I had the great honor of styling my cousin's wedding last weekend in Lancaster, PA. The bar and property were incredible, the company warm and laid back, the weather perfect.
This beautiful couple wanted a casual, relaxed feel that would be cozy yet fun for their guests. The whole affair was very laid back with a bonfire late night, s'mores kits for all, and camping in tents for all that wanted to stay over. I loved all of their "out of the box" ideas!
10 EASY IDEAS FOR A RUSTIC COUNTRY CHIC WEDDING:
1. Hanging decorations. Whether you hang flowers, paper flowers, vines, ornaments or pom poms (as we did here) take advantage of the height found in rustic barns or tall country spaces. If outside, hang some whimsy from the trees or inside a large tent.
2. Hay bale seating. A cozy hay bale couch screams "shabby chic" and is also an easy way to create. It gives you extra seating and adds a simple, relaxed elegance to your wedding at the same time. Throw a sheet, blanket, or table cloth over them and add throw pillows.
3. Tea Staining. If you can't get your hands on vintage lace (or only have white like I did), tea staining is the way to go to add those beautiful cream or champagne colors to your lace or linens. Boil a big pot of water, add in 8-10 black tea bags. Reduce to low and throw in any lace, sheet, or fabric you'd like to darken. Check it every few minutes to check the color. About 5-10 minutes will stain it to a nice ivory. 15 -30 minutes will deepen in to cream, ecru, or champagne. Results depend on the age and type of fabric, but those estimates should get you pretty close.
4. Hang a backdrop. We used ribbon and lace to create a large backdrop to block off one section of the barn, and another smaller version for the photo booth below.
5. The Photo Booth. We picked up these cute paint-yourself wooden photo props at Joann's, but you can also find a lot of printable versions on line.
6. Mason jars. You can use them for anything from beverage holders to flower vases to holding napkins and utensils. Here, the bride made her own box to hold them. She left out metallic markers for everyone to design their own glass. Tie burlap, ribbon, or lace on them for a special touch.
7. Old Picture Frames. Adorable for photos, photo booths or hanging decorations.
8. Chalkboard paint milk jugs instead of vases. Gorgeous plain or personalized. I found these at efavormart.com
9. Tutus instead of brides made dresses. Since this wedding was so casual, some of the kids wore leggings and cowboy boots, but you can easily dress it up, too, as the daughter of the groom did.
10. Consider a bouquet you can keep. A fun new trend is the keepsake bouquet. We made this one from vintage and tea stained lace, cream tulle and ivory glitter tulle.
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