Styles of Classic Country Weddings

Whenever I hear a bride say she wants a "classic country wedding" I'm always thinking "Okay, but what kind?" There are so many ways to do a country wedding, whether it is very casual or very elegant. Styles range from shabby chic to rustic. For many of these weddings a great, non-fussy reception filled with comfort food is the focus. Other times, the event is very elegant using the traditional white and cream monochromatic scheme to have a very East coast country wedding. Really, the possibilities are endless!

The most wonderful part of the classic country wedding is that it can be done in any season and they always turn out beautifully. Of course, the most popular time of year for the country wedding is autumn, but really you can do a fantastic wedding at the country house during any season.

Below are a few inspiration boards that I've created using stock photography to show brides how many different ways you can pull off a "classic country wedding."


Sunflower Wedding - The sunflower wedding is usually pretty casual, like the flower itself. Chocolate browns mixed with golden yellows, the warm late summer sun, a glass of lemonade...all of these things lend themselves to the atmosphere of a friendly, happy occasion! Rent an old VW bug in butter yellow, give away sunflower seeds for planting as a favor, and use this amazingly beautiful flower throughout your reception. The most wonderful thing about a sunflower reception is you can go to almost any Farmer's Market in town and find this flower! If you throw a few sunflowers together and bind it with raffia, you have a fantastic bouquet!


Shabby Chic Wedding - This type of wedding is perfect for a feminine bride that has a very secure fiance. Personally, I think a shabby chic wedding looks best in pink, or a light green but just about any pastel will do. This type of wedding is all about those unique yard sale finds. Scour the thrift stores for old teapots that coordinate and yet are all different from each other. Use them as centerpieces and fill them with creamy roses or hydrangeas. Hanging candles, weathered baskets, even old quilts as table cloths can be used to create this classically romantic ambiance. Why not rent the infamous "Pink Cadillac" that Bruce Springsteen sings about, and hang a chandelier from a tree? I'm positive you could find one at a local thrift store, paint it white, and add beading to make a shabby chic statement!



Rustic Country Wedding - This is what most of us think about when we picture a country wedding: a big red barn reception, autumn colors, hay bales, BBQ, and a Blue Grass band. This is truly down home, and autumn just happens to be the most beautiful time of year on the farm. There are so many wonderful ideas to incorporate into an event like this. Many of them are DIY projects such as wiring old mason jars, hanging them to the tree and lighting votive candles.

Other interesting and fun ideas are creating a wedding wreath to hang on the barn door or incorporating gingham, burlap or calico fabrics into the reception. To cover ugly chairs, all you would need is a few bolts of burlap fabric! Measure the chair, then make the fabric about 1/3 longer, of the length and the width. Cover the chair with the fabric and tie with ribbon or a flower swag! Fantastic!

Giving away favors that are personalized BBQ sauce bottles, or jars of jam, honey, or pickles is a great idea! Use a computer to personalize the labels by picking some up from Office Max.

For floral decor there are so many fabulous options such as roses, mums, daisies, sunflowers, and alstromeria. Using berries, wheat and other fruits like pumpkins, apples or squash is another way to add fantastic aesthetics without spending a lot of money.


Traditional Country White
Finally, I really, really love a traditional white on white country wedding. The creamy flowers, weathered wicker baskets, old fashioned chapels all make this style of wedding fresh as a daisy! A wedding done this way will look beautiful, forever because everything is so classic it will never go out of style.











Photo credits:

Sunflower Inspiration Board - Wishpot.com, polyvore.com, weddingloco.com, sunflowergardenwedding.com, examiner.com, ebrideconnect.com

Shabby Chic Inspiration Board - projectwedding.com, stylemepretty.com, debanhams.com, brides.com, theknot.com, istockphoto.com

Rustic Inspiration Board -Martha Stewart weddings, thknot.com, brides.com, crateandbarrel.com, Chysalia Flowers

White Country Inspiration Board - stylemepretty.com, snippetsandink.com, pinkcakebox.com,crateandbarrel.com, istockphoto.com, theknot.com

I try to identify and give credit for all the stock photography I use in my inspiration boards. If I've missed a source, or if you would like me to remove your photography from my blog, please message me and I will gladly replace it with another image.