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Green Wedding Ideas: Rustic DIY Ideas For A Nature-Centered Wedding

Rustic pieces from nature can be used in a green wedding in lots of different ways. Here are a few. photo by iriskh on FlickrToday’s post was sparked by a segment I saw on Rachel Ray this morning.

Actress Amy Smart and HGTV host Carter Oosterhouse shared their favorite DIY green wedding tips on the show.

Personally, I had a destination wedding where we were barefoot on the beach in the Bahamas, but if I would’ve had a wedding locally, these are exactly the types of things I would have done for a rustic wedding!

Using things found in nature is a fun (and eco-friendly) way to decorate your wedding and your home.

Following are the famous couple’s favorite DIY green wedding ideas, plus some of my own favorite rustic ideas for a simple nature-centered wedding.

I love how it has a casual and really organic feel to the decorations. And it just makes people feel a lot more relaxed if things don’t look too precious or staged. — Rachel Ray

 

3 Ideas For A Nature-Centered Wedding

These first 3 ideas are from Carter Oosterhouse and Amy Smart

 

#1 – A Fun Seating Idea

Apples in bushel baskets. photo by Rebecca-Lee on Flickr

If your wedding happens to be when apples are in season, try this! Put some apples into bushel baskets — just 6 apples per basket, propped up with moss. Write the names of all your guests on brown paper “leaves”.  Have all the baskets of apples underneath a rustic looking sign that reads: Pick Your Seat.  Here’s another centerpiece idea using apples. (I like this idea of using river rocks as place cards too.)

 

#2 – Make Your Own Display Stands

These birch centerpieces are for sale by Cindy via WeddingBee's Classifieds. Click photo to view Cindy's email address.

You can make your own display stands by using a jigsaw to slice a little piece out of the top of birch tree branches. Then slide informational cards into the slit and your guests are fully informed of what their choices are for food menu items, table numbers, etc. (Like this and this.) Birch tree stumps also make great candle holders!

 

#3 – A Creative List Of Menu Items

A great example of using a rustic window sash as a menu board at your wedding. photo from Weddinbee.com. Click on the photo to see how this window sash was used...

For the bar area, find an old window sash (choose one with multiple window panes and the glass still in it) and write in each “window” all items that are available at the bar — like this. You can actually use this idea for anything that you need to make into a list for your wedding guests!

 

Watch this video to see the entire segment on Rachel Ray with details from Amy and Carter on how they did each one.

 

More Nature-Inspired DIY Wedding Ideas

The rest of the ideas are some of my favorite tips for making rustic-looking wedding decorations yourself…