Want a country-style wedding with rusticity and charm by the bucketful? Envisioning a glorious ride for two around the hayfield? See yourself gliding down the aisle in a fresh-as-summer cotton eyelet gown?
Then you've found the right place to help you pull off that special event you've always dreamed of!
Back to the Land
Start with a palette of earthy tones: yellows and golds, tans and umbers, sage and russet, celadon and cinnamon.
Then, try building the theme around your favorite rustic flower (like sunflowers, black-eyed susans or daisies), or a carefree member of the insect world, such as bees, butterflies or dragonflies.
For a venue, try a cornfield or a wheatfield, barn or cabin. Tents can travel to all kinds of charming spots. Call around for camps and lodges that lightly booked and eager for business (though be aware that really remote locales may pose challenges for grandparents in the Lincoln Town Car ... not to mention tricky logistics involving electricity, catering, DJs and so on).
A Touch of Country
Fancy up wedding arches, rafters and other focal spots with branches, bundles of corn stalks and sheaves of wheat. If you're lucky enough to be holding your event in a barn or a lodge, wrap any rafters and pillars in elegant twinkle lights.
More great accents: ears of dried corn, grapevine wreaths, hanging lanterns, and gourds and pumpkins (carve out your monogram, then give them some glow with a votive or a battery-powered light).
To jazz up personal focal points like favors and place settings, start with raffia ties and cinnamon sticks, individual wheat stalks or lavender springs, or Mason jars, burlap bags and small pots of jam or honey.
Country-Style Centerpieces
It's simple to set the table with a little down-home glory. Candles are inherently rustic, so start there: tealights floating in water-filled mason jars, for example. Or tuck pillar candles into terra cotta pots, or place in glass cylinders filled with popcorn, dried peas or coffee beans.
Casual flowers make a big, joyous statement at a reasonable price. Try massing cheerful sunflowers in galvanized pails or watering cans. (You can even use a sunflower's enormous, friendly face as your ring pillow.) Or instead of sunflowers, try sprays of shasta daisies, lupine and viburnum mixed in with small green apples wired to birch branches, or stuck to dowels. Another popular choice: group colorful Gerber daisies into simple mason jars.
Speaking of birch branches, elegant bare-branch centerpieces can be set in any pot and anchored with Quik-Crete for sturdiness. They look especially lovely when lit with hanging votives. Then, warm up those dark corners and windowsills with evocative punched tin lanterns.
More Ways to Make it Country
Give your guest an adorable first impression by hanging escort cards from wooden clothespins on a clothesline strung near the entrance.
Want some drama when it's time to walk back down the aisle as husband and wife? Equip your best men with the goods to create an arch of pitchforks!
Finally, once it's time to eat, dress up the chair backs at the sweetheart table with dramatic sheaves of wheat tied off with russet ribbons or roses. And if your main meal's held outside, you could set the stage with homey touches like buffet or serving tables made from planks set on hay bales and sawhorses. As for the guests, set up picnic-style seating with checkered, gingham or eyelet linens.
Galvanized washtubs look gorgeous filled with ice and drinks in vintage-style bottles (think: Stewart's Sodas — and ask your local suppliers about their best-tasting microbrews.) Don't forget the oversized jars filled with fresh iced tea and cold apple cider.
Treat your guests to home-cooked soul food like pot roast and pulled pork, fritters and cornbread, apple cider donuts and fruit pies.
As for cake, try any of the Autumn-style flavors on for size (spice or carrot, apple or pumpkin ...). Decorate with your favorite fresh flowers, making sure they're unsprayed and organic.
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Michelle
I don’t think you need real plates and silverware neccessarily. Have you thought of biodegradable plates and cups? Then you can be eco-chic which is really fashionable at the moment and very country.
Michelle - I would suggest the clear plastic plates, silverware and cups that Sam’s sells.
Hi Ashley and Michelle,
I haven’t got married yet but mine is booked in a gorgeous oak beamed barn in the English countryside next summer. We’re going to have a daisy theme (I think) and hang green foliage and fairy lights around all the beams. We’re having a buffet inside (you can’t trust the English weather!) and have a Ceilidh (celtic dancing but line dancing would do the same thing) to get everyone dancing after the meal. Later we’re going to get all our favourite party tunes together on an I-pod - we are asking people to let us know their favourite songs when they send their RSVPs so that everyone feels included and then just drink and be merry! Also as it’s in the middle of nowhere we’re offering people the chance to camp so they don’t have to drive or get taxis (this won’t suit everyone obviously so we’ll hire a bus to go to the nearest town at midnight). Later in the evening we might have a hog roast and something for the vegetarians. I have no ideas about colours though - having a nighmare deciding about the bridesmaid dresses!
IM GETTING MARRIED JULY 20TH 08 AND WE ARE DOING IT AT MY SISTERS RANCH, ITS PRETTY MUCH OUT IN AN OPEN FIELD, ITS COUNTRY RUSTIC THEME ALL THE WAY, WE ARE DOING A BBQ COOKOUT WITH CHICKEN, WE ARE AT THE END OF OUR FUNDS AND WERE THINKING OF USING PLATIC SILVERWARE AND STYROFOAM PLATES IS THAT OK, OR SHOULD I GET “REAL” PLATES AND SILVERWARE?
ALSO I WANT SOME MUSIC TO PLAY WHILE PEOPLE ARE WAITING AND I DONT WANT TO USE TRADIONAL WEDDING MUSIC, I WAS THINKING OF INSTRUMENTAL COUNTRY WITH LIKE GUITARS OR BANJOS OR ANYTHING, ANY OTHER IDEAS ARE WELCOME AS WELL….THANKS SO MUCH:D
SOON TO BE ~MRS. COPELAND~~
Ashley, welcome! Tell me just a little about your vision, or post or link to a pic that inspired you, and I’ll try to find some more ideas for you … country can mean so many things, just trying to find out what you’re thinking of. Do you have a venue?
Any Bride Out There That Has Had A Extremely Country Wedding I Need Your Help. Even If You just Had A Small Touch Of Country In Your Wedding, I Could Use The Help No matter How Small. If You Could Post Some Ideas I Eould Be So Thanful! Thank You Very Much.:P
Wow, I can give you a few ideas. I was married this last Saturday at a rustic church that was built in the late 1800’s. We had flowers that were just tied together with raffia and we used paper ribbon “paper twist” for all the bows. The lady hung grapvine wreaths in the windows and on some of the pews and we put bows on them. The men’s flowers had a little raffia tied around the stem. Very rustic. Our cake was set on a tree stump (you can find this idea at theknot.com). I made 5 kinds of homemade cookies and had large cookie jars (ikea…cheap) with brown paper sacks printed like our napkins for favors. My ring barrier carried a bird’s nest and the flower girl carried a plain basket with handle. The guys wore brown tuxes. We recycled our flowers from the wedding by making holders for the reception buffet table and we put them in there for the reception. We had a shoe string budget, so we made the most of everything. Our wedding was at 2:00 so for food we had meatballs in gravy, veggie tray, carved melon with fruit, cheese ball ring, and the biggest hit a potato bar. Everyone loved this. Instead of doing another cake we had a chocolate fountain for the groom. Everything turned out great and everyone loved the more laid back rustic approach. I hope all goes well for you too.
Can anybody out there please give me some ideas…
My wedding is aug of “08″. were getting married in the mtn.s the place is very rustic and it’s in ca. Need decorating ideas and colo scheme and music…
Thank you sooo much
do u have ides for a farm wedding
Back again for some more advice, I really appreciate all the amazing ideas earlier. I am set for June 7, 2008 with a camping themed wedding. I am currently working on the ceremony and need some suggestions for readings. It is a semi-casual affair, outdoor ceremony, we are going to have tree branches, and little teddy bears roasting marshmallows on the tables, dragon fly string lights, brown & green with hints of burgandy. Flowers are hopefully to include white daisies. PLEASE PLEASE help. We are NOT having a religious ceremony, it will be done by a magistrate. We want to keep it simple, but sweet. THANKS!
I am getting married on June 28th. Were have our wedding out on the lawn next to an old barn. The reception will be in the barn.I am trying to plan a wedding that has a rustic country feel. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas or pictures for decorations? I have been looking on line for a website that helps plan a wedding with this kind of feel, with no luck. Does anyone know of any websites I should check out. Thank you very much, I hope you can help me.
Susie
Melanie,
I don’t live in CT, but maybe you can find a state/national park near you. There are always weddings at park and usually the venue fee is very reasonable. Also, who doesn’t love a state park. The grounds are always kept extremely nice and there are always lots of natural wildlife, flowers, scenery to work with. Also, if your reception is going to be relaxed, such as a bbq would suggest, a park/natural area would be a perfect place to hold a wedding/reception. If you are unsure about a location of a state park, I am sure you could call CT state parks main number and recieve info about locations. Hope this helps.
My boyfriend and I bith want a rustic barn/out door wedding. We live in south eastern Connecticut and I cant find a location. Any ideas?
I am looking to do a big barbeque
Help me sistas help me
Ooh, another lovely picture of a barn wedding. Love it!
Then, here’s some photos of a family getting ready for a barn wedding, setting up for barbeque, and tricking out all the tables. They actually brought trees into the barn, and decorated the trees and rafters with paper lanterns and twinkle lights. Gorgeous ‘rustic’ flowers, too — sunflowers, gladiolas — tons of color. This was a brilliant wedding.
Tina, a few photos/pics to get you started … first, a highly renovated barn, with really cute touches: hay bales, gorgeous ‘fall fruit’ cake, and personal photos of family & friends displayed with clothespins …
my daughter is getting married in a rustic williamsburg style barn with the reception there as well. we want it slightly rustic yet elegantly stated with hanging lights. any ideas
okay so my colors are Black, White, and Silver, but i want it to look cowboyish not to country but just touches here and there, are the colors i choose okay for a country themed wedding?
Kathy, while people might not advertise it on billboards you are definitely NOT alone in having a wedding that didn’t quite live up to your dreams. Sometimes these huge events just don’t go right. You hear about brides who are just so disgusted with how it went that they want to do the whole thing over again. The expense is boggling!
If you can retake some photos and salvage some joy from a do-over of this very important part of any wedding, the photos, I think that is brilliant, not tacky. You’ll have pictures you truly love to show your children, and whether or not the wedding disasters ever get distant enough to be, well, slightly droll (IF they do!), you’ll at least have these photos to savor.
Hey thanks Blake! I didn’t get to take any pictures outside on our wedding day because it had poured rain for 2 days before my wedding. I was very disappointed. Not only that my hair was a huge disaster. I would love several different kinds of photos. I love black and white so definetly some of those and any other ideas you might have are very welcome. Thanks agian!