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It’s no secret that brides have fallen more and more deeply in love with naturalistic weddings in great-outdoors settings. And no wonder: the scenery’s usually so spectacular that you can keep the décor simple, which adds up to pure elegance. (Coco Chanel would approve.)
What’s more, this is one of the most intimate weddings you can hold: vineyards just seem to call for hushed conversations and old friends, not 350-guest extravaganzas. This just serves to make the occasion more memorable and meaningful.
If you’re thinking of having your wedding in a vineyard – and with vintners learning to grow great grapes everywhere from Oregon’s Williamette Valley to New York’s Hudson Valley – you can probably find a dream locale that’s sure to stun your guests with very little effort.
The Colors
Black and white is a leading color scheme for this setting, and it’s not hard to see why. This crisp and formal palette is a dream-come-true against a vineyard’s saturated greens. Also popular are natural browns, like chocolate brown or mushroom; burgundy, which honors some of our most complex and unforgettable wines; eggplants and royal purples; and natural grass and olive greens.
The Invitations
Grapes and grape leaves are obvious – and popular – motifs for vineyard weddings, but there are many other choices. For example, why not design your invites around the spreading branches of a mature oak tree? Acorn patterns are timeless and delightful, too. And some of the most gorgeous patterns of all draw on those Mediterranean fixtures, olive leaves.
The Florals
There’s denying the classic feel of a vineyard wedding, and as a result, formal blooms like roses and calla lilies are favorites, and stunning. This is also a fine setting for that recent bridal comeback, the all-white bouquet, ideally in something timeless, like fluffy white peonies or garden roses. Brides wanting a more rustic look could combine mini sunflowers and cream-colored roses with sprigs of lavender, and place them in galvanized pails and mason jars. Or for an urban, West Coast vibe, ask your florist to weave in succulents, artichokes and greens.
The Wedding Party Attire
A vineyard wedding calls for bridesmaids dressed in natural, easy-on-the eyes hues like blush or beige, deep wine, or browns ranging from chocolate to copper. This setting is the perfect opportunity to dress your girls in a tea-length gown, maybe in a gorgeous, show-stopping fabric like dupioni silk. As for the best men, they’d look stunning in tuxes in brown or black, but gray or khaki suits would be equally handsome.
The Bridal Attire
A vineyard wedding’s the perfect place for a loose mass of curls twisted into a soft updo or half-up half-down hairstyle. Also, if you don’t mind showing off your figure, this is a gorgeous place to flaunt a romantic mermaid gown dripping with lovely Alençon lace.
The Décor
Decorating for a vineyard wedding couldn’t be more fun, or simple: the rolling fields and glinting glassware take you most of the way there. Here are just a few more inspirations:
- Corks: use to fill glass cylinder vases, prop up place cards, or decorate invitations.
- Twinkle lights: twine these around wine bottles on your tables, or suspend from an overhead trellis.
- Streamers: when tied to branches, these fluttering ribbons become colorful “leaves.”
- Olive leaf garlands: use these elegant greens to decorate head chairs or set off the cake or guestbook table.
- Crystal chandeliers: while a savvy event planner’s needed to pull this off, some of the most spectacular vineyard weddings have hung glittering crystal chandeliers over the guest table from the gnarled branches of an oak tree.
- Chairs: a vineyard wedding calls for laid-back seating, like wooden folding chairs, or chivari chairs in black, natural or antique brown. This is one time you want to skip the gilded gold and silver chivaris so popular in ballrooms.
- Rustic wooden signs: nothing could be more charming. Use these to direct guests to “The Jamison Wedding” from the parking lot, or your hungry guests to the cheese table or wine-tasting station.
The Food
Wine drinkers are foodies, and this is your chance to really wallow in a gourmet world of your making. Tray-passed appetizers like mini brie wheels topped with raspberries, figs, artichokes, stone-ground crackers and mini bruschetta will whet your guests’ appetites and delight their eyes.
 The Cake
Tiny champagne grapes beautifully adorn a cake that’s otherwise laid-back and sleek. Some of the most gorgeous winery-bound cakes involve sugar paste olive leaves. Another recent wine country bride ordered a marvelous all-white cake with white fondant champagne grapes and silver-leaf detailing. But even a simple cake with high contrast, like a cake with chocolate brown ribbons around each layer, will look vineyard-elegant with just a few green Cymbidium orchids tucked in.
The Favors
Wine stoppers are naturals for vineyard weddings, since guests can use them for years to come. Plus, the price has come down so that personalized stoppers can be had for the price of regular ones a few years back. Personalized wine glasses are also popular choices, as are bottles of wine from the hosting winery with custom labels. A rustic bride could offer up burlap-wrapped seedlings, carrying on the nature theme; a foodie might set out mini bottles of olive oil.
Personalize the Rest!
Hopefully these ideas will carry you a long way toward your personal vineyard vision, but be sure to put your own spin on it. Maybe you’ll want to arrive on location in a vintage car, or have your photographer snap you and your betrothed on a pair of old-fashioned bicycles. No matter your choices, this is bound to be one elegant affair that looks as fresh in your photos as it does today for years to come.
Written by special arrangement for CreativeHomemaking. Visit FavorIdeas to browse the web's most popular wedding favors, and for a wonderful selection of personalized wine bottle stopper favors in designs ranging from fall leaves to silvery starfish.
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