Rustic Wedding Ideas

When dreaming about your wedding theme, do words like old-world charm, rustic elegance, vintage, and nature come to mind?  If so, you’re not alone. Rustic has been on trend as a wedding theme for the past few years, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. As couples continue to look for unique ways to incorporate their individual personalities and creativity into the mix, the trend has taken on new versions of how people define rustic. Environmentally-conscious, nature-inspired, and family-oriented couples, are looking to incorporate local sourcing, waste reduction and pieces from their heritage into their wedding details.

All of these factors combined have influenced the decor, floral, ceremony, and reception choices of brides and grooms seeking a rustic vibe.

 

Decor & Floral

DIY Signs

Wooden sign crafted by bride Ashton Staffen, for her rustic fall wedding in St. Marys. Venue: St. Marys Golf & Country Club. Photography: Erin Leydon.

Creating DIY wood signage provides couples with a personal and creative touch to their wedding details that is truly one-of-a-kind. Not only does a piece like this become a significant keepsake, but it also allows brides and grooms to feel involved in their decor setup, without having to sacrifice on the seamless esthetic that professional decorators and florists provide. Having your florist add loose greenery to your signage takes the look from country to rustic elegance. Of course, with choosing to make your own signs, there's also the factor of allowing yourself to stay on budget with cost-effective options.

 

Natural and Organic Florals

An oversized, loosely-arranged, garden-inspired bouquet by Lyric Flowers, for St. Marys bride Ashton Staffen. Photography: Erin Leydon.

Wild flowers, organic floral designs and loose greenery have been trending through the 2016 and 2017 seasons, and used often in vineyard-themed weddings. Green connects with the natural elements, with neutral blush and peach tones playing centre stage or complementing vibrant colours like cranberry and coral. Greenery has been seen in bridal bouquets, table runners, flower crowns and even tucked into the bride’s shoes. Having your florist wrap bouquets with raw silk ribbon adds a girly touch that is still very much rustic and undone. There's no rule when it comes to garden-inspired floral; it can be as vibrant or subdued and as curated or loose as you desire.

Metallic Accents

Seating plan display with metallic, vintage and wooden accents. Venue: St. Marys Golf & Country Club. Decor & Styling: Above & Beyond Event Design. Photography: Erin Leydon.

Warm metallic accents such as champagne or rose gold and copper can provide sophisticated flair. Metal tones are often added with re-purposed items such as bicycles, clocks, lanterns, chandeliers, picture frames, and even typewriters (seen above for displaying a 'Thank You' note for guests). Metallics have also been added to dinner tables during the reception with copper mugs, table numbers, vases, and votive candle holders.

 

Venue

Streamlined Formal Venues

The St. Marys Ballroom, styled with harvest tables, vineyard chairs and loose greenery for the rustic chic Staffen wedding. Decor & Styling: Above & Beyond Event Design. Floral Design: Lyric Flowers. Photography: Erin Leydon.

Although some couples want to go all in with the rustic theme, and have their ceremonies and receptions in barns or fields, most are opting for a more streamlined and element-controlled venue. The Ballroom at St. Marys Golf & Country Club offers a vintage feel that incorporates rustic features, such as scenic views of the outdoor grounds, the impressive wood accent at the center of the ceiling, and its inviting private terrace. Wood tables and vineyard chairs can be sourced (as shown above) for additional rustic feel.

 

Bringing Nature Inside

The Hideaway at St. Marys Golf & Country Club introduces a true rustic wedding venue in Ontario, with exposed wood beam ceilings, large glass garage doors, and polished concrete floors. Decor & Styling: Above & Beyond Event Design. Photography: David Jordan.

Anything deemed rustic has a sense of countryside ingrained within, and a particular emphasis on the outdoors. Venues built with this natural character, such as The Hideaway, have exposed wood beams, earthy finishes, metallic accents, and glamorous details (like chandeliers) that bring together both rustic and refined themes. The Hideaway is one of the most unique venues in Ontario in that it provides seamless flow between the indoors and outdoors, when its glass garage doors are opened to the connecting landscape.

 

Food & Beverage

Naked Wedding Cakes

Vanilla naked cakes, dressed in floral and greenery, are the ultimate rustic-themed wedding choice. Venue: St. Marys Golf & Country Club. Photography: Erin Leydon.

Couples have been moving away from intricate wedding cakes to smaller, simpler creations. Having a cake with clean lines and with minimal decor has been a preferred option. Most recently, the naked cake trend (shown above), which features a thin layer of frosting that allows the cake to show through, has been popular with brides and in wedding publications.

 

Homemade Desserts

Homemade desserts like brownies and banana bread bites and add rustic charm to the sweets table.

Smaller wedding cakes mean that couples are often opting for a secondary dessert option for their sweets table. Homemade desserts (such as pie and brownies), dessert stations (build your own donut) or dessert in a mason jar (strawberry shortcake anyone?) can all provide sweet, rustic flair.

 

Table Settings

Eclectic Details

Pine cone name cards add a rustic feel to place settings, and naturally bring the outdoors in.

Details such as lace, burlap and embroidery have been increasingly used in rustic-themed weddings. Although mass-produced prints have been downplayed to enhance the natural vibe of a rustic wedding, laser-cut and calligraphy-adorned invitations and menus have provided a way to mesh together nature with art. Watercolour has offered an undone and subtle way of incorporating accent tones from bridesmaid dresses, floral and decor into stationery. Often, these same materials and tones are continued on the wedding day with the seating chart and table numbers. Elegant details such as candlescaping and charger plates provide a glamorous touch that isn't too refined. And combining outdoor elements integrates the rustic theme with simple touches like using pine cones, wooden medallions or greenery within place settings.

Calligraphy menu cards printed on a soft watercolour background, and placed on glass metallic-trimmed charger plates, mixes the refined with the undone. Venue: St. Marys Golf & Country Club.

 

Seating

CONNECTION TO THE EARTH

Harvest benches lend an earth-grounded and rustic appeal to the ceremony setting at St. Marys. Photography: Nina Polidoro. Decor & Styling: Above & Beyond Event Design. Floral Design: Lyric Flowers.

Whether you're looking for a different spin on traditional ceremony seating, or a way to incorporate wood accents into your ceremony setup, harvest benches provide the perfect amount of rustic flair for your walk down the aisle. Especially when combining these pieces with an antique signing table, metallic sap buckets, floral runners, and greenery-dripped chandeliers, the entire setup will feel loose, rustic and in connection with the surrounding natural elements.

And there you have it - the top rustic trends for the 2017 season (and beyond)! As you can see, there are many easy ways to add rustic features to your wedding plan, from DIY signs, decor and floral, food and beverage, to your guest seating, and especially to choosing your venue. Happy planning!