The Rustic Wedding Theme

Today's post is going to be a big one, and it is about a particular theme that is near and dear to my heart.

The question always is: "To go rustic or not for my wedding?" and the answer is an easy one - Absolutely!!!

This theme is a "anything goes" one, which means that there are endless possibilities (cheap ones), loads of DIY options and your own interpretation of the theme will definitely make your wedding unique in every aspect. We see a movement towards the non-traditional on a daily basis, especially in 2013 which opens the playing field to various options when it comes to wedding decor, favours, details, venues etc.

Let's start by looking at venue options that fits in well with the rustic setting for your wedding:

A rustic wedding can also be synonymous with a country style wedding which gives you the opportunity to host your wedding in a garden (your own backyard if possible) or at a venue true to the country and rustic style that you want to incorporate in your wedding.

Some venues we have come accross include -

The CowShed in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga

Die Klipskuur near Heidelberg

Imperfect Perfection just outside Pretoria on the Kameeldrift Road

When it comes to the table decor, half of the appearance of your wedding has already been created by the venue and surroundings, all that is left for you to do is to accentuate the venue with small details. If you are anything like me, a total DIY fundi, then you have the chance to put your own unique stamp on your wedding, which will also save you money. The items you made yourself also shows off your unique creativity and design style - all you need is the right supplies (which we recommend you shop around for or ask our advice) and you can get started.

A lot of the materials that you will use for your wedding decor, you can buy for next to nothing at second hand and charity shops and to spruce up the look of the decor, you can utilise craft resources such as burlap, twine, ribbon, buttons, moss and many more, which is easy to work with and locate.

We also love the fact that you do not have to pay thousands of rands for flower centerpieces, because most of the flowers can come straight from the veld, or if you have enough time before your wedding, you can plant the flowers you want for your bouquet yourself. As additional fillers to the bouquet, you can use plain veld grass and seedlings which gives your entire arrangement that country feel appearance.

Runners and table mats can be made from burlap, hessian or recycled wood products which are easy to come by. For accent pieces on your table you can use bottles in various shapes and sizes (with various types of flowers), and wrap a doily,a piece of twine, some netting or ribbon to add that personal touch. You can now event use the old enamel cups and jugs we used when we were young, with some fruit and plant additions or a Ricoffy Tin (with the Ricoffy label removed) with some self-picked flowers.

A new trend we also came across is strings of corks, used as decoration on the pews in the church, down the isle or as extra decor behind the dessert/cheese tables. This you can combine with hessian and lace bunting (which we provide @R75 per meter as mentioned in the Bunting post).

Distressed window frames and picture frames can also come in handy when used to indicate the seating arrangement for the wedding reception, or to put forth pictures of the bride and groom as another personal stamp on the festivities.

For wedding favours (which can be an area on which you save, save, save) there are numerous options, from rustic pales with a plant, burlap bags with seeds for the guests garden to votive candles with a lace ribbon and home made jam in a neatly decorated jar. Anything goes which makes this the easiest part of the wedding planning process.

Here are also some easy DIY ideas for your cake topper, which you can also use on the various versions of wedding cakes (cheese tower, butterscotch arrangement).

We are so glad that we could share some of our inspirations and ideas with you and we are positive that our guidance will make the planning process easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

For information on possible vendors, products and any additional ideas, feel free to email us at planyourweddingonabudget@gmail.com and we will help YOU!

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Have a great 'rustic' day!

Until next time...