Remember the days of taffeta, super-glued ribbons and flower filled “fish bowls” as standard event decor for weddings and school dances? 
Well maybe you don’t but your family members probably do and might try to lovingly sway you in that ever-so-dated direction when designing your centerpieces and decor. What’s also out is giving these gaudy centerpieces as favors, only to have them end up at Goodwill because nobody wants them. This is a perfect opportunity to break free from wasteful tradition and set a new standard, with nature and vintage items as your inspiration.
Already have the perfect natural setting or venue and don’t want to distract from those details with extravagant floral arrangements? Add some romantic ambiance with crafty lighting tricks instead.
A Little Fleurish
Madeline, host of my new favorite blog A Little Fleurish, has some great ideas for DIY centerpieces. She used natural, living and vintage materials to design these simple centerpieces creating a relaxed yet elegant atmosphere for her dinner guests. The same can very well be done for your wedding or intimate event. Your guests will be more at ease and ready to have a good time if the decor isn’t over-the-top-formal creating a stuffy and unnatural atmosphere.
Vintage Back In Style
If romance is your goal, try using an eclectic mix of vintage items as the focal point of a display. There is a reason why these fancy items continue to comeback into fashion for formal events such as a wedding. It’s a perfect opportunity to put those family heirlooms to use that tend to get left out of so many other celebrations due to their elaborateness in today’s culture. Mixing and matching allows you to pull designs, textures and color from various sets together intentionally. This is a perfect solution if you are using incomplete sets or when needing more than what one set contains. So many people throw entire sets out because of one missing piece, such a waste! Don’t have any of your own? Natural impressions can help you add some of that romantic vintage flair with rental items found here.
Romance Beneath The Trees
For rustic romance in the woods, be inspired by these lighting ideas that keep the lighting warm and safely contained, do not encourage forest fires people; that’s the wrong kind of heat to stir up!
Use battery operated candles and fairy lights, or real candles appropriately sized for the container(flame about 3 inches from top) and nested in sea salt for stability in some simple DIY lanterns for a beautiful effect under a tree’s canopy.
String Some Light
Remember your first date with your fiance at the carnival at night? There’s a reason it seemed so romantic, it was the lighting! Good news, string lights are no longer just for carnivals, they can actually make any outdoor or indoor setting romantic. Just make sure you go for a soft, warm hint of twinkle, nothing too flashy like LED’s or fast blinking lights! Remember to use in unusual places like beneath tables/buffets, behind curtains, around an entrance, the dance floor, etc.
A Modern, Nature-Inspired, Minimalist Look
A new spin on votives combines a modern look with natural flare. These centerpieces work great for a minimalist approach to both decor materials and cost. They look simple in form and are even more simple to put together.
For extra height in your displays use hurricane containers of varied heights. To cut costs use floating candles suspended in water with some foliage clippings from your property.
For a more dramatic effect use multiple containers of a similar shape, with varied candles of the same color and minimal foliage clippings or living plants as an alternative, placed among the containers.
EVENT RENTALS & GIFTS 