Martha Stewart Weddings

26 Rustic Wedding Ideas That Still Feel Elevated

By Sarah Schreiber
July 27, 2011
Credit: Megan Welker Photography

Planning a country-chic wedding? These unique ideas are perfect for you.

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Credit: Megan Welker Photography

You're in the middle of planning a bucolic wedding, complete with all of the rustic fixings—a barn venue, plenty of burlap accents, and oaky wood furnishings. If this is your exact wedding vision, or at least pretty close to the vibe you're going for, then you, like many brides and groom, love a rustic aesthetic. And we can't blame you. We so often use the lush green, nature-filled setting of the countryside as a retreat. Why not carry these relaxing vibes directly into your big day?

Don't confuse a rustic wedding with one that looks laid-back and casual, though. While they can be just that, this wedding style can also feel as luxe or formal as you'd like. The secret comes down to the overall polish of your wedding day details. If the rustic barn wedding complete with bales of hay and dirt paths isn't for you, consider a barn-inspired venue with ultra-modern amenities (think a revamped carriage house or finished barn!). Or, opt for incredibly refined details that still read as country. The incredible hutch seen here, which Lux Events and Design used as a favor display, is the perfect example of rural elegance. On the other hand, if that carefree backyard wedding is up your alley, prepare to be inspired by the coolest DIYS (think chicken wire and pallet wood!), leafy floral backdrops, lantern accents, and more.

Ahead, you'll find ideas that cover both types of rustic weddings—the casual and the formal. You'll notice, though, that each idea is fresh and elevated, regardless of formality level. Ready to discover all of these country wedding ideas? Click through for all the rustic romance to inspire your own party.

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Barn Venue

Credit: Kayla Barker
See Our Favorite Rustic Weddings

The right décor can transform just about any venue into a rustic oasis, but an actual barn will do a lot of the heavy lifting. If the classic red structure is a little to country for your taste, search for a refurbished option (like The White Sparrow Barn, seen here) or carriage house, complete with the modern amenities your event requires.

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Natural Tablescape

Credit: Rebecca Hollis Photography

Set a (literal) rustic scene on your reception tables, complete with a hearty floral arrangement filled with dahlias, mums, and plenty of leaves, natural wood chargers, and linens you'd expect to find in a country store. Greenwood Events finished off this tablescape with horse-illustrated coasters from The TOP.

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Lantern-Lit Aisles

Credit: Callie Manion Photography

If you're planning a rustic wedding, you've likely gravitated towards plenty of wood and lots of natural greenery. This ceremony aisle vignette, featuring garlands by Haute Floral and lanterns from Junk & Disorderly, fits the bill on both fronts.

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Natural Invitation Suite

Credit: Shannon Moffit
Elevated Ideas for Your Rustic Wedding Invites

An earthy invitation suite is the best way to introduce your guests to your pastoral aesthetic. Take inspiration from this suite calligraphed by Nicolette Selman, which looks like it was torn from an old book in both style and color palette.

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Ceremony Arch

Credit: Emily Wren

Notice how this Faye + Renee ceremony arch pulls in several autumnal hues, like green, yellow, cream, and rust. Use this classic fall color palette as your guide, since most rustic décor pulls from it.

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Escort Cards

Credit: Paula O’Hara
Insanely Creative Escort Cart and Seating Chart Displays

Enlist an illustrator to hand-paint small laurels onto simple escort cards (these were created by Dusty Boy Designs), and then present the notes in sliced logs.

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Chicken Wire Seating Chart

Credit: Amalie Orrange Photography

Or turn to another farm motif (chicken wire!) when setting up a seating chart display. Display the prop on a barrel-bottomed table with a few distressed lanterns to complete the look.

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Rustic Meets Industrial

Credit: LisaAnne Photography

There's a way to marry the country and city aesthetics—just introduce a few industrial touches. We love how Eclectic Hive Event Design paired a wooden farm table with masculine iron chairs from By Design Collective. The wire-framed chandelier (which hung from the venue's exposed beams), though, was the ultimate touch.

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Rustic Bouquet

Credit: Caroline Lima Photography
Dried Floral Arrangements Perfect for a Fall Wedding

When it comes to sourcing blooms for a rustic bouquet, wild is often better. The dahlias, chrysanthemums, daises, and leaves seen in this Sassafras Fork Farm clutch look as if they were freshly plucked from harvest.

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Sweetheart Table

Credit: Jana Williams

The best part about the rustic aesthetic? It's so easy to make it feel like home. Which is exactly why you and your new spouse should dine on table that could have been sourced from your home—or the country home you'll build together over the years, that is.

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Wheat Crown

Credit: Chelsea Mitchell

A wheat tiara is the rustic iteration of the flower crown. This unique headpiece was created by Adorned Event Design.

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Rustic Exit

Credit: Maison Meredith
Unique Wedding Exit Ideas

A horse-drawn carriage—complete with a "Just Married!" sign, of course—makes for the ultimate country wedding exit.

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Dried Centerpiece

Credit: Clayton Austin

Mix fresh and dried blooms when curating rustic reception centerpieces. Here, brown-palette preserved sunflowers, strawflowers, and wheat popped against the lush cream roses. A wooden vessel unified the display.

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Floral Installation

Credit: Jose Villa
Hanging Wedding Décor Ideas

This incredible overhead floral installation proves that rustic décor can also feel epic, curated, and refined. Mindy Rice Design spent months preserving 2,000 PeeGee hydrangeas—a late-summer crop—for this country-inspired, November celebration.

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Rustic Meets Modern

Credit: The Edges Wedding Photography

Rural décor can also join forces with modern design elements. Posey Floral + Event Design did just that by creating a pampas grass ceremony backdrop with a minimal triangular shape.

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Overhead Lights

Credit: Kate Headley

It's not a country celebration without plenty of string lights! We'll go ahead and recommend vintage wicker chairs and a pastoral setting (like this one, seen at the Inn at Warner Hall), too.

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BBQ Favors

Credit: Birds of a Feather
Edible Favors Your Guests Will Love

Homemade BBQ sauce caters to both your theme and your guests. They'll surely use the savory dip post-wedding.

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Naked Cake

Credit: Heather Payne

Since the rustic is so often associated with the simple, a pared-down naked cake, dressed up with just a few fresh flowers, will look right at home on your distressed-chic dessert table.

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Rustic Favors and Display

Credit: Angela Zion

There's really nothing more farm-wedding-worthy than giving out trees as favors—which was exactly what this duo did. They presented Arbor Day Foundation pine trees on an oak ladder (another rustic touch!).

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Harvest Table

Credit: Emma Barrow
Wedding Centerpieces with Fruits and Vegetables

Formalized floral centerpieces filled with dried hydrangeas, wildflowers, and pampas grass are well and good. But there's an advantage to styling fresh fruits like pomegranates, plums, and blackberries into a type of runner, especially on a rustic tabletop—it's natural, organic, and best of all, edible. Bonus points if you pair it all with on-palette table linens (like these burnt orange napkins from West Country Wedding Planner) and set the scene on a vintage wooden table.

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Cowbell Display

Credit: Johnny Miller

A sure way to break the ice? Have guests pick up sheep and cow bells along with their escort cards. It's a call to supper, table assignment, and favor in one. Plus, it will make the seat-finding process sound like a game of musical chairs.

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Hitching Posts

Credit: Sarah Maingot

Spread your big news in a small-town way, with this cross between a frontier poster and a modern concert flyer. Plaster them around town to lead guests to your location, or line a wall at your reception to create a graphic photo-booth backdrop.

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Wild Bouquet

Credit: Sarah Maingot

Tiny flowers make a poetic statement when they're swept up in a simple yet abundant bouquet. Try chamomile, heather, and coreopsis—or choose special blooms that are indigenous to your location.

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Monogrammed Blanket

Credit: Sarah Maingot

A monogram-embroidered blanket would be equally at home around your shoulders once night falls or on the grass at a wedding picnic. Better yet, you’ll treasure it for years to come. Commission the needlework or DIY it.

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Silo Backdrop

Credit: m three studio

A distressed silo provides a photo-worthy ceremony backdrop. An arch made of old farm machinery and covered in colorful flowers could also serve as an altar.

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