This mailbox was used for guests to hold messages to Angela and Andrew from guests.  She added a blackboard explanation and lots of pens and paper.

Also on the placecard table were honey favors that were personalized with tags from the couple.

 I showed Anglea sets of golden yellow ceramic containers that I had purchased to use on half of her tables.  If you look closely at the vase it has daisies all over it.  They were just perfect for this wedding and were filled with white and yellow daisies and a touch of green hypericum berries.

 For the other half of the tables, Angela added a green candle to mason jars.  To either side of the jars, I filled smaller versions of the daisy ceramic containers with flowers.

Angela was such a pleasure to work with.  All of her personal touches really helped make her wedding uniquely them.  I wish Andrew and Angela the best always!