Sara Novak
DCL
When I was planning my wedding last year I wanted it to reflect my husband and I, our likes and our ideals. I didn't want some party that had nothing to do with our relationship. On top of that weddings can be pricey and wasteful. Cut flowers are a main contributor to that waste. For the industry as a whole 79 percent of cut flowers come from Ecuador or Columbia and are grown with 12 different pesticides. It's no secret that these pesticides are getting workers sick and polluting our ground water. And as I said above, these flowers are pricey.
Here are my tips for making your own beautiful wedding tablescapes without all the cut flowers:
Frame black and white photos of you and your significant other and place sporadically on the tables.
Your old photos say a lot about you. They are the perfect addition to your table because they make it personal and about your relationship. Best part—they don't cost a thing (assuming you already have some).
Make your own name plates with wine corks.
My wedding was outside at a vineyard in the mountains of Virginia so there was no shortage of wine on hand. This wine cork idea went over nicely and it truly looked elegant. Here's how you do it:
1. Begin to collect wine corks (if you don't drink wine enlist a friend to help).
2. With a razor, shave one side of the wine cork off so that it can sit on the table evenly.
3. Cut a slit in the top of the cork where the name plate will sit.
4. Buy recycled paper stock and with a paper cutter cut out even-sized name plates.
5. Test the size of the paper by putting it into the slit in the wine cork so that you know where to write on it.
6. Enlist a friend with stunning handwriting to write the names of all your guests on the name cards.
Fill elegant bowls with produce.
I particularly like to pick beautiful white bowls to contrast with the bright colors of a lemon or a lime depending what color that you want to work with. It's even better if the bowl has a lip on it to give it some height. If you're having a fall wedding consider apples or pears as well.
Fill large open glass bowls with water and floating soy candles.
This adds romance and elegance to the party especially if it's at night, again without the cut flowers. I didn't actually do this for my wedding but I did for a recent wedding shower that I threw. All you do is find a large open glass bowl and fill it about half way with water and line in with tons of floating candles.
