Salute the Spring with a Cherry Blossom Wedding
Cherry blossoms are beloved: by the Chinese, the Japanese, fashionistas, home decorators, girly-girls and poets. They stand for virtue and new beginnings. Even more, they stand for ephemeral things: our lives, our joys, and those all-too-brief times on cloud nine, like your wedding day.
Chocolate brown and strawberry pink: these two are still going very, very strong for weddings, and look great together. The cherry blossom theme lets you not only draw on those lovely colors (or spin a new set altogether), but bring a sophisticated Asian flair to your reception without having to wade in too deep.
Setting the Scene
People journey from all over the globe, East and West, from Tokyo to Washington, D.C. to see the cherry blossoms peep out in spring. What makes everyone gasp (and return year after year) is the sensation of being surrounded by a snowstorm of flowers: overhead, the "cloud layer" of flowering branches; below, the thickly-laid "snowflakes" of individual petals.
Bring a similar feel to your own wedding by celebrating the outdoors. If your climate and date will play along, marry outdoors with a thick layer of flower petals carpeting the aisle like a mini snowstorm. For centerpieces, use compact flowers that suggest cloudy skies, like hydrangeas or peonies in delicate colors. Group them with crystal-beaded willow for dramatic height, and scatter petals generously down the table runners.
Finally, take a page from celebrity planner Jo Gartin's playbook, and give your venue a scent dimension. Have a helper spray around the room with something slightly Asian, slightly sweet — but not too overpowering — before your guests arrive.
More ways to give your affair that Pan-Asian flair
Hand your bridesmaids pink oil-paper parasols, or sandalwood fans.Instead of the usual flat satin, coordinate all your gowns with beautiful, rich brocade sashes.
Candy's sweet, like spring — and love — so consider a candy buffet, stocked with heaps of pink and chocolate treats. Set out personalized pink take-out boxes for guests with a sweet tooth.
Take advantage of the sumptuous, you-could-frame-this papers designed to celebrate the cherry blossom. Use these to design absolutely one-of-a-kind invitations, save the dates, paper fans or favor tags. Lightly spray your invites with that special signature scent to get guests in the mood.
For jewelry, look to lacy, filigreed silver pieces — or pearls.
Libations are an important part of any blossom-viewing party, so mix up a special drink: champagne with a candied cherry, or a custom cosmopolitan.
To add a bit of glow, hang round paper lanterns from the ceiling, and place shoji-style lanterns on the tables.
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Well i am making my own cherry blossom decorations at my wedding, here is a pic….the only thing is i am having red instead of pink. That was the only paper i had so i tested it out and i love it.
wow that i beautiful…if i wanted to recreate this look what did you use and where did you get the stuff…
One of my really close friends plans on using the cherry blossom theme for her September 2009 wedidng…we need help putting together the Bouquet for her to carry. Any suggestions?
nadia,
with the cherry blossom theme i would carry a simple wedding bouquet of roses, in either white or a shade of pink. make sure your roses are in top notch condition and if they are real have a vase of water to set them in before and after the ceremony. google image diy wedidng bouquet
I am planning a late may-june 2010 japanese cherry blossom wedding and I will be wearing a white kimono for my wedding dress. I will also be wearing a “uchikake” or formal robe over the kimono for the ceremony.
I attached a photo, I am trying to find the right color combo’s to go with my 3 ladies/men in the wedding party. The ladies are considering kimono! which I love, but may be too expensive for them to purchase. 
Any thoughts to help pull it all together more? I’ll be having pink and white cherry blossom theme at the reception, thanks to all the beautiful suggestions I have seen here, it is helping tremendously in decision making there!
windy,
why not consider a silvery grey for the girls? the pink your using would stand out against their dresses. the guys could wear darker grey. i love your attire!! it is breathtaking! you could also consider having the girls and guys in brown or black. if they go with standard dresses why not tie in a asian ribbon sash around the dresses? something simple yet would tie it all together. just head to your local fabric store and find a pink asian influenced embroidered fabric to make into simple sashes, not to wide, add to a black or brown dress and voila!!
Stacey,
…but we’re getting there! Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the compliments, ideas. I never considered the silvery-grey/platinum and I was already considering the gents in charcoal~ maybe not pink on them lol
Keep the imagination flowing
I thought you ladies might enjoy this DIY-heavy cherry blossom wedding: great ideas for inexpensive centerpieces, a gorgeous cupcake/cake, and as a third color the bride used gold, which is unexpected and lovely here. Oh and you must see the DIY invites!
* My DIY wedding on a budget
I love that pink and brown together I am goin to use them colors for my wedding thinkings for the idea
Fun new cherry blossom favor gals! Seriously, we love these!
Perfect for you pink & black brides. Clicky-clicky on the pic!
I went to the website whiteaisle.com to buy some pink cherry blossom branches (the $6 ones) and they are back-order until april, MY WEDDING IS IN LATE MARCH!!!! Does anybody know anyother website where i can buy some of these beautiful pink cherry blossom branches??? HELP!!!
Hi Rebecca, esperanza — try ebay, some brides here have used the silk ones and liked them. I just checked and there seems to be a good selection.
Here’s a link: cherry blossom silk flowers
Save-On-Crafts.com We’ve already ordered a sample. They are perfect except…they are listed as peach blossoms. They look like cherry. The branches even look real. We loved them and got them immediately. Hope this helps.
I just bought some at Pier 1. They are beautiful. I believe they are $12 for a bundle of 4-5.
Rebecca - my daughter is having a cherry blossom wedding next month in DC and I found beautiful long branches of silk cherry blossom stems at Michael’s and we are using one in each of the guest welcome bags - they have long pliable stems and are very reasonably priced - they have them in white and pink. I brought a coupon for discount on one item and they wrapped up 50 together with a bough and let me use the coupon the whole lot of them!
http://www.save-on-crafts.com
One more idea for those of you who are insanely crafty. “The Flirty Bride” at The Flirty Guide blog posted a DIY tutorial on origami cherry blossom branches, which if you think about it just about perfect for an Asian-fusion wedding. Plus, they look gorgeous in the pic. Her instructions are here:
http://www.theflirtyguide.com/tfg_everyday/3_origami_cherry_blossoms.html
Check out: http://www.estiloweddings.com …they have “japan flower stems” very, very similar to the ones from white aisle with the beads and everything! I ordered the chocolate brown and pink cherry blossom wedding card box from them and its amazing!!!The blossoms they have only come in red and white or green though and i need the pink ones from white aisle so unfortunately my search is still on. I am freaking out as i get married in May! If anyone knows of any other place to get similar cherry blossoms to white aisle please, please let me know!
hi my wedding is on valentine’s day and i can’t find cherry blossoms anywhere i don’t think whiteaisle has them do you know any other place they might hav them?
I am planning a cherry blossom renewal of vows in June 2010. Going to this web site has helped me a lot in getting prepared. I need help with the men. My colors are brown and pink or black and pink. I like the dresses listed above from bill levkoff. Tuxes and centerpiece ideas.
Hi I am having a july wedding and really want cherry blossoms, is this to tacky???
oh also with the color red???
michelle, no its not tacky, cherry blossoms are great! love the red by the way!
* cherry blossom board in red, gold & burgundy
* Cherry Blossom Shower Theme: The Return
( love the light feel of this one)
* Red Cherry Blossom Wedding Invitations (Sample)
i ove the cherry blossoms i was wondering where you got yours because i can’t find any floral store in nj
I think this is a great idea!!! If you want real flowers try getting some leafy branches and have mini red carnations hot glued to the branches they will look just likc red cherry blossoms! I did this with pink for my june wedding since the season was warm and the real thing was out of bloom already
Here’s a totally sweet cherry blossom/love birds theme wedding, red and chocolate brown, with super-hot florals. Click through for a few more pics: Rhonda & Erik’s Wedding
brides, here is a great website for cherry blossom theme!! many items!! dont miss this site!!
* Aylee: Cherry blossoms
jody, in addition to the post i sent, here is an amazing take on an invite. a oriental fan wedding invite! pricey but absolutely amazing!!
* Oriental Fan Wedding Invitation ( this site has pink ones)
* Printed Asian Fan (scroll way down to bottom)
Sorry the photos did not post last time. Kets try this again…
Beautiful pictures! One question… what did you use for your bouquets?
I used peonies. White with pink center for myself and my girls carried pink one.s They were pretty
is it possible to see a picture of your bouquets? These sound gorgeous. I am having a cherry blossom wedding in may and and throwing around different flower ideas right now.
where did you find the dresses?
bill levkoff
Those gowns are amazing.
Amazing dresses!!
were did you get the dresses?
Hi, I saw the pic that u have up from your brides maits, and i am planning my sisters wedding. I have not been able to find the dresses, I was wondering if you can tell me how or where u got the dresses. They are excately what Im looking for. PLEAS!!!!!!!!!
Thank you.
I had an asian cherry blossom theme wedding in June of 2008. Everything was beautiful. Our cake was done by Ron Ben Israel in NYC. We had cherry blossom centerpieces with hanging tapered votives. My Bridesmaid dresses were black and pink by Bill Lekoff. The pink sash on the dress had cherry blossoms embroidered onto it. Our invitations were by Elizabeth Allis & Co in Chigaco IL. We gave stemless wine glasses with cherry blossoms etched onto the front with our names and chop sticks wth cherry blossoms as our favors. Please e-mail me if you need any help I still have all of my links and photos from my planning. Here are a few pics from my wedding hope this helps! my email is babybeiiaxo@aol.com
Caitlin, thanks so much for posting the pics, I think I would have died if you had just mentioned that Ron Ben Israel did your cake and then not posted pics.
Hi My name is Felisha and I am assisting with a Cherry Blossom (pink and chocolate brown) themed wedding in July and would love to see some pics of your wedding and especially the center pieces as floral arrangements are my weak spot and I have no idea what to put together. All suggestions are welcome.
Sincerley,
Felisha J.
where did you get your cherry blossoms at specifically
i want to download a cherry blossom branch to make my own table decor for my daughter’s wedding…any suggestions? I absolutely love what you had at your wedding.
thank you,
maureen
mother of the bride… (who lives in DC)
i want to do a cherry blossom wedding but need to do the center pieces myself so we can stay on our budget please let me know of silk artificial cherry blossoms thanks
yolanda, if your local craft store doesnt have them. google search silk cherry blossoms they have tons of places.
I needed to do the same and make my own Cherry Blossom Centerpieces….i found a beautiful Cherry blossom stick at… whiteaisle
There about $7.oo a piece but well worth it. Hope that helps
I am having a cherry blossom wedding in May and have been trying to think up some ideas for centerpieces. Do you mind if i ask you what you did? These silk’s from whiteaisle look amazing! Did you just put them in a vase and set that as your centerpiece? We are having an asian themed cherry blossom wedding and I am trying to get ideas for asian type centerpieces, somehow incorporating the cherry blossom. Our colors are chocolate brown, pinks and white. Can anybody suggerst ANYTHING? I am at a loss. Thanks
misa, have you thought about laying branches flat length wise on table and incorporating candles here and there? or cluster candles and within and around base add cherry blossoms. also another idea would be… have your different heights of pink candles in glass containers or glass containers of pebbles at bottom, and floating candles ( i love cylinder vases best) then at on e side of the table(if square or rectangular have an amazing “cherry blossom tree” to one side. this might be expensive, unless you can find branches at a bulk price. every table would have their own cherry tree. how gorgeous woul dthat be? another idea set simple branches in vases and from branches suspend candles or framed pics of you and your fh. it would definitely be a conversation starter.
* Cherry Blossom wedding / cupcake tower
Stacey!! Thank you soooo much for the ideas!!! I may take bits of pieces of all the ideas you suggested and try something out! I have ordered some samples of silk cherry blossoms and when they arrive in the next few weeks i will post the pics here and let you all know how they are. They are not cheap that is for sure! I love this blog, you have all been sooo helpful!
How many cherry blossom sticks did you use per vase?
Are you by any chance done with your white aisle branches and perhaps willing to sell them? I wouldn’t ask this if i could order them from the website but i spoke to Rebecca at White aisle and they are backordered with the distributor until May and my wedding is in May. I am so desperate for these branches. I already ordered a few samples earlier on in the year and my florist is using these in our centerpieces. I went to order the rest and now they are backordered. Let me know if you would be willing to part with them if you are done using them. Thanks Misa
question - is it too weird/tacky to use silk cherry blossoms completely out of season? im planning on getting married in early sept. but i really want cherry blossoms. i know its my day and all….just looking for some confirmation really. thanks!
nichole, absolutely not!! i was doing research and found that some cherry trees actually bloom in fall, though the ones you see in japan are usually in the spring. this is what i would do. pick an autumn colored palette. keep it to cherry blossoms and say… sage or olive green dresses or brown dresses to adapt it better if it makes you more comfy. i love cherry blossoms too, and they do look fallish,rustic but ethereal because of their stems. all people will see is the beauty of your flowers! i just know it!
use what you love!! anything goes now! you can even have a tropical wedding theme in the dead of winter!, so give your wedding guest a time that is about renewal, new beginning, spring. if your still uncomfy then tie it in, in a different way. have a asian inspired wedding. subtle touches of asian here and there. like a monogram of your last intital in asian. use it everywhere. it would look great!! simple chopsticks as favors or ornate paper fans. sky is the limit. it will look so romantic and if you love travel it will look like you incorporated elements of trael into your wedding.
Poll! Yes, I know blue sounds a bit odd but it looks amazing with cherry blossoms! Will post some examples (eventually)
Hi, I am actually using black and white, the only colors that we are having will be the cherry blossoms themselves. i found some beautiful cherry blossom artificial flowers on ebay that we plan on arranging into a boquet with no other flowers.
Silk cherry blossoms are a great idea, whether as a DIY accent or your actual centerpieces or part of a bouquet. Real CBs are extremely fragile, they have a micro-short season, so even a florist will usually wire silk blooms to branches or use a sturdier look-alike flower.
There are some nice artificial CBs on eBay, check out these pink and white silk cherry blossoms sprays or if La’Tasha you can personally recommend a good supplier, let us know! Darn, this makes me want to order some for my office!
These are actually the ones I found I plan on wrapping them in silk ribbon with pins in them and carrying them like roses in a beauty pagent. I am not having a huge wedding party, I mean Its just going to be me and two flower girls my fiance preacher and two ring bearers, there are some interesting things I found and actually somethings I wouldnt mind getting opinions on, here are the wine glass we are using for toasing:
Lenox “Bellina” Stemware at Macy’s
this website also has a cherry blossom label we are using for our wine
Signature Wines Labels
thier prices are really decent too.
here are two of the invitations that i have made, I cant decide if I like the silver bow or the black one better, try not to be too critical of the invitations, as i have hand made them myself.
La’Tasha hi!! oh i love the black and white hands down, those glasses are beautiful!! nicely done!!
thanks, everything was fairly easy i got a few hot glue gun burns from making the bows, But my fiance’ isnt overly fond of the black bow mainly because the frame around that is silver, I may look for the silver bow in the same material as the black
Not to make like difficult for your fiancé but I love the black too!
They are beautifully done.
How did u get the fusia cherry blossom centerpiece?
How did you get the centerpiece of cherry blossom flowers in pink and white? this question is for Blake, i wanted the ones in pink, just like in the pic
Hi C., I searched ebay and I don’t see those exact sprays in the pic anymore, I guess that particular seller stopped selling them. Sorry about that! Maybe someone else knows where to get them now? I would check around ebay for similar items before giving up, though.
OK, I found all these beautiful red cherry blossom pics last night and wanted to give them some air time too!
So here is a sumptuous red-based cherry blossom wedding, the main colors are burgundy, red and gold. Around the edges there are lovely hints of pink and chocolate brown. The colors and fabrics are so rich (damask, brocade) that this feels like a cool-season, fall or winter wedding to me. Also personally I would use more burgundy than red. A lot of red and gold together seems a bit bright to the western eye but burgundy gives it more gravity and softens it up.
To me the heart of this board are two terrific photos: the WONDERFUL silk-screened cherry blossom ties in pic 9 and the burgundy CB cake in pic 11 by cakespace, what could be more beautiful.
Plus, I love that uplighting on the white blossom branches in pic 12. Stunning. I hope this gives someone a starting point!
some credits: 1. Wedding Cake - Japanese Style, 4. My favorite time of year for weddings!!, 5. Red Sakura, 6. Peony Flourish Save the Date Cards, 8. Sakura Season in Japan, 9. cherry burgundy ties, 11. Cherry Blossom Cake close up, 15. Peony wedding cake