I took the bride's idea for a MN outdoor theme and created woodland inspired arrangements using ferns, gold tip cedar, blue privet berry, small and large eucalyptus seed pods and red photina. These arrangements were at the base of the tall luminary trees on half of the tables. The small luminaries hanging on the trees needed to be lightweight. Birch branches are small and delicate, so my assistant and I made the luminaries ourselves (all 130 of them!) using paper mache' method. We placed LED lights inside and Voila! The result was a warm and romantic celebration at Nicollet Island Pavilion.
On the other half of the tables I used birch logs in clear cylinder vases. The birch was harvested from my in-law's woods at their farm in WI. These were a simple and easy way to create drama on the low table centers. Simple for me anyway, I just dropped the logs into the vase. My husband and his dad had to go out and cut it all down! On all of the tables I used many, many candles to create a warm glow.
Tiny moss, eucalyptus and cedar jars were placed on the birch vase tables to add even more color and texture. It's all about layering.
The place card table had a collection of apothecary jars and other clear vases with photos of weddings past within the bride and groom's families. I used moss, eucalyptus seeds and gold tip cedar to place inside the vases and "hold" the photos in place.
