When most people think of weddings, flowers immediately come to mind. Beautiful, colorful flowers are the epitome of weddings as they are involved in everything from the bouquets to decor on the cake. However they can be pricey and taxing to the environment. I have considered potted plants for decor since day one but was having trouble visualizing how that would really look. It’s all well and good to think about making an effort to make choices that benefit the environment but when it comes down to it, would I really do it? It’s not something you see everyday and weddings are often planned according to the typical mold. Despite my very unconventional approach to this wedding I sometimes find myself getting stuck in the wedding mindset. Meaning I make choices based on other weddings or what is traditional when in all reality that is the opposite of what I want from my wedding. Of course we want our wedding to reflect our beliefs and besides charity, the environment is important to us too. So back to potted plants… The bonus about potted plants is of course you can take them home after the event and enjoy them for years to come. In addition you can give some to your guests and know a piece of you and your wedding is growing out there somewhere and appreciated daily. As opposed to your flowers which were likely starting to wilt before the champagne toast! Of course you can mix and match to get the look you desire. So to ease my mind on the potted plants idea, as I know it isn’t revolutionary, surely there would be some amazing pictures to be found that would give me a better vision. There were amazing pictures, big time. Here are a few of my favorites:
This picture is from Duvall Catering. They used little pots of labeled herbs which I think is adorable. Herbs are easy to come by, easy to maintain and grow like weeds, insuring full pots by wedding day. Not to mention they are incredibly practical as you or your guests can take them home and start using them to cook with! Not everyone will go home and plant a tree from your wedding or even be able to maintain a potted plant, but herbs don’t require much of a green thumb. A little sun and a little water and they are sure to thrive.
To me this picture has a rustic classiness that is sure to please. A company called Give Tree Gifts sells an assortment of little tree products to be used as decor or favors. According to their website the average tree absorbs 26lbs of carbon dioxide a year and provides enough oxygen for a family of four. They also help block and reflect solar radiation. You sure can’t say that about candy coated almonds. I also can’t think of anything cooler than planting a tree from your wedding and watching its progress each year as you celebrate your anniversary. They offer tree favors for under $2.00 and some larger tree options for under $20. So you could give them to everyone or just have a few for decoration. They would be lovely for a winter wedding!
Of course, pots don’t have to include just greenery. You can plant flowers in them too! They are still more sustainable than cut flowers because you will likely have to find them locally. The bottom right picture is of course cut flowers, but what I liked is the little containers they were in. They are all different and very colorful which is a nice way to bring some color and detail in without flowers. I also really like the grouping of rosemary in all white pots in the center of a round table. The picture is from the Sitting in a Tree Blog and they have other potted centerpieces you can check out as well.
In addition to potted plants, this picture includes baskets of fruit. I LOVE it.
This one comes to you from My DIY Wedding Day which is a great blog in general to check out. This is from a real wedding where the couple placed name cards in the little pots to be used as favors.
Last but not least, I think even grass or what looks like grass to me, looks amazing. It looks like these people used the pots to hold the menu for the event. As I was searching for pictures, I found it wasn’t a matter of finding ones I liked and that gave me that wedding feeling but rather deciding which ones to post with all the great options out there. So I am now convinced that potted plants can be just as beautiful if not more so than cut flowers. And like your marriage they will continue to grow!
It’s peaceful floating-ness put me at ease.
A very calm reminder to…
