A Nature Inspired Wedding

Weddings don't have to be grand formal affairs with function rooms and posh wedding favors. Planning your wedding with nature in mind can result in a wedding that is fun, relaxed and full of adorable details that are unique and personable.

Here are a few tips to help you put together a beautiful wedding, inspired by nature.

The venue: It has to be outdoors. Think about parks, woodlands or gardens. You can erect a marquee if you feel the need for shelter perhaps from the sun and as somewhere to retreat in the cooler evening temperatures.

The reception: Treat you guests to gourmet picnic baskets and provide them with picnic blankets to sit on. Serve up dishes made with seasonal produce, which could also be organic and locally grown.

Decorate the venue with garlands of fresh flowers and foliage. For a fragrant air incorporate fresh herbs as well. Use candles for decorative lighting and paper lanterns hung in colorful clusters.

Details: If you do provide tables and chairs go for rustic looking wooden ones and make table centers of fresh herbs and seasonal flowers in small metal pails, enamel jugs or jars.

Choose a simple wedding cake design and decorate it with sprigs of fresh herbs and wild flowers.

Instead of a guest book ask your guest to write their messages on small pieces of paper and peg them to a tree or line to create a wishing tree.

Use natural elements for place cards such as apples, pears or citrus fruits. Simply write the guests names on small strips of paper and pin them onto the fruit. For decorative accents choose butterflies, birds and cute bugs

For colors choose green as your main color and accent it with white, natural tones of brown or cream. For a more vibrant scheme incorporate citrus yellow, with lemons as a decorative accent throughout. Or use several shades of green and choose a single flower as a signature, such as a dog daisy, for a pretty scheme with a country feel.

You can incorporate patterns as well such as gingham, polka dots or checks. Using these patterns in accents such as ribbons adds a vintage touch to the whole scheme and a homely feel.

Wedding favors: Stick with the natural theme and give seeds or flower bulbs, coordinating them with the flowers you have used for your wedding. Give out recipes for favorite foods from your families, such as cakes, pies and savories.

Give little pots of fresh herbs or special herb mixes that you have put together yourself and presented in a small tin or linen bag.

If your budget will run to it then tree seedlings are a popular new trend for favors. They make a gift that will last forever (hopefully) and they are good for the environment

Flowers: Choose seasonal blooms which are locally grown. You could even grown your own flowers at home planting them early enough so they will be in full bloom by your wedding date.

Wildflowers are a great alternative to garden flowers and make stunning but understated displays. Daisies, chrysanthemums, stocks and hydrangeas are all popular choices and don't cost the earth either.

Choose pretty hand tied bouquets for yourself and your bridesmaids, simple arrangements for your table centers and a floral ring for your flower girl - give her a basket of wild flower petals to strew in front of you as you glide down the aisle