Potted Plants: The Ideal Accent for Your Vermont Wedding

Potted plants are beautiful, cost effective and a versatile addition to any wedding.

One of the best places to incorporate plants is at the ceremony. Whether purchased or rented, they are an efficient and dramatic way to make a church or synagogue appear full, especially for buildings with high vaulted ceilings. Larger plants like ficus, Boston ferns and palm trees can be grouped behind the altar to provide a backdrop. Medium-sized and hanging plants (with hangers removed) can be placed in decorative containers and scattered down the aisle to create a lush, garden look. Plants clustered on steps or windowsills will provide splashes of color and a garden ambiance. If your wedding is planned around a holiday, many houses of worship are already decorated with seasonal blooming plants, which are available for the bride to use at no additional cost.

Cost of accenting with potted plants

If the bride is concerned about the additional cost of accenting with potted plants, then she should remember that they can serve more than just a decorative purpose. They also make wonderful thank you gifts for the attendants, clergy, readers—or for anyone who has helped with the wedding. Also, if the bride, groom or their parents normally decorate their homes with window boxes, hanging baskets or planters, the wedding plants could be used for this purpose, before and after the wedding. The multipurpose use for plants is not only true for the ceremony flowers, but for the reception centerpieces as well.

At the reception, plants make vibrant, low cost centerpieces and they can be given to the guests as favors. A group of small potted plants (one for each guest who is sitting at the table) can be clustered in a single low container which matches the wedding in style and color, and then set on the reception tables. Or, the plants could simply be placed in individual decorative containers, set on the table and interspersed with votive candles.

Click here to read more of this article by florist Pat Esden, including Hints and Tips, The Meaning of Plants, and a special section on African Violets.

Or click here for more information about Pat Esden, florist.