Looking for a Rustic Weddings, Here's our Top 10 Tips!

 If you want a laid-back, casual vibe on your big day, then a rustic wedding may be right for you. This style uses nature-inspired elements and outdoor spaces in order to create a relaxed environment that promotes mixing, mixing and having a good time (with a bit of country flair). Keep reading about how to pull off a rustic wedding and how to add all the details to your celebration with some of our favourite rustic decor and other ideas.
What does a rustic wedding mean?

Nature and the outdoors are the big components of the rustic wedding style. Rustic weddings are often associated with rural locations, such as barns and other countryside venues, but you can pull off this relaxed aesthetic almost anywhere with the right approach. Typically, a rustic wedding style is a combination of farmhouse, vintage, and robust elements, such as wooden logs, burlap, baby's breath, mix-and-match vases, barrels, and galvanised metal. By adding slim details such as chandeliers, greenery garlands, candles, and twinkle lights, you can achieve a classic rustic wedding style.
What are the finest venues for a rustic wedding?



The most obvious venues for rustic weddings are barns, ranches and farms. These types of venues easily lend themselves to the rustic wedding style due to their rural locations and informal settings. For vineyards, mountain lodges, and recreational parks or campgrounds, the rustic style is also appropriate.

Some barns or farm locations may close for the winter and early spring, especially if your area is known for heavy snowfall. This means that you are more likely to be restricted to traditional indoor venues during the winter and, as a result, you may need more decor to achieve a truly rustic effect. If you find a barn or farm available during the winter, ask about the venue's poor weather policy, and don't forget to create a "Plan B" in the event that Mother Nature has other ideas. Lastly, barns can be very draughty in the winter, so ask the venue if space heaters are provided if needed. If not, you will need to take into account the added cost of renting them in order for everyone to stay cosy and warm.

What good colours are there for a rustic wedding?

One thing that we love about the rustic wedding style is that it's super versatile. It works with many different colour palettes, and each one can help you achieve a different look, depending on the decor you choose.

Popular rustic colour palettes include yellow and navy, burgundy and orange, or coral and turquoise. Stick with a softer pastel colour palette, such as blush, dusty blue, mint green, or even gold for a more 'rustic chic' look.
How do you decorate a rustic wedding?

The rustic wedding style focuses on repurposed handmade details, rough accent pieces, and vintage items. You have to decide before you choose your wedding decor if you want your wedding to be traditionally rustic (more on that in a second) or something along the lines of a 'rustic chic' look.


The outdoor elements are heavy with traditional rustic decor, such as hay bales, twine, raw wood pieces, and antlers. Burlap table runners, mason jars, and baby's breath are also popular at traditional rustic weddings. You can even add seasonal details to play up the pastoral theme, like sunflowers in the summer or acorns and pumpkins in the fall.

Everything about creating a laid-back yet elegant environment is the rustic, chic style. The basic elements are retained in this traditional rustic style twist, but romantic and classic details are added, such as loose greenery, whitewashed chairs, silenced metallic accents, and basically anything you would see in a Fixer Upper episode.

What flowers are best for rustic weddings?

The rustic wedding style is all about creating a welcoming feeling, so you'll want the bouquets, centrepieces (see our favourite ideas here), and other floral arrangements to look loose, slightly undone. In other words, nothing that feels too perfect or excessively arranged.

With most types of flowers, the rustic style works well, but we particularly love sunflowers, hydrangeas, daisies, roses, delphinium, dahlias, poppies and lots of greenery (imagine wildflowers you might see growing in a country field). With the rustic style, the baby's breath goes hand in hand, but Queen Anne's lace, craspedia, goldenrod, and even cotton puffs are some other floral accents that look just as beautiful.
What will you wear at a rustic wedding?

Generally speaking, rustic weddings allow for more casual dress codes because of the informal atmosphere associated with rustic wedding venues. For instance, when your ceremony takes place in a 200-year-old barn or a field at the edge of a forest, asking your guests to wear tuxedos and floor-length gowns may not be the most practical route.



You'll also want to consider the venue when selecting your own attire. If you are wearing a wedding gown, slimmer silhouettes in lightweight, breathable fabrics are perfect for rustic settings. This offers you plenty of freedom to move around easily, a must if you get hitched outside. With your accessories, a more casual dress code also means you should remain relatively understated, but don't be afraid to have some fun with them! This is an opportunity to wear things that may seem out of place at more formal venues, such as swapping your stilettos for a pair of sandals, flats or even cowboy boots!

If you wear a suit, opt for a more casual style in a lightweight material, like seersucker, cotton or linen. Those options still look polished without being overdressed, and they are ideal for warmer temperatures. Wool suits are a wonderful choice for rustic weddings held in cooler weather. For the ultimate laid-back look, skip the suit altogether and sport a button-down with dress trousers, a tie, or suspenders.

Which kind of food do you serve at a rustic wedding?

For rustic wedding cakes, we love the look of buttercream frosting that will give your cake a slightly relaxed look. For each tier or skip the allover frosting, dress up with fresh flowers or greenery and instead opt for a naked or semi-naked cake. For extra rustic flair, Fondant provides a smoother finish to your wedding cake and can be decorated with a faux bois pattern or burlap ribbons.

Some of our faves are homemade pies, doughnuts, waffles, and even pie pops. A prime chance to try out some alternative dessert ideas is rustic weddings. Pies are especially festive for fall weddings, as you can incorporate seasonal ingredients such as pumpkins and apples. In addition to your traditional cake, with pre-boxed slices or mini pies as favours, you can serve pies or send your guests home. We also love cupcakes, candy apples and flavoured kettle corn as rustic wedding treats.
Our prefered Rustic Wedding Ideas



Hay bale ceremony for seating

If you are exchanging your vows outdoors, this creative seating idea is spot-on for a rustic marriage. Even better, when you get married at a farm or other venue that already has hay bales on site, simply add assorted quilts and blankets to dress them up.


A wooden ceremony arch is a staple decorating piece when it comes to rustic weddings. We love this backdrop of the birch branch, decorated with flowers inspired by greenery and garden, and you can either make your own or source one from a local event rental company.


Loose, overflowing wedding bouquet


To add to a rustic wedding's laid-back vibe, bring an oversized bouquet filled with vines, greenery, pampas grass, and other botanical accents. Concentrate on using wildflowers and cheerful blooms, such as daisies, sunflowers, roses, ranunculus, and poppies, to achieve that farmer's market-inspired look.

Cowboy's boots


What would a rustic marriage be without cowboy boots? These shoes are not only suitable for a rustic aesthetic, but they are also practical if you have an outdoor wedding and do not want to ruin a pair of new shoes (or deal with uncomfortable heels and laces).

The Costume Lightweight

Even with an informal dress code, you can wear a suit if you're having a rustic wedding. The trick is to find a suitable style. Look for suits made of cotton, linen, or tweed, which are on the less fancy end of the spectrum. Another option: skip the complete suit and choose a jeans and sports coat (no rips, though, please!).


Throwing Blankets of Fleece

If you're having an outdoor wedding, even in the height of summer, it can be cold when the sun goes down. Providing a basket of fleece blankets is a cute and practical solution which your guests will appreciate.


Decoration waggon

Whether the waggon is purely decorative or you use it in a practical way, such as wheeling a young flower girl down the aisle or displaying ceremony programmes, it is a perfect addition to any rustic wedding theme. Choose one in a colour that suits the rest of your décor to jazz it up, and then add streamers, greenery or flowers.