Rustic Wedding Decorations to Style Your Big Day

just married couple holding handsWhen you think of rustic-themed weddings, autumn harvests, barns, and lots of wood probably comes to mind. While some brides prefer this aesthetic, others lean more bohemian or may even want a formal wedding outdoors in a rustic location. Sifting through all the options and figuring out how to incorporate them into your particular event can be tricky.

Here are some tips on rustic wedding decorations to style your big day.

Wedding Theme and Colors

A rustic themed wedding does not have to follow the traditional path of a casual outdoor weddings. However, if you decide to make your wedding a black tie affair, clearly list it on the invitation, as most guests assume outdoors equals informal.

If you opt for this route, really commit to the theme with deep, lush colors and lavish décor that offsets the natural surroundings. Jewel tones, including wine, deep purple, or even black, provide a dramatic flourish, particularly when offset by subtle tones like gray or off white.

If you decide you’d rather have a harvest-themed wedding, utilize a palette of reds, oranges, or yellows paired with natural tan or brown colors, as well as different textures like burlap.

Couples who choose a summer rustic wedding have their choice of color palettes. Muted pinks provide a vintage garden feel, while orange, turquoise, or mossy green create a pop against a subtle backdrop.

Whichever theme and colors you choose, make sure they blend with the natural décor around you. Too stark a contrast can prove distracting, and your guests will spend more time paying attention to the colors than to your ceremony.

Flowers

bouquet of various flowersWildflowers are the natural choice for a rustic-themed wedding, but they can be used to create an arresting bouquet.

There are dozens of potential options, depending on your theme, colors, and the season. Ask yourself if you are going for a country, woodsy, or harvest theme and consider how to play with jewel tones, traditional fall colors, or late summer colors like dark pink or deep peach.

If your wedding is in the late fall, considering mixing in dried wheat stalks or cattails to reinforce the harvest theme. Dahlias, roses, ranunculus, and even eucalyptus can provide a lovely jeweled bouquet. If you’re still trying to figure out how to incorporate “something blue,” look no further than cornflower daisies, which can offset lighter tones in a subtle but beautiful manner.

Additionally, if you’re the bohemian type and interested in an alternative to the traditional veil, consider making a flower crown for yourself and/or your bridesmaids to wear during the ceremony. Don’t forget to include your flower girl in the fun, too!

Guest Favors

bride in natural settingOne of the most fun parts of having a rustic themed wedding is selecting the favors for your guests. Typically, favors provide a small token of your special day that your guests can take with them to remember the newlyweds’ big day. Why not give them something that incorporates your theme?

If your wedding day leans more country-rustic, you could give them something home-made, packaged sweetly in a mason jar. If you’re leaning towards a green theme, you can give a small plant or packets of heirloom seeds.

Centerpieces, Arches, and Aisle Decorations

For those who choose to get married outdoors, a wooden arch is a perfect complement to the backdrop during your vows. Depending on your style, you can opt for a simple arch, entwined with a few vines, or liven things up with flowers, lights, or even ribbons.

If you opt to go the fancier route, try incorporating your wedding colors into the decorations for the arch so they mirror the decorations on the chairs in the aisle leading up to it.

Consider utilizing some of the same flowers as those in your bouquet or in the table centerpieces on the arch and aisle chairs and tying them with the same shades of ribbon. For the centerpiece, you could create a wreath incorporating the flowers on reception tables. These wreaths can encircle candles and mason jars or stand on their own. No two wreaths should be exactly alike, which will add to the rustic charm of the event. You can also use deer antlers as props for flowers to get the flora and fauna theme just right.

The rustic wedding theme shouldn’t just be limited to the fall. You can utilize it any time of the year with the right décor and color scheme. Additionally, don’t be afraid to think outside the traditional barn-and-wood decorations by adding pops of color and different textures to both the ceremony and the reception.

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