Floral designer Sybil Sylvester created two wedding themes, gentle on both the earth and earnings, that used local, repurposed, or vintage ingredients.
1. Table of Elements
An informal arrangement of locally grown sunflowers, celosia, bee balm along with dahlias, Echinacea, and scabiosa pods in an antique tin tub suits an informal afternoon wedding. Sharing space with the loveliness, roasted curried carrots with basil crème fraîche and lemon zest; petite popovers with bleu cheese and sage; caramelized gold beet, apple, and ginger salad; and, finally, grilled crostini with baby lima beans, mint aioli, and shaved pecorino (all cooked up by Chris Dupont of Birmingham’s Café Dupont) make a festive welcome for guests.
2. Sweet Tarts
We used antique aluminum cake stands for lemon-fig and lemon-apple tarts baked by Christy’s Cakes and Catering in Irondale, Alabama. Gather an assortment of vintage napkins and mixed silverware, and dessert is served! 3. Hip to be Square Set up a craft table with fabric squares, buttons, and other “goo-gaws” and let guests make quilt squares with wishes for the newlyweds—either on the spot or to take, make, and send.
4. Do You Take This Vase?
Our groom gave his bride a hand as they unloaded wedding flowers from a 20-year-old “woody” Jeep. Get your friends and relatives together to help pitch in and make it a real party.
5. Super Natural
Use more garden-y, wild blooms in the bouquet like these dahlias, castor beans, scabiosa pods, sunflower centers, hydrangeas, and trumpet vine for a gorgeous yet informal look perfect for fall.
