20 Fresh Ideas for Bringing the Outdoors in at Your Wedding

By Emily Platt
March 09, 2017
Ryan Ray Photography

Embrace nature, rain or shine.

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Ryan Ray Photography
Get All of Our Best Indoor Wedding Ideas

Some couples fall in love with an indoor venue, but don't want to sacrifice an earthy vibe. Other couples want an outdoor wedding, but weather gets in the way. Regardless of the details, there are plenty of ways to satisfy your nature craving, and we know just how to help you bring the outside in. When it comes to incorporating organic beauty into your wedding, there are tons of ideas to tap into. Ceremonies and receptions alike can reap the benefits of nature-made décor. So before you plan your special day, take a peek at these outdoorsy ideas from real weddings. Rain or shine, summer or winter, getting your all-natural, nature-inspired fix has never been so easy (or beautiful)!

Overhead Installation

Here, a trellis of blooms hangs above a reception dance floor—just one of the many ways this couple surrounded their guests with flowers. Though the event took place under a tent, the fresh accents made for a garden-like escape.

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Greenery Trellis

Aaron Delesie
Get More Tent Decorating Ideas for Your Reception

This couple designed their dinner tent to resemble their favorite restaurant in Capri. The décor included green shrubbery and foliage-covered trellises. 

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Vibrant Wreath

Tec Petaja
See More Ideas That Prove Wreaths Aren't Just for Christmas

Saipua combined peonies, tulips, delphinium, and passion vine to form the breathtaking wreath above this couple. Pine and floral scents floated through the venue, too. 

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Tent Trees

Christian Oth Studio
Learn How to Prepare for Rain on Your Wedding Day

Potted trees (imagined up by Easton Events) made this rainy-day getaway a fresh and airy alternative to the outdoors.

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Cake Decorations

Tamara Grüner
Get Ideas for Using Succulents at Your Wedding

Decorate more than just the venue—a wedding cake can be nature-inspired, too! Addie Cakes adorned this simple vanilla confection with cacti and flowers that matched other details from the wedding.

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Industrial-Chic Centerpieces

Cambria Grace Photography
Go Inside This Nontraditional Wedding

Fern fronds in clear glass vases softened the man-made vibe of this industrial venue.

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Indoor Garden

Belathée Photography
Turn Your Reception Space Into a Secret Garden, Too

For this wedding, Steven Moore aimed to create "an amazing secret garden," and that's exactly what this couple got. The stunning ceremony tent featured green-and-white flower arrangements, plus six 12-foot maple trees that are now planted at the bride's parents' home.

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Pretty Petals

Catherine Mead
Get More Fun Ideas For a Poolside Wedding

Can't decide between an indoor or outdoor venue? Combine the two by choosing a location with a courtyard. This one featured a beautifully-tiled pool which Boutique Souk made even prettier with colorful, floating petals.

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Overflowing Foliage

Sylvie Gil Photography
See More Barn Wedding Ideas

This wedding began in the woods and ended in a barn. Based on the décor, however, you could barely tell the difference. Eucalyptus leaves and smilax vines were wrapped about the building's rafters and chandeliers. 

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Potted Plants

Harwell Photography
Get More Great Wedding Centerpiece Ideas

Tables at this reception held an array of potted plants, including anemones, spray roses, and locally-grown dahlias.

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Wood Display

Natalie Watson Photography

Here, The Left Handed Calligrapher escort cards sit on pieces of mossy bark, which were used to convey a natural setting at this wedding.

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Dimensional Details

Corbin Gurkin
Go Inside This Elegant At-Home Wedding

Above these receptions tables sat horizontal trellises, and beside them hung vertical floor-length "curtains" made of orchids.

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Leafy Backdrop

Liz Banfield
Get Flower Wall Ideas for Your Wedding

Have you ever considered the more subdued cousin of a flower wall? This boxwood backdrop looked ultra chic in this wedding's lounge.

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Thematic Venue

Heather Saunders
Go Inside This Unique Wedding

This wedding took place in the Flower House—a creative, temporary, sustainable art installation in an old abandoned house in Detroit. Florists from across the country came together to fill the location with fresh flowers, creating a truly one-of-a-kind venue for this lucky couple. Though the installation's property has since been re-purposed, a similar end-product could be achieved somewhere else.

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Small Accents

Heather Waraksa
Get More Wedding Ring Box Ideas

This couple chose to house their rings in a moss-filled box, bringing a little touch of the outdoors to an intimate piece of their wedding. 

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Floral Archway

Ryan Ray Photography
See More Arches From Real Weddings

The Southern Table used flower-filled urns to anchor an archway made of greenery at this indoor ceremony.

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Natural Runner

Adam Barnes
Make Your Own Table Runners

Sweet Root Village skipped the florals and used lush, trailing eucalyptus to make table runners for this reception. In addition, the tables were placed in a room adjacent to a portico, so that guests at this wedding could spend time inside and outside.

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Planted Aisle

Judy Pak
Get More Wedding Ceremony Aisle Ideas

When it comes to outdoor weddings, always have a backup plan. When this ceremony faced a summer storm and was forced indoors, Nicolette Camille thought quick and decorated the aisle with floral arrangements. The wedding was designed to have a secret-garden vibe, which the foxglove, nicotania, abutilon, huechera, allium, ferns, hyssop, and smilax preserved.

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Spruced-Up Structures

Charla Storey Photography
Go Inside This Intimate Wedding

Here, lush greenery trailed down this wedding manor's staircase—it appeared in other aspects of the big day, too. 

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Floral Garland

Heather Payne
See More Hanging Wedding Décor Ideas

The head table at this wedding was framed by a full, floral garland, which was made to look as though it were growing up the wall. Elaeagnus, ornamental pear branches, and smilax vines were chosen because of their durability, while dahlias and garden roses added a finishing touch. 

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By Emily Platt