Image Courtesy of Southern Weddings Magazine

For the most special day in your life, it is a good idea to pay extra attention to detail. The current trend in weddings is going rustic. The old country theme not only seems unique but is also budget-friendly. Another good aspect of going country on your big day is that you can go Green. Eco friendliness is always appreciated and your guests will love to be part of an exceptional experience that they will long not forget.

To make your wedding a rustic one, make a list of all you have to do. First thing is to choose a place, which will best suit your wedding. The outdoors are great for a day wedding. Choose a lush scenic location in the countryside, or have it at a nearby hall where you can add vintage décor. To make it more unique you can even have a barn wedding, or use your backyard. Plan as early as a few months ahead of time, so you can get all things done early for a stress free wedding day. Choose your Maid Of Honor, Bridesmaids, Flower Girls, Best Man and Ring Bearer. Their western dressing and country style boots will add more style to the wedding. The vintage wedding invitation card will look nice in country style colors and fonts. This way guest will realize they need to put on their cowboy boots and hats for your wedding.

When it is time to choose a wedding cake make sure it is not so traditional. Add a country look to it by using some trees and green leaves for decoration. Try looking for some good bakers and check their quality before placing your order. Choose your wedding dress wisely so you can add a pair of white bridal boots for the complete rustic look. Try something out from the late nineteenth century, and you can also have an antique looking hat to match the dress. The groom will look nice in a country tuxedo with a cowboy hat and boots.

All of the other wedding details need to reflect the theme. For the tables you can choose old tables and make each table look different, one from another. The mismatched place setting looks very attractive and gives the country side feel. You can find some antique tables with friends, family, at the flea market or the antique shop. You can also try renting some vintage plates, glassware and flatware for the day.

If you have a fall wedding you can use pumpkins on the table and just color these white. Or you can try to use flowers in a wooden vase. You can also use raw cotton to decorate flowers and use with a variety of grasses for decoration. The colors need to be muted, so the couple stands out. Use white, cream, beige and tan in the thematic décor. Try to bring all decor items together in harmony with these colors, so the reception wows your guest. To add more of a vintage flavor, use chalk boards in the wedding. Write the ceremony programs, outline you menu and use these as table numbers as well. You can also use these for guiding directions.

To make sure you have vintage green wedding here are a few things you need to consider:
- Use local and organic food and flowers from the nearest location.
- Order food keeping in view number of guest to avoid wastage.
- Get reusable kegs instead of glass bottles.
- Use steel or silver cutlery and flatware instead of plastic.
- Instead of paper use rice paper with soy ink.

Getting a good rustic wedding planner can also help a lot. Couples who wish to save money may also want to look for eco friendly things while hiring a planner who will help save money. Green weddings are really in as everyone is trying to save money for other things.

If you are planning an outdoor wedding in the fall, a well-kept local barn could provide the perfect rustic venue for your wedding reception. A reception in a barn reflects the Bride and Groom’s love of nature and the environment and can provide a comfortable space for guests to mingle. The large and open architecture of a barn allows more than ample space for dancing, eating, and entertaining your guests. The open airiness of a barn will also provide you and your guests will plenty of fresh air and a respite from the Sun. Just be sure that the animals have been removed and the barn is thoroughly cleaned and aired out to get rid of any smells that may linger.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to transform a rural farm building into a picturesque and cheerful site for your wedding reception. For example, if you desire a rustic, country themed reception, you could use hay bales covered with bandanas or denim as seating. Round or long banquet-style tables can be covered with checkered cloth or burlap and bouquets of wildflowers, sunflowers, or daisies placed in glass milk bottles, mason jars, or even hollowed-out pumpkins or other gourds could serve as centerpieces. Fall is typically the most beautiful season of the year so consider using colored leaves in your centerpieces as well. To display pictures or seating cards, consider using wooden clothespins hung on a clothesline.

For a more elegant reception, tables can be covered with crisp white linens and napkins. Some flowers that are readily available in the fall and would provide a lovely pop of color to your centerpieces are: roses, hypericum berries, amaryllis, calla lilies, iris, and mums to name just a few. Fabric can be draped over areas that need to be covered and large plants or even potted trees can be arranged around the space. Barns usually don’t have much lighting so to create a warm and inviting ambiance, holiday twinkle lights are inexpensive, readily available, and can be wrapped around posts and paper lanterns can be hung from the ceiling. Votive candles placed on tables can provide a chic and pleasing glow during dinner. Keep in mind that it is a very good idea to exercise caution when using any candles in a barn.

Seed packets tied with bows made of raffia, jars of honey or jam decorated with personalized labels, caramel apples, fall-scented candles, even personalized drink bottles placed in galvanized buckets are all favor ideas that will fit in with your fall wedding theme.

For an outdoor wedding reception venue during the fall season, a well-kept barn is hard to beat. The rustic charm of a barn is economical and lends itself to anything you can imagine. From a country/western theme to the most elegant wedding reception, a barn can provide a comfortable, original, and beautiful venue that you and your spouse are looking for and guests will remember for years to come.

All About Dessert Tables

The dessert table could be put in place of a cake or you could have it as a part of your wedding décor. You will be surprised how well placed food could make for a great wedding accent.  A dessert table is one of the wedding accents that draw people in right away. Pretty colors, decadent sweets and a beautiful layout are sure to catch the eyes of your guest.

A few things to keep in mind before you set up your fabulous dessert table for your outdoor ceremony.

• Make sure you keep in mind of the outside temperature so you can take the appropriate measures to keep your sweet treats from melting.
• If you are having kids at or in your wedding, you may want to have someone keep an eye out for the dessert table. We wouldn’t want to little to make a mess.
• If you or your groom want to taste a certain dessert and you have more than enough to display for your guest, feel free to take one sweet treat aside and hide it. If not, the night will come and go and you wouldn’t have gotten a taste of your dessert.

#1.  Potted Plants—Try having a few potted plants as centerpieces for your wedding. Be unique, have different types of plants making a circle in the center of your table or if you are having long table you can have the potted plants going down the center of the table. The potted plants could act as favors and a great eco-friendly centerpiece.

#2. Birdcage with Flowers—This unique centerpiece will definitely be the talk of your reception. The birdcage adds a great touch for outdoor wedding, especially a beach wedding. While yellow flowers are very pretty, you can use any bright color that goes along with your theme to make your tables pop.

#3. Rustic Centerpieces—Get really creative and create a nice rustic or vintage style centerpiece by using an older base and some fresh colorful flowers. Depending on your wedding colors you could also incorporate bowls of fruit as your centerpiece; this will complete your rustic outdoorsy feel and add a unique touch to your ceremony.

Country-Style Wedding: What to Look For When Picking Out an Outdoor Venue

• Open Landscape: Look for a venue with a nice open landscape. It would be nice if you could have it in a park, on a ranch, on a farm or better yet in a relative’s backyard. The open landscape gives you room to create a country style wedding that fits your personality.
• Nice Huge Trees: Trees could be used to hang rustic signage or simply used as décor for your ceremony. Using nature to the best of your ability will help bring out that rustic country feel.
• A Farm House: Having your wedding in front of a farm house will make for great pictures. It will definitely incorporate the country-farm style appeal.

Accents That Bring Out Your Country Style Wedding

• Flowers: Sunflowers or Daisies are a great accent to a country style wedding. It’s a great way to add color and to add a hint of pizzazz.
• Wooden Signage: Making wooden signs adds a rustic feel to your ceremony. It also adds a DIY charm to your country style nuptials.
• Stacks of Hay: Accenting your ceremony with stacks of hay helps to lure your guest in with a farm-like style.
• Honey Jars: We can’t have a country style wedding and leave out the favors. You can let your guest take home their very own personalized jars of honey; this will add a country charm to your wedding reception.

If you and your groom are looking to saddle up on your wedding day, “The Wild West” would be the perfect theme for you! With this fun theme you can choose to have your vows exchanged at a cottage, a farm, a ranch or even a picnic park, it’s all up you!  Make sure that you double check on any permits that you may need.

First you should plan to have the wedding location decked out in country western decorations! Here’s a great idea: find some cowboy boots from a thrift store, fill them with your favorite flowers and use them as nice centerpieces.  If there are any picnic tables around, use red checkered table cloths and hay bales for seating. If you have any trees or bushes nearby, you could string lights all through to add some drama to your western wedding ceremony.

Second, if you are having a “Wild West” wedding theme it’s a must that you some country tunes to go along with the ceremony.  Trust me, your guest will have a blast square dancing and line dancing to some good old country music.

In addition to the good country music, we can’t forget about the food for the reception.  It’s not a real wedding hoedown without some finger licking barbeque, roast pigs fried chicken and ribs. Your guest will definitely be ready for a hearty meal after all of that of dancing.

To be sure that you are staying true to your “Wild West” theme here are some extra tips that will help you have the hoedown wedding of your dreams.

• When you send out invitations make sure they have a western theme. For example, cowboy boot invitations or cactus invitations, anything that ties in with country western will be fabulous!
• If you want to incorporate your theme into your wedding attire, the bride could wear some rhinestone encrusted cowboy boots and the groom could wear a cowboy hat.
• To top it all off at the end of the reception, you and your groom could leave via hay ride or horse drawn carriage! That will absolutely end the night country western style!

Since you couldn’t make it to the west to have your wedding, these great ideas will help bring “The Wild West” to you and help you have a remarkable wedding shindig!