Since we're having a spring wedding (April 24 2009), my fiancée and I are thinking spring theme... we were looking through a couple books for table setting ideas and we came across one that had herbs in decorated pots as a wedding favours, and a larger pot with some herbs and small flowers (looked like yarrow) as centre pieces
Perfect, as we are vegetable and herb gardeners and total DIYers...
it's going to be a smaller wedding so expanding our indoor seedling area is no problem for the herbs but for the centre pieces, we were wondering if there are small flowering plants similar to yarrow and thyme (when left to flower) but that produce red flowers to match the one non-traditional spring thing we have, which is red bridesmaid dresses and tux vests...
any idea's? we're trying to keep the centre pieces smaller so big traditional flowers are out...
I went to a wedding where each table had beautiful live center pieces that were mixes of flowering plants for a garden. There were candles artistically placed in the arrangements. Under one chair at each table was a stickem that said centerpiece. We later learned that the person who sat in that chair was the one who took home the center piece. What a really neat idea.
Attended some sort of a get together where the centerpieces were forced yellow daffodils in a ceramic dish with pebbles. Looked beautiful. Reason why I mention this is that a red amaryllis could be forced at that time of year. Maybe some sort of herbs with a central red amaryllis?
I did a party favor for a shower that was a small pot with an attached drip tray with a pack of some sort of seeds and a little baggie of soil all wrapped in green tulle. I tied this off with a white ribbon that had a plant stake with the name of the seed in the pack they received. I'm pretty sure I saved one if you would like me take a photo.
Perennial seeds were used in the party favor which in retrospect wasn't too practical given all I'd purchased was a little 4" or 5" pot. I think your idea of herbs is much better than my choice of vegetable seeds. No red flower is coming to mind for that time of year but I wonder if you couldn't keep with your herb theme and go the route of adding red votive sized candles to match the brides maids dresses for the center piece? The other thought on the party favors which would be in keeping with spring would be to hand paint a red lady bug on the outside of little pots of herbs then wrap them in a coordinated tulle and tie it off with some of a store bought red lady bug? I've seen buttons of lady bugs and pencil erasers that are lady bugs and all kinds of little trinket sized objects at craft stores that would work.
Your herb theme is wonderful. So non traditional and it will be a welcome change of pace for a wedding. I know if I saw that type of a centerpiece at a table that I'd be nonchalantly trying to peek under each chair to see if that's how you were going to dispose of the centerpiece! You're going to have a beautiful wedding. So great to see young people thinking out of the box. Love your choice of red brides maids dresses and vests.
Attended some sort of a get together where the centerpieces were forced yellow daffodils in a ceramic dish with pebbles. Looked beautiful. Reason why I mention this is that a red amaryllis could be forced at that time of year. Maybe some sort of herbs with a central red amaryllis?
I did a party favor for a shower that was a small pot with an attached drip tray with a pack of some sort of seeds and a little baggie of soil all wrapped in green tulle. I tied this off with a white ribbon that had a plant stake with the name of the seed in the pack they received. I'm pretty sure I saved one if you would like me take a photo.
Perennial seeds were used in the party favor which in retrospect wasn't too practical given all I'd purchased was a little 4" or 5" pot. I think your idea of herbs is much better than my choice of vegetable seeds. No red flower is coming to mind for that time of year but I wonder if you couldn't keep with your herb theme and go the route of adding red votive sized candles to match the brides maids dresses for the center piece? The other thought on the party favors which would be in keeping with spring would be to hand paint a red lady bug on the outside of little pots of herbs then wrap them in a coordinated tulle and tie it off with some of a store bought red lady bug? I've seen buttons of lady bugs and pencil erasers that are lady bugs and all kinds of little trinket sized objects at craft stores that would work.
Your herb theme is wonderful. So non traditional and it will be a welcome change of pace for a wedding. I know if I saw that type of a centerpiece at a table that I'd be nonchalantly trying to peek under each chair to see if that's how you were going to dispose of the centerpiece! You're going to have a beautiful wedding. So great to see young people thinking out of the box. Love your choice of red brides maids dresses and vests.
What a wonderful and novel idea. 
You could try drying yarrow and thyme this year to use next year. These could be mixed in with fresh flowers/herbs as long as they were stuck in dried oasis in the centre of the arrangements.
Both dry very easily and there is a red form of both.
https://www.waltersgardens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=824
https://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/3/index.htm
There is a method called 'water drying' which works well with yarrow.
You will need to strip the leaves and put the stems in about 2 inches of water and leave to rest in a dry, dark and warm location. The water is then absorbed by the flowers and evaporated.
Thyme would need to be air dried.
Hang in bundles upside down tied with string in an airy warm shady place such as an attic or shed.
You could also try artificial heat to see if it preserved the colouring better.
Put bundles in an airing cupboard above a boiler or hang near (not over) a cooking range.
Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a lovely wedding and please come back and post some pictures of your day (and your flowers). I would love to see the red bridesmaids dresses. My bridesmaids wore kingfisher blue and yellow raw silk dresses and scattered dried herb flowers and rose petals in front of us as we walked. I also had myrtle in my headdress, a sign of fertility!!
You could try drying yarrow and thyme this year to use next year. These could be mixed in with fresh flowers/herbs as long as they were stuck in dried oasis in the centre of the arrangements.
Both dry very easily and there is a red form of both.
https://www.waltersgardens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=824
https://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/3/index.htm
There is a method called 'water drying' which works well with yarrow.
You will need to strip the leaves and put the stems in about 2 inches of water and leave to rest in a dry, dark and warm location. The water is then absorbed by the flowers and evaporated.
Thyme would need to be air dried.
Hang in bundles upside down tied with string in an airy warm shady place such as an attic or shed.
You could also try artificial heat to see if it preserved the colouring better.
Put bundles in an airing cupboard above a boiler or hang near (not over) a cooking range.
Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a lovely wedding and please come back and post some pictures of your day (and your flowers). I would love to see the red bridesmaids dresses. My bridesmaids wore kingfisher blue and yellow raw silk dresses and scattered dried herb flowers and rose petals in front of us as we walked. I also had myrtle in my headdress, a sign of fertility!!
Knowing without doing is like plowing without sowing."
Thanks. I liked your ideas too with the candles as a centrepiece.TheLorax wrote:Oh Jess, good suggestion on the Achillea x 'Paprika'!.
Perhaps when we get too old for digging we could move into the wedding trade!
TheLorax wrote:Say, did the myrtle come back to bite you in the rear? Tee he.
I do have two strapping lads so I guess so.Knowing without doing is like plowing without sowing."
Thanks for the tips and links, I think we're going to look at putting red candles or something hmm, lots to think about....
That's a good point about using annuals vs perennials for the centrepiece, most of our guests probably wouldn't be into transplanting. I like that idea of having one person at each table "win" the centrepiece.
Ok, so going forward I'm going to probably start a bunch of test plants/herb now, so that when I need to do it 100 times I have an idea of what to expect...
My bride to be is one great lady... this is all her idea but she knows I've been looking for an excuse to expand our starter area but wont do it unless I can justify it better then "because I want to"
My sister did pine tree seedlings, and I've been to a wedding where they gave little biodegradable paper flowers impregnated with wild flower seeds. But then most people I know (including my fiancée) are farmers and county folk so that's sort of the group I roll with lol!
That's a good point about using annuals vs perennials for the centrepiece, most of our guests probably wouldn't be into transplanting. I like that idea of having one person at each table "win" the centrepiece.
Ok, so going forward I'm going to probably start a bunch of test plants/herb now, so that when I need to do it 100 times I have an idea of what to expect...
My bride to be is one great lady... this is all her idea but she knows I've been looking for an excuse to expand our starter area but wont do it unless I can justify it better then "because I want to"
My sister did pine tree seedlings, and I've been to a wedding where they gave little biodegradable paper flowers impregnated with wild flower seeds. But then most people I know (including my fiancée) are farmers and county folk so that's sort of the group I roll with lol!
I propagate for sport. I would be in a position to help you propagate pine trees but your sister could do so just as easily.
Love the idea of the biodegradable paper flowers impregnated with wildflower seeds. If I had known such an idea was out there, I would have tried my best to use that as a party favor only I would have used native wildflowers. I've got another shower to host in about a year. I would love to know if those were homemade party favors or if they were purchased? If you have access to a photo of one, I'd love it if you would be in a position to share what they looked like.
Big congratulations on your up and coming wedding!
Love the idea of the biodegradable paper flowers impregnated with wildflower seeds. If I had known such an idea was out there, I would have tried my best to use that as a party favor only I would have used native wildflowers. I've got another shower to host in about a year. I would love to know if those were homemade party favors or if they were purchased? If you have access to a photo of one, I'd love it if you would be in a position to share what they looked like.
Big congratulations on your up and coming wedding!
This is really great! J-veg comes here for help and I end up getting help for next year!
We made paper once using kits when the kids were little. The kits couldn't have been more than $10 a piece. I do remember using a blender and I do remember splats of paper stuck to the kitchen cabinets like glue. I recall one added dried and pressed ferns to his paper. I'm sure the others added to their paper also. Could have been pressed leaves or blades of grass or who knows what would have been laying around outside at the time. Messy process, they had a blast.
My guess is those kits have long been passed on to others with young kids. I like the idea though and I do have a shower that I am going to be hosting for a nephew's future bride so chances are good I'll run with this idea unless she wants to use it for wedding favors. If she does, I'd run with J-veg's sister's idea of a pine seedling for someone to transplant if they'd like and possibly a bar of homemade pine scented hand soap. I could easily pump out a bunch of pine seedlings with a matching bridesmaid dress ribbon color. If I time everything properly, they'll be a perfect size for a fall wedding. As we get closer to their wedding day, I'll have to ask her what color she's going with for bridesmaid dresses and such. I think a shimmery yellow was being tossed around last I heard. She did ask me to go with to help select the floral center pieces as we get closer. I think that's something that should be done with my nephew or her own mom or perhaps my sister-in-law but they all said to take the geek. The geek would be me. I think if the cost is within their range, I'd suggest living centerpieces of native hardy ferns with the candles to match the dresses. Who knows, it's her day so if she wants something personalized that isn't available commercially I might even set up shop and make them for her myself. Maybe not though. I just found out they're inviting just over 600 and are expecting 400-500. That's 40-50 centerpieces??? Off the record, poor kids. I don't know why they can't have a nice wholesome down-to-earth personalized wedding like J-veg and his future wife are having. The shower is probably going to have 50 people in attendance from this side of the family. Seems a little outrageous to me and 50-150 would be more in line with my thoughts of what the number for darn near a whole wedding should be but that's just me.
And J-veg, I'd love to see photos of your wedding. Please keep everyone posted of what ever you two ultimately select if time allows because I'm liking your style and tastes very much!
We made paper once using kits when the kids were little. The kits couldn't have been more than $10 a piece. I do remember using a blender and I do remember splats of paper stuck to the kitchen cabinets like glue. I recall one added dried and pressed ferns to his paper. I'm sure the others added to their paper also. Could have been pressed leaves or blades of grass or who knows what would have been laying around outside at the time. Messy process, they had a blast.
My guess is those kits have long been passed on to others with young kids. I like the idea though and I do have a shower that I am going to be hosting for a nephew's future bride so chances are good I'll run with this idea unless she wants to use it for wedding favors. If she does, I'd run with J-veg's sister's idea of a pine seedling for someone to transplant if they'd like and possibly a bar of homemade pine scented hand soap. I could easily pump out a bunch of pine seedlings with a matching bridesmaid dress ribbon color. If I time everything properly, they'll be a perfect size for a fall wedding. As we get closer to their wedding day, I'll have to ask her what color she's going with for bridesmaid dresses and such. I think a shimmery yellow was being tossed around last I heard. She did ask me to go with to help select the floral center pieces as we get closer. I think that's something that should be done with my nephew or her own mom or perhaps my sister-in-law but they all said to take the geek. The geek would be me. I think if the cost is within their range, I'd suggest living centerpieces of native hardy ferns with the candles to match the dresses. Who knows, it's her day so if she wants something personalized that isn't available commercially I might even set up shop and make them for her myself. Maybe not though. I just found out they're inviting just over 600 and are expecting 400-500. That's 40-50 centerpieces??? Off the record, poor kids. I don't know why they can't have a nice wholesome down-to-earth personalized wedding like J-veg and his future wife are having. The shower is probably going to have 50 people in attendance from this side of the family. Seems a little outrageous to me and 50-150 would be more in line with my thoughts of what the number for darn near a whole wedding should be but that's just me.
And J-veg, I'd love to see photos of your wedding. Please keep everyone posted of what ever you two ultimately select if time allows because I'm liking your style and tastes very much!
I'll keep you updated as I'm sure to have more questions as I go
I have to get a working camera, been meaning to put up pics of my patch for a while now
500-600 people! we we're freaking out when our list hit 140 (who to cut?) then we realized that we had miscounted so we're still at our ideal 120...
you are one awesome aunt for doing all that work
I have to get a working camera, been meaning to put up pics of my patch for a while now
500-600 people! we we're freaking out when our list hit 140 (who to cut?) then we realized that we had miscounted so we're still at our ideal 120...
you are one awesome aunt for doing all that work
Maybe a friend or a relative has a digital camera so you don't have to incur the expense of buying one. Just a thought.
Both my nephew and his future wife are really neat people. I love them but I like them very much as people if that makes any sense. I'll do what I can to help them.
Again, 500-600 people is ridiculous in our opinion. It's no way for a young couple to start out the gate. They're going to end up obligated to every single person who gives them a toaster and bath towels that don't match anything in their new apartment for quite a few years. If I did Christmas cards, I'd hate to see the number of boxes they'll be buying plus the cost of postage not to mention the time element of addressing all the envelopes. I realize it's the thought that counts on gifts but.... these gifts they'll be receiving are going to have consequences. It's that reciprocity deal. We thought about it. The family and friends who feel emotionally attached to our kids will still send a card for a wedding book even if there's no traditional wedding or reception. Because of this, we're giving our kids a choice. They can have money for a down payment on a home and tickets to fly somewhere exotic to get married plus hotel accommodations OR they can have a flat 5k to do with however they wish. Purchasing homes around here requires about a 15% down payment and our thoughts are the air fare and hotels will be somewhere around 5k. Decision is theirs. We really did put some thought to this. I'm sure they'll make the best decision for them based on the two offers that will be laid out on the table.
And I talked to my future niece, her wedding gown is a couple thousand dollars??? What??? So it can end up modified and cut down to fit around a baby's cradle??? Quick... smelling salts! I all but gasped for air when I heard that. Thoughts of how many plants I could buy for that kind of money raced through my head. Her color is yellow for her bridesmaids' dresses. She does want a green wedding so has decided to go with living centerpieces although she doesn't know what type of plants she will favor.
Really glad to hear you two are having a normal wedding. I think you two have your heads planted squarely on your necks if you were freaking out at the thought of having 150 people. I know I'd be.
Back to the main topic! Looks what I found while poking around that might interest the two of you-
https://www.plantamemory.com/accent/seedlings-by-the-bunch.html
https://www.theweddinggreenhouse.com/
https://www.plantamemory.com/accent/basil-seed-kit.html
https://greenlivingideas.com/weddings/wedding-favors-go-green.html
https://www.littlethingsfavors.com/nbeplpecokit.html
New twist on the herb seed packets idea-
https://www.littlethingsfavors.com/ecgrwefa.html
My future niece loves this idea-
https://www.littlethingsfavors.com/tpeinpocaini.html
Wonder if I could find a mold out there?
Both my nephew and his future wife are really neat people. I love them but I like them very much as people if that makes any sense. I'll do what I can to help them.
Again, 500-600 people is ridiculous in our opinion. It's no way for a young couple to start out the gate. They're going to end up obligated to every single person who gives them a toaster and bath towels that don't match anything in their new apartment for quite a few years. If I did Christmas cards, I'd hate to see the number of boxes they'll be buying plus the cost of postage not to mention the time element of addressing all the envelopes. I realize it's the thought that counts on gifts but.... these gifts they'll be receiving are going to have consequences. It's that reciprocity deal. We thought about it. The family and friends who feel emotionally attached to our kids will still send a card for a wedding book even if there's no traditional wedding or reception. Because of this, we're giving our kids a choice. They can have money for a down payment on a home and tickets to fly somewhere exotic to get married plus hotel accommodations OR they can have a flat 5k to do with however they wish. Purchasing homes around here requires about a 15% down payment and our thoughts are the air fare and hotels will be somewhere around 5k. Decision is theirs. We really did put some thought to this. I'm sure they'll make the best decision for them based on the two offers that will be laid out on the table.
And I talked to my future niece, her wedding gown is a couple thousand dollars??? What??? So it can end up modified and cut down to fit around a baby's cradle??? Quick... smelling salts! I all but gasped for air when I heard that. Thoughts of how many plants I could buy for that kind of money raced through my head. Her color is yellow for her bridesmaids' dresses. She does want a green wedding so has decided to go with living centerpieces although she doesn't know what type of plants she will favor.
Really glad to hear you two are having a normal wedding. I think you two have your heads planted squarely on your necks if you were freaking out at the thought of having 150 people. I know I'd be.
Back to the main topic! Looks what I found while poking around that might interest the two of you-
https://www.plantamemory.com/accent/seedlings-by-the-bunch.html
https://www.theweddinggreenhouse.com/
https://www.plantamemory.com/accent/basil-seed-kit.html
https://greenlivingideas.com/weddings/wedding-favors-go-green.html
https://www.littlethingsfavors.com/nbeplpecokit.html
New twist on the herb seed packets idea-
https://www.littlethingsfavors.com/ecgrwefa.html
My future niece loves this idea-
https://www.littlethingsfavors.com/tpeinpocaini.html
Wonder if I could find a mold out there?