Creative Wedding Decor
Decorating your wedding day can be such fun. There are ideas for special themes, colours or designs.
Sometimes it is helpful to have a specialist help you, sometimes you just want to DIY the entire day. At a recent wedding at Kenilworth Homestead, Jess co-opted her female family and friends, and they did it all themselves. From bunting to cocktails, through to vintage teapots full of cottage garden flowers, and hand picked crockery from op-shops. Read about Jess inspiration.
Something rather different
Here is a totally unique and environmentally friendly solution, not yet seen in any Bridal mag, from local cane, coconut frond and festival artist, Kris Martin.
His new wedding and event decoration business called Artisean was recently launched at a wedding on Stradbroke Island.
The business, based in Mapleton in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, uses natural materials such as bamboo, coconut palm leaf and vines top create fabulous wedding arches, aisles and arbours.
Coconut frond wedding decor
Kris Martin, artist and founder of this creative endeavour is excited to bring some of the magic of the festival and event work that he has been doing for over ten years, to the wedding industry.
Along with his partner Alex, and a team of artists, they have been recognised for their dedication to environmental arts through winning the Glossies award in 2012 (for ‘Ship of Fools’ Project, Floating Land, 2011) and 2011 (for ‘Kabi Canoes’ Project, Woodford, 2010).
Here’s a peek at some of the current designs being developed. But Kris will design something all new for you too, made to order. Check out Artisean.
Something elegant in wedding decor
Carly Laczko runs a gorgeous decorating and wedding planning business, CL Weddings & Events, creating beautiful weddings using simple ingredients that together make that ‘wow’ feeling when guests walk into a room.
Wedding Styling
Wedding styling can be so variant, from sparkling prettiness to elegant dark shades or charcoals and rich red over to fun vibrant colours that pop with personality. The main aim of styling, Carly espouses, is to ensure it reflects the couple and your personalities together as a couple.
Styling themes
Cl Events’ style is so broad, there really isn’t a certain theme that they don’t like! And they specialise in creating a theme with the couples name on it, rather than a ‘modern vintage’ or ‘rustic’ tag. Sometimes the best styles are when they get to make a mix of themes to create unique look.
Carly says: “The décor on your day should be handled much like the way you dress, it should fit you.”
DIY Wedding Decor
But if it’s DIY you’re into, then check out Jessica and Joel’s wedding decor.
The girls, did it all. Mum, Aunties, Gran and the bridesmaids all chipped in making all the decor.
It came together over a fun evening the night before the wedding, when the bridal party went to town in a rustic old Barn.
Here is their story:
Handfasting wedding ceremony
Vintage wedding down at the homestead
…and here comes the beautiful and totally happy bride, Jessica, to her wedding ceremony. The story continues.
Jess and Joel are a relaxed couple who planned their DIY wedding at Kenilworth Homestead on the Mary River. There was plenty of space down on the farm to feel like the rest of the world had melted away. The homestead grounds could accommodate the entire guest list, with onsite cabins, cottages and a long river flat for tents if necessary. But the centre piece for this wedding was the old rustic barn, with weathered boards, old farm features, transformed by this creative couple into a vintage paradise for an evening of fun, games and rock’n’rollin.
Arriving at the wedding
But I digress, first the ceremony.
Under the huge tree they met to wed.
Jessica arrived on the arms of a proud Mum and Dad. She needed them there so she wouldn’t bolt too fast to her darling Joel. The guests watched with glee as she strolled across from the cottages to the altar under the tree
Another name for tie the knot
Jess and Joel had told me that they have a very tight knit group of friends, and that family is really important to them. They describe family as a mixture of unconditional acceptance, lots and lots of love and happy chaos; a delightful combination!
So their wedding was planned as a retreat for everyone, not simply a honeymoon for two, although I’m sure they’ll find time for that too!
Since ancient times couples have stood together in a ceremony of marriage. For Jess and Joel’s ceremony they also decided to embrace an age old tradition, with a rope! I rewrote what is sometimes called a handfasting ceremony, in which a cord is tied about a couple’s hands as they take their vows. It is from this tradition that we know of the expression to “tie the knot”. Making it uniquely their own handfasting, we played with words, and wove their vow sentiments into the handfasting format.
Handfasting
During the ceremony under the large tree, I wound the cord slowly about their hands as they made their promises to each other. For each line a binding, for each binding a promise, and as the hands were bound together, a set of promises bound their lives and their futures. But once done, the bindings can be unwound for the promises they have made will keep them together, no rope is needed!
Photos by Brisbane & Melbourne based photographer, Elleni Toumpas and a couple by myself!
If you enjoyed this story, you may like the first chapter of Jess and Joel’s DIY vintage themed wedding, down on the farm, by the Mary River.
Wedding decorations can be fun. They can really make your reception reflect your style, AND invite your guests into a playful world for your wedding day. Ideas for theming and decorating your wedding reception abound. Possibly you want to design something unique and different, something to make your wedding guests say “wow”.
Perhaps you want some cheeky fun, or to stimulate a creative atmosphere at your wedding. Personally I love the hand made look, the creative spirit that only one person can achieve. You.
Here are some fabulous creative decorative ideas, ranging from the sweet to the sublime, the crazy to the ridiculous, but always the fun. There’s bides shoes and wedding jewelry, even a unique green wedding ring. There’s flower arrangements with a twist, recycled containers for the decorations, living table settings, green ideas, and unusual candles. Find family portraits, unusual lighting effects, green themes, and other wonderful creative touches. Let me know if you use any of these ideas on your wedding day.
