How To Incorporate Your Favourite Plants Into Your Wedding Decor

Now more than ever, plants are a very important part of our everyday lives. We are acknowledging the happiness and health benefits they contribute to a space. In our homes we often turn to new plants to fill a nook on a shelf, or to add a lush living statement to a room rather than the usual knickknacks. Plants are filling retail spaces, decorating fashion collections and filling our workspaces for an added sense of well-being and productivity. They are also becoming a very big part of wedding décor.

There literally is an infinite number of ways to add lush and living green décor into your event. From creating completely living tablescapes—think moss, ivy and grasses—to succulents gifted as favours or used as aisle markers or welcome arrangements, there are SO many options and it is one of the freshest trends happening now.

Plants Create A Mood
I love how plants also add to the overall aesthetic and theme of a wedding. If you are leaning towards a fabulous breezy tropical vibe, look in to adding a few monstera plants for lush shine or palms for an inexpensive way to fill spaces. Air plants can be added into bouquets and wearables and potted orchids add luxe to any space. If rustic European is your style, lavender, rosemary and potted olive are lovely aromatic ways to add intrigue. Potted citrus trees in bloom add the perfect amount of drama to a head table backdrop or a ceremony space. And for bohemian feels, tall grasses and cacti of all varieties are the perfect addition to your décor.

If you do decide to use plants as additional decor, make sure they are used in the same way you would want to display any other items or props you have included in your decor. Groupings of various plant sizes, colours and textures is a must! Try not to place one of anything anywhere. For example, having one plant at the end of every chair row, down the aisle will be less pleasing to the eye as having two or three different sized plants grouped together every alternate row.

Get Creative With Containers
Using plants is also a great way to up-cycle and repurpose fun vessels you may already have; or you can source inexpensively via  thrift stores, antique markets, garage sales and buy and sells. Vintage teacups and pots are the perfect place for a small succulent at the dessert table, or maybe some old tea and tobacco tins with potted ivy for the bar. Aged terra cotta and cement pots for your herbs and cacti with old baskets for those tall statement grasses would make the perfect addition to an altar space for a laid-back wedding. Get creative when choosing the containers that you display the plants in. There are lots of ways to make earth friendly choices while keeping in theme of the big day.

And when it comes to sourcing your plants, this is definitely a task for your wedding florist. Chat about how you would like to incorporate living plants into your décor plan. Most will have knowledge of pricing, sourcing and what is available seasonally. Working with a combination of fresh florals and living plants is a look worth discussing with your decor team. If your florist is not comfortable working with living plants, some local nurseries will lend a hand and even go as far as to rent larger scale plants and trees if needed.

A favourite aspect of mine when using living plants is the chance to have a living memento of your wedding for years to come. Maybe you planned on propagating the succulents the boutonnieres were made out of, or maybe you decide to plant the beautiful trees you displayed behind the head table, or the lavender bushes that lined the ceremony aisle. This is such a beautiful way to have a memory planted at home and grow along with your marriage.

Krystal Young is a WPIC certified wedding planner and the owner of Snowberry Botanicals. She has been in the business floral design for seven years and credits her love of florals to growing up in the country and to her parents, both who are avid gardeners. Sustainability is hugely important to her and her business and she works with local products and farmers whenever possible.