Earthy Wedding Flower Ideas

Floral designer Ariella Chezar spins autumn's blooms and dried grasses into gorgeous gold-flecked creations. Consider infusing your wedding with her organic glamour.

This sprawling centerpiece of honey-colored garden roses, crimson dahlias, and blush-tinted ranunculus makes a warm, inviting space for guests. "Its untamed shape is rustic yet modern," says Chezar, who also used branches of clematis foliage, and let rattlesnake grass and blueberries spill onto the table. "Long, wispy elements like these add lightness to what might otherwise be a big, dense ball of flowers," she says. Lone 'Graham Thomas' roses serve as place card holders, and small candles set the blossoms aglow.

Jamali Floral & Garden Supplies footed brass urn #1572/B, jamaligarden.com. Roost bud vases and polka-dot votive candleholders, both from Annieglass; 831-427-4260. Calligraphy by Deborah Delaney, 212-877-8773.

Whether she's designing for a wedding, a fashion party, or the White House, Chezar (left) prefers to work with flowers that are in season. "They're by far the best quality," she says. Now based in New York City, the Massachusetts native has a special appreciation for autumnal arrangements. "In the fall, there's a warmth to the wheat-colored landscape that's elegant but simple," she says. "It's actually a wonderful time for flowers."

Send flower girls down the aisle carrying rose petal-filled paper cones rimmed with orchids and rattlesnake grass. Linen dresses, like these from Chezar's Ariella Bella line (ariellaflowers.com), "are fanciful and a little old-fashioned," she says. Use floral tape to secure bunches of grass to wire for a matching crown.

Your boutonnieres don't have to look exactly the same, says Chezar. "You can work in a variety of flowers -- just keep the colors and sizes consistent throughout." Here, a yellow orchid and rattlesnake grass (top), lisianthus (middle), and scabiosa (bottom) all sit atop deep-purple clematis foliage and are wrapped with similar ribbons.

"The most beautiful bouquets look loose and slightly wild," Chezar says. Case in point: this fresh cascade of phalaenopsis orchids, garden roses, mini Japanese carnations, scabiosa, and blueberry branches, wrapped with an equally abundant range of velvet, satin, and lace ribbons.

J. Mendel gown, price upon request; jmendel.com. Mokuba New York trimming braid and 75mm double-face velveteen ribbon, #4643, color 15; 212-869-8900. M&J Trimming 2 1/2-inch hand-dyed silk-satin ribbon, #25180; mjtrim.com.