So you’re engaged, you’ve started to plan a few wedding details, and you have asked your besties to be your bridesmaids. Now you can’t wait to walk down the aisle to marry your fiancee!! But when you close your eyes… what does that aisle *actually* look like? We are here to help you with your ceremony space dreams!
Where to begin; Location for your ceremony space
A lot of the design for your ceremony space comes from the location. Maybe your venue has an arch on-site. You’re possibly planning on being in your church, or maybe you want something that won’t obstruct a gorgeous waterfront view.
Getting married at your family home might mean that a certain location is more sentimental. We just decked out the front porch of one of our own flower girls’ farmhouses for her intimate Christmas ceremony!!
Time to head outdoors…
A large portion of the couples that we work with tend to have outdoor ceremonies. Unless it rains – more on that later. So that’s where we’ll focus first.
Some of the venues that we visit often have their structures on-site that we already have the measurements for. Regularly, we design custom florals as well as provide options for more standard sizing.
The large white pergola at Kent Island Resort, for instance, has so much space and so many options. We always walk our brides through them all for both, style and budget to make sure we are matching their vision!
Other venues’ gazebos, fireplace mantels, or garden columns are also a great starting point for designing these florals.
What if my venue doesn’t have anything specific?
If you have to choose your ceremony setup, we’ve got you covered there, too! We have a few arches of our own that we offer as rentals.
They look great on their own and especially great with florals attached as well.
The floating arch we offer is built on two separate stands, creating pillar-like florals to frame you!
A few of our couples have even made their arches. A triangle, a sunray, carved wooden panels with details of their lives, and even a coffin shape!
If you’re making your arch, we just ask that we coordinate a little bit to ensure that it won’t tip over. Sometimes, with the weight of flowers and that there are mechanics in place to attach arrangements.
Unique Floral Pieces
Once we move past the classic arch set-up, there’s a whole world of ideas out there that we love to create florals for as well!
Ground arches are amazing to use! A semi-circle of arrangements that create a lower, but still impactful vision. This adds space for your ceremony to take place without blocking the view of anything behind you.
Perfect for a space that is already naturally beautiful! Using two large pedestals on either side of you is another great way to designate your ceremony space, or even large urns overflowing with florals!
Our rentals collection includes both metallic and wooden pedestals to create height, and two sizes of cement urns as well. Some couples have chosen to mix and match here as well, creating an asymmetric design of varying heights.
If you have a vision in your mind let us know and we’ll come up with the how! And we can’t forget the times that we’ve had a couple describe the tree that they are getting married underneath.
How to decorate that space.. hanging candles, bud vases, fabric draping, building a floral installation for the trunk literally from the ground up!
Down the Aisle
And how about the actual aisle that you’ll be walking down? One of the larger trends in the last few years has been to choose larger arrangements at the entrance to your aisle, behind the last row of chairs, as a way to welcome your guests (and yourself!) into the ceremony.
Heading down the aisle, some couples opt for traditional style floral bundles tied with ribbon to each chair while others choose small arrangements that sit on the ground or floor at each chair.
Sometimes it’s a full floral runner like Carli and Daniels at Pocono Palms!
We also understand choosing what is important to you and helping you create the day you envisioned without going over the top, so some opt to only highlight reserved/family rows. Others just let the aisle be the aisle! I know as the florist we love to add a little something to every possible spot.
That Magic Touch of Petal Toss Cones
Looking for an extra special touch that your photographer will love? Add petal toss cones!!
We love drying petals throughout the year and sorting them by color so that we can blend the perfect custom mix for you to match your wedding palette.
Whether there’s a cone on every guest’s chair, or you’ve selected a handful of trusted attendees to make sure it goes off without a hitch, these simple add-ons are a moment of pure joy.
What if I want to repurpose my flowers?
The answer is ABSOLUTELY! The ceremony florals are one of our favorite places to repurpose designs after you’ve said your I do, and everyone has moved on to cocktails and reception.
[Kylie’s sweetheart table, arches behind the couple]
Most of the time, the ceremony space doesn’t get revisited throughout the evening, and those florals deserve their moment to shine!
Arch pieces are easily removed from the structure and placed either on top or in front of your sweetheart’s table.
Bouquets are placed in vases throughout the reception for accents, ground arches are broken into table centerpieces and aisle decor is brought into the tent as well to highlight welcome tables, cake tables, etc.
Who has the big moving job?
This is an area where we’d need to coordinate ahead of time – whether we are the team staying to repurpose.
Most of the time, the venue has a coordinator who can handle the move, or you’d prefer to ask your favorite cousins to help out!
All are good options, as long as everyone involved is on the same page!
Hopefully, this little blog has helped you to envision what walking down the aisle will look like in real life, not just in daydreams! We’d love to be the ones to help you bring it to life, too!
