.png)
The days of bunches of roses adorned with babies breath and wrapped in a ribbon are gone. I mean LONG gone. There's been a pretty seismic shift as of late from cookie cutter white weddings to new, exciting, and unexpected elements because it's time to face the facts: nobody is excited to attend a wedding that they've seen played out time and time again.
When it comes to freshening things up on your big day, the truth is, you may not have to go 'fresh' at all... it appears that with last year's resurgence of the 1970s brought more than just wide legged pants back into the public forum. The use of dried flowers in all things decor has BLOWN UP. I mean it, just scroll through Pinterest for like a minute.
So why dry?
reason no.1: longevity
No need to keep these babies alive, they're already dead! (SAD) But convenient, because you can create these arrangements ahead of time without the risk that it will look like hot garbage when it comes its time to shine.
reason no.2: sustainability
Take the dried flowers from your wedding bouquet home with you and keep them as a keepsake forever. They'll last as long as your marriage does.
reason no.3: versatility
Because these babies don't need to be kept in water, they can be used for crazy cool installations, not just in vases on tables. Hang them from the ceiling, stick them on your cake, wrap your chuppah in them, whatever your creative heart desires.
Keep scrolling for a little inspiration on how this can be implemented into your event decor in a cool modern way.
Sharp edges of these dried sun spears (which you can also VERY convincingly DIY) juxtaposed against the soft curves of orchids and anthurium (those are the single-leafed tropical looking beauties which I too did not know the name of until I got to this line of the blog post) are perfectly paired to add textural interest and make a huge statement at a fraction of the cost of live flowers. Plus, these hearty gems won't wilt halfway through your soiree.
Cotton has been a huge decor trend this year for what reason I CANNOT say. Seriously, the amount of cotton I've seen in home decor magazines and window displays has me thinking that Big Cotton is threatening every visual merchandiser with a secret that could destroy them. I digress... Lavender isn't a new wedding trend either by any means [i.e. the recent switch from throwing rice (...why?) or confetti (venues hate this... stop doing this...) to throwing lavender as the bride and groom recede down the aisle post-ceremony] but what makes this arrangement feel new is it's combination with the cotton. This pairing alludes to soft ethereal summers in Provence and I'm on board with it.
More cotton (what did I tell you??) but also pampas grass which until this year, I hadn't heard of nor seen much of and now it's everywhere in the coolest ways.
More pampas grass! In living colour! Check out Etsy for all your pampas needs. Also note that it comes in different grades (1 to 5) basically bushiest to least bushy.
Black pampas grass AND cacti... for when you wanna say "No Kids Allowed" but make it decor.
Sun spears, palm leaves, orchids, oh my. A picture perfect backdrop for a photo booth or just great decor to create instagrammable moments if you want to gain social traction with your events.
Minimal does not equate to boring. A single stalk of dried pampas grass can make a statement, adding visual interest and height without disrupting sight lines across tables.
Dried flowers need not look dead and brown. A can of spray paint and the perfect palette can really liven things up, even if planning your event is slowly killing you!
Don't fear opposites. Bushy buds and hard edges with silky ribbons = the floral Holy Trinity.
The opposite of minimalism and also my fantasy wedding decor fever dream. This is... the most. I'm obsessed. Somebody rich propose to me so I can be THIS level of ostentatious.