"There's a big difference between falling in love with someone and falling in love with someone and getting married. Usually, after you get married, you fall in love with the person even more."
Dave Grohl
After the engagement, you and your fiancé find yourselves suddenly on a track to your big wedding day. You think about the big weddings you might’ve attended or seen on screen and think it’s just not for you. What you’re looking for is a casual, down-to-earth rustic wedding. We at CineStory have seen a number of beautiful rustic-style weddings, each moving and memorable in their own ways. From making the guest list to perfecting your decorations, here’s our guide to the rustic style wedding.
CEREMONY
Unlike the other wedding styles, the rustic wedding style thrives on the simple. With the grand classic style wedding or modern style weddings, brides and grooms want to have a grand display of their love. With the rustic, it’s all about comfort and letting the love do the talking.
While it’s possible to host your rustic-style wedding ceremony in a religious space, such as a church, mosque or synagogue, it’s not entirely necessary. We’ve seen couples opt for easily accessible event spaces that require little to no dressing up. Take the lovely Nicole and Joe, for example. They picked the mid-city SmogShoppe to tie the knot. The venue wasn’t too ornate, nor too casual. Just perfect. It included an outdoor ceremony lit only by natural sunlight.
Their guests didn’t need the fancy chiffon chairs to witness Nicole and Joe’s love, but rather were comfy enough with the rustic benches. Best of all, the outdoor space allowed them to bring in their adorable pup. The rustic style wedding is perfect if you’re hoping for a more intimate crowd. While the classic, modern and religious weddings often cater to hundreds of guests, the rustic style ceremony typically seats less than 100 loved ones.
DRESS
Of course, regardless of wedding style, a bride needs to have a gown. Luckily the rustic style wedding allows both bride and groom to dress in a style that best fits both their budget and aesthetic. With the classic style wedding, it’s tradition for the bride to don an intricate, gown and an equally detailed veil. Like the modern wedding style, the rustic wedding style allows the bride more freedom in the clothes she chooses to walk the aisle in.
Take Nicole as an example. Instead of doing the typical princess gown, she opted for a simple, yet effective cap-sleeve dress that flattered her figure. The dress was far from plain as it also had a mesh backing with leaves, matching the rustic theme of her wedding.
Going simple for the gown, though, isn’t a requirement for the rustic wedding. Again, it’s all about comfort, so if wearing a full gown for your wedding works for you, then go for it! Bride Desiree makes it work for her both at the ceremony and the after-party!
When it comes to grooms, they too can take a more casual approach to wardrobe. Instead of donning the typical tuxedo, they can opt for a more relaxed suit and blazer combo. Nicole’s groom, Joe is a good example for rustic style groom dressing.
Instead of the black suit jacket, he went for navy blue. He also swapped out the bowtie for a light tie adorned with palm leaves, matching the details on the back of Nicole’s dress. The pattern on Joe’s tie even matched with his dog’s leash.
RECEPTION
Like the ceremony, the rustic style reception is a more low-key and casual one compared to those for classic, religious, and even modern style weddings. With this kind of wedding, you can forgo the intricate centerpieces and ornate decorations. Instead, you can opt for more budget-friendly options including succulent centerpieces, fairy string lights and simple tableware in place of fancy banquet essentials. The result? Hours of fun, dancing and true celebration of love. For the rustic style wedding, the wedding ceremony space can also double as your banquet hall. With just some rearranging of chairs and tables your guests can make it from point A to B without budging.
How the reception goes is completely up to you. Rustic-style wedding receptions typically consist of a dinner that everyone can enjoy. Instead of having your guests sit at multiple, small tables, communal tables are a great option for everyone to get to know each other.
Additionally, you can choose whether to entertain your guests with the traditional bride and grooms games, or you can introduce new festivities to your attendees. If you’d like you can have friends and loved ones read vows, include father-daughter and mother-son dances.
Sometime in the evening, you have to have the couple’s first dance. If you’re looking to do the basics of a wedding reception, the garter and bouquet tosses and cake cutting are a must, even for a rustic wedding.
When it comes to planning your rustic wedding, it’s best to keep three things in mind: 1. Simplicity 2. Comfort 3. Love. It’s easy to keep your guests and yourself stress-free when there isn’t too much to worry about. When you, your partner, and your loved ones feel comfortable, you can all focus on a beautiful day in place.
About CineStory
We are CineStory Films, a Wedding Videography and Wedding Photography company based in Los Angeles. Having Videographers and Photographers on our team, allows us to achieve great results consistently. Our approach is to get to know our couples on a personal level. Connecting with our clients allows us to tell their stories in a symbolic and unique way. The passion and experience we have, combined with our efficiency and professionalism, enables us to create timeless images and videos.
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