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  5. Trending Now: Butterfly-Inspired Wedding Décor
Martha Stewart Weddings

Trending Now: Butterfly-Inspired Wedding Décor

lauren pardee associate digital editor martha stewart weddings
By Lauren Pardee
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butterfly wedding ideas
Credit: Sposto Photography

These colorful critters will add feminine flair to your big-day design.

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flower girl wearing blue dress with butterfly applique
Credit: Priscila Valentina

Looking for a symbolic way to represent your marriage throughout your wedding décor? Consider butterflies, which are known for metamorphosing—they speak to a bride or groom's transformation from individuals to life-long partners. The insects also represent magic, romance, and joy—themes and emotions that are particularly relevant on your wedding day.

Beyond their symbolic meaning, butterfly-inspired accents can elevate your ceremony or reception décor, too. Butterfly dishware can add a striking print to places settings, while escort cards made from paper bugs can dress up a seating chart. Whether you display preserved insects in between Lucite slabs to add color to a translucent sign or place butterfly-shaped hand fans on white folding chairs at your event, these delicate critters bring whimsy to anything they touch.

Butterflies can also make a major fashion statement when added to your (or your wedding party's!) ensemble. Just take this flower girl, for example. The 3D butterflies on her dress brought dimension to her look. If the groom wants to forgo a traditional boutonnière for something more unique, a butterfly pin is the perfect replacement. And for the bride? If you'd like to add a summery hue to your bridal outfit, do so by embroidering orange monarchs onto your veil.

Butterflies can also nod to your big-day venue. If you are hosting a garden wedding, place life-like ones sporadically throughout your event. Whether on a bar top, table runner, or cake, you'll give the illusion that these insects have landed all around your soirée. In need of more inspiration? You're in luck. Ahead, we've rounded up our favorite butterfly wedding ideas to inspire your own.

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Printed Dishware

butterfly-printed dishware
Credit: Carrie Patterson
The Prettiest Place Settings from Real Celebrations

Make like this couple and complement your feminine tablescape with butterfly-printed dishware for a splash of on-theme color.

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Sanctuary Venue

butterfly wedding ideas
Credit: Sposto Photography
12 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Wedding Venue

Host your soirée at a butterfly sanctuary, like this couple did, so the live bugs are a guaranteed part of your big day; they'll float around the room, delighting your guests.

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Unique Sendoff

butterflies placed in glass containers
Credit: Jose Villa
28 Unique Ideas for Your Wedding Exit

Looking for a unique ceremony sendoff idea? Place live butterflies in glass containers (Mon Voir calligraphed these) on each seat. Guests released these insects after the couple said "I do."

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3D Wedding Cake

butterfly cake
Credit: VS Photography
52 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence

Upgrade a simple white cake by decorating it with 3D elements. Fleur and Flour made it look as though butterflies hda gathered on this single-tier confection.

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Wing Numbers

butterfly table number
Credit: Sposto Photography
The Prettiest Wedding Table Number Ideas from Real Weddings

Nod to your love for the outdoors with butterfly wing table numbers. Laura Made It created this iteration, which matched Amorology's pink-and-yellow tablescape.

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Vintage Flair

ashley samantha wedding cornwall ny accessories
Credit: Corbin Gurkin
"Something Old" Wedding Ideas from Real Brides

This bride pinned her grandmother's butterfly broach to her bouquet wrap as her something old. An antique, like this one, can add vintage flair to any arrangement—and whimsy, too, if the vintage piece is shaped like this pretty bug.

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Garden-Inspired Gown

butterfly embroidered wedding dress
Credit: Lucy Munoz Photography
The Most Common Wedding Dress Embellishments, Explained

Search for a wedding dress like this butterfly-embroidered Claire Pettibone ensemble if you're dreaming of a gown that nods to your garden locale.

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Pretty Pop

outdoor backdrop decorated with butterflies
Credit: Michael Segal Photography
How to Make a Wedding Seating Chart Without Stressing Out

Recreate Tessa Lyn Events' seating chart for a nature-inspired station that lends color to your outdoor event. These blush-and-yellow butterflies prettily popped against an all-white backdrop.

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Whimsical Table Runner

green table runner decorated with butterflies
Credit: Just Like Honey by Nadine Berns
20 Beautiful Ways to Add a Pop of Green to Your Wedding

Decorating your table runner with butterflies will give your setup a whimsical, outdoorsy feel, as evidenced by this tablescape.

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Colorful Veil

wedding dress and colorful butterfly embroidered veil
Credit: Sasithon Photography
20 Orange Wedding Ideas for Couples Who Love Color

Add a pop of color to your all-white bridal ensemble by embroidering butterflies onto your veil. Jemima Williams designed this accessory. 

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Soft Installation

groomsmen standing by bar decorated with butterflies
Credit: Cameron + Mindy, The Brauns
Hanging Décor Ideas Guaranteed to Elevate Your Wedding

Copy this couple's hanging butterfly installation if you wish to soften an industrial-style venue. The feminine accent prettily contrasted this bar's masculine aesthetic.

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Effortless Landing

elizabeth scott wedding escort cards
Credit: Valentina Glidden Fine Art Photography
24 Yellow Wedding Ideas That Will Make Your Day Bright and Cheery

Adorn your outdoor seating chart with preserved butterflies for a romantic look, like Jenna Caitlin Designs did here. The yellow insects prettily complemented golden blooms by Heirloom Design House.

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Stamp Hints

stefanie terrel wedding invites stationary suite
Credit: Sarah Kate Photography
The Best Ways to Customize Your Wedding Invitations

Allude to your wedding's locale through your stationery with stamps that represent your chosen setting. This bride used an array of succulent and butterfly postage on her invitation packages by The Idea Emporium and Isidore & Augustine to hint at her flower-filled wedding in the desert.

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Unique Boutonnière

groom posing with bride wearing butterfly boutonniere
Credit: Sasithon Photography
20 Instagram-Worthy Boutonnières

Forgo a traditional boutonnière and decorate your suit with a butterfly pin for a fun accessory that speaks to your wedding's spring date.

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Watercolor Illustrations

ashlie adam alpert wedding save the date
Credit: Braedon Flynn
The Loveliest Watercolor Wedding Invitations

Set the tone for your garden wedding with nature-inspired save-the-dates that feature butterfly and flower illustrations. Florine Asch painted this custom watercolor iteration.

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Perched Place Cards

butterfly escort card display
Credit: Chelsea Nicole Photography

Direct guests to their reception chairs via an eye-catching butterfly escort card station. We suggest attaching paper iterations—Scheme Events created these—onto a grass backdrop for an earthy display.

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Gift Station

butterfly gift table
Credit: Caroline Tran Photography
21 Ways to Set Up a Card or Gift Table at Your Wedding

Enhance your gift table's feminine aesthetic by placing preserved butterflies on your tablecloth and presents. Sterling Engagements used the insect to upgrade this pink station's romantic look.

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Hand Fans

butterfly hand fans on white ceremony chairs
Credit: Alicia Lucia Photography
22 Wedding Ceremony Program Fans to Help Keep Guests Cool

Keep guests cool during your outdoor ceremony with butterfly fans. We love how these handmade iterations added a vibrant hue to white folding chairs.

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Transformative Display

bride and groom kissing between hedges decorated with butterflies
Credit: Next Exit Photography

Star Hansen Events created butterfly wall installations to symbolize this couple's transformation from fiancés to spouses. We suggest doing the same for a meaningful, nature-inspired décor moment.

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Escort Cards

katie samuel guest table numbers
Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy
Outdoor Escort Cards That Won't Fly Away

Place faux butterflies and other bugs on top of escort cards to give your setup a natural look. Uprinting created this display—the insects from Bioquip looked as if they'd landed on this station themselves.

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Patterned Wings

decor alternatives preserved insects display
Credit: Ryan Johnson Photography
The Case for Having Both Escort Cards & Place Cards at Your Wedding

Olive Willow Designs created framed insect escort cards to showcase this couple's shared love for entomology. Remake this seating chart with different butterfly types for an eye-catching décor element with lots of colors and patterns.

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Lucite Sign

lucite bar sign embellished with butterflies
Credit: Allie Appel Photography
20 Bold Ideas for a Red Wedding Color Palette

Red butterfly decorations can enhance any moody wedding color palette. Stone Fruit pressed burgundy insects between Lucite slabs to create this modern bar cart sign.

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    1 of 23
    2 of 23 Printed Dishware
    3 of 23 Sanctuary Venue
    4 of 23 Unique Sendoff
    5 of 23 3D Wedding Cake
    6 of 23 Wing Numbers
    7 of 23 Vintage Flair
    8 of 23 Garden-Inspired Gown
    9 of 23 Pretty Pop
    10 of 23 Whimsical Table Runner
    11 of 23 Colorful Veil
    12 of 23 Soft Installation
    13 of 23 Effortless Landing
    14 of 23 Stamp Hints
    15 of 23 Unique Boutonnière
    16 of 23 Watercolor Illustrations
    17 of 23 Perched Place Cards
    18 of 23 Gift Station
    19 of 23 Hand Fans
    20 of 23 Transformative Display
    21 of 23 Escort Cards
    22 of 23 Patterned Wings
    23 of 23 Lucite Sign

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