The holidays are here, and you know what that means? Engagement season! Winter is the most popular time for engagements, and also the beginning of wedding planning. While the snow is falling, couples will be dreaming of their special day and warmer, sunnier weather. Nothing screams a rustic, summer wedding like a good ‘ole Southern ceremony and party! For those newly engaged couples, here are a few tips for your rustic Southern hitchin’!
The venue is arguably the most important part as it sets the entire tone for your wedding. Outdoor venues are perfect for enjoying those summer breezes, colorful sunsets, and scenic vistas. For a rustic setting, a historic plantation like Tuckahoe Plantation is a perfect option, offering beautiful gardens and lawns, historic roots, and Southern traditions like burying the bourbon. Horse ranches and converted barns also provide a pastoral setting for your guests.
The finer details add flair to your venue, and compliment your vision of a country wedding. Feel free to get creative! Invitations are your guests’ first taste of your special day, so utilize a rustic-looking font, or a photo of you and your fiancé in cowboy boots and flannel. Always makes sure to note if your venue is outside, so guests can dress accordingly! Floral arrangements featuring wildflowers, sunflowers, and greenery paint the picture of running carefree through a field. Mason jars and log slices at nice touches to centerpieces and cake stands. Hay bales can act as seating either for the ceremony or around a fire-pit for chillier nights. Set the atmosphere for your ceremony and party with the perfect playlist of bluegrass, country classics, or acoustic music. And don’t forget the signature cocktails; a Southern wedding isn’t complete with some whiskey and beer!
You and your fiancé are the focal points of the wedding, so dressing the part is essential. For a rustic wedding, less is more, so keep it simple and comfortable. For the bride’s dress, lace or satin in a traditional style highlights your beauty and plays off the venue. Special touches like your grandmother’s veil or brooch, magnolia blossoms in your hair, or cowboy boots are the icing on the cake! For the groom, trade the formal suit jacket for suspenders or wear bowties that match the boutonnières.
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