Color, pattern, texture, layers and life. These are the concepts you need to keep in your head when you are planning a design scheme. (It is also what I look for when composing photographs.) So this week I was inspired by an idea I saw in the Handmade Weddings book on Amazon. It was a pretty vase wrapped in yarn. (What lovely texture?) That one idea inspired me and I immediately thought free glass (because why pay for bottles) and twine. Where there is twine there is eco-sheek. (Is that a design term? Well it is now.)
Eco-chic to me means modern, airy, simple and cheap upcycled. After all why buy new when you can reuse? Your wallet will thank you and so will the earth. Here is a scheme I designed and my thinking behind it. Enjoy.
Color & Pattern
Every scheme needs a jumping off point, so I found this great fabric called Waverly Sumerscape Sterling at the local fabric store pulled some paint chips to match the colors. The grey and green are prevalent in the fabric and give it that modern vibe. I always like to choose an accent color and for that I went pink, because it complements the green. The key to accent colors is that if you use them sparingly for just that pop of color they bring out all the colors in a harmonious scheme. If you over use accent colors then they carry less punch.
Texture & Layers
Eco-chic also means rustic textured items that you could see in a garden. This is where the twine and the burlap come in. Buying expensive fabric can be a budget buster but if you make runners out of expensive fabric you can use less and layer that on top of more modest fabric such as burlap. Remember you only need that hit of color and burlap provides texture.
I recycle a lot of glass bottles that food comes in. If I started saving them (and asked friends for theirs) I could have a collection to have free centerpieces for a wedding of 25 tables in no time. (Did I mention the glass is free?) Wrapping this pickle jar only took me 5 minutes.
Both the twine on glass and the fabric on fabric for the table cloths provide the layers so your tables are multidimensional.
Life
Life comes from living things and no table should be with out copious amounts of flowers. OK, maybe you would like your guests to be able to see over the centerpieces so one bunch of tulips will do. To mark the table I went into my yard and found some small twigs that had fallen of my maple tree. I then used a paper grocery bag to draw a table number and hang it from the twig. Life. And the twigs are free.
Those extra little touches
Depending on what you are serving you can create menus for people on your home computer. I made this one and printed it out on the inside of a paper grocery bag. Yup the same one I cut the table number out of. It’s recycled or upcycled fun and funky. You can get buy plain brown paper, but I like seeing the patterns on the back of the bags/menus.
I carried that them through with the soap favors and added that pop of pink for the accent color. The soap is from Emz Blendz in Ashland, Ore., and this is quite possibly the best soap on the planet. She also does wedding favors in big packs so you can save money. Seriously, you should go here and check it out. But I digress. Anyhoo, this whole scheme didn’t take me more than a couple hours to put together.
Don’t forget you can carry this theme through out the wedding. Have your bouquet match the centerpieces. Pull the brides maids dresses from one of the colors. (For this scheme I would vote charcoal.) Or have the brides maids ribbons on their dresses match the accent color.
So think creatively, find a base fabric that you love, and use it as a jumping off point. Don’t forget to recycle! It will save you money, and make your wedding distinct.
What is your favorite color or design scheme for a wedding? What colors should never be used? How do you feel about recycling for your wedding, is it cheap or smart? Let me know people!