Happy Monday! The next two weeks we are going to be spotlighting the hottest of Wedding Trends...the Country Wedding. I found so many ideas on this theme that I just couldn't fit them all into one blog post! So what I did was put together two wedding plans for you to enjoy!

This first wedding plan is what I'm calling the Sunflowers & Lovebirds Country Wedding. The sunflowers on a background of dark wood fence is the perfect mood setter for this theme!

One of the cutest details I have seen this year is the "Sign Post". These invitations are perfect if you are following this theme and plan to have a sign post like the one pictured below!

 Just hand paint some signs and nail them to a board then stick that down into a plant or a planter filled with flowers. All you need is rock or soil to hold it into place. Use just one sign post to show the way to the "I Do's" to the "Eats" to the "Drinks", etc. or use multiple sign posts for different areas! SO cute!

When it comes to the ceremony I know that more Bride's have an issue with flowers for the guys. Many just cop out with the single white rose and call it a day but if you are using rustic touches like burlap in your theme why not have your florist work it into the flowers as well!

And we don't need to leave out the Bride and her flowers either! Burlap and raffia can be used to tie up her bouquet to give her flowers a rustic Country feel as well.

 One of my favorite "thinking outside the box" ideas I have seen this year is this one. Have your guests sign a bench with sharpies for your guest book. Then you can sit that bench proudly on your front porch and enjoy it for years. Want the signatures to last? Then after the wedding seal those in with a finish coat that will keep them from fading for years. I just love this idea!

Often a Bride will want a Country Wedding because she lives in the country and near a spot that has enchanted her for her ceremony. Find a big tree, hang ribbons with lanterns on the ends or streamers of flowers over the branches and make that your backdrop. I love the heart they "carved" onto the tree with paint.

Continue your sunflower theme by lining your aisle with them! The great thing about this is that the sunflowers are a very heavy flower and won't fly away if there is a breeze like rose petals will. Just keep in mind that these are not for the middle of the aisle. Not fun to step on!

Just because you have your reception in a barn doesn't mean it can't be elegant. Hang lanterns from the cross beams and twinkle lights from the stalls for your elegant lighting. The drapes can actually be made from canvas from Painter's Drop Cloths...yup, you read that right...painters canvas. A highly cost effective way in order to save some money and create drapes to dress up your venue!

 In between your lanterns over your food and drink tables hang some sunflower pomanders. These are a spark of color that continues your theme right where your guests will congregate several times throughout the evening.

 I'm always looking for new ways to display Seating Cards. Long split logs which have had slots notched into them are a great way to add rustic to your display as well as unusual.

 Continue that idea onto the tables by making Place Card displays out of single splits of wood. This ties the idea together from the front of the reception space to your tables.

Do you both come from a family of "Long Marrieds"? How about displaying their wedding photos or just recent photos of these wonderful couples at the entrance to your reception space. Maybe behind those Seating Cards? Or maybe display your Engagement Photos instead? It's a cute way to personalize this as YOUR wedding day.

 You can buy wooden bird cut outs at any craft store. Use a brown marker, if you don't own a wood burner, to shade the edges and write the words then attach twine to each bird so you can then tie them to the Bride and Groom's chairs.

 The guest chairs can be decorated as well. Remember those painter canvas drop cloths? They can be cut into strips and knotted onto the back of any "slat" type chair. Lovely and inexpensive!

Finally there is cake. Buy two more of those bird cut outs and decorate them like you did with the chair decorations and attach them to food safe skewers for the top of your cake. If this had been my design there would have been little sugar sunflowers where the bling is on this cake but this makes for a very pretty display.

I love so many of these ideas that it makes me want to get married again just so I can use them! Hope they gave you some great ideas for your special day!

Remember to check back next week for even more Country Wedding ideas!

Cat