Here’s how to use potted plants in your wedding decor

When Offbeat Wed vendor Stephanie Hennessy of Hennessy Photo Co shared Samantha and Alex's wedding day, we were smitten! This couple exchanged private vows with Sam in a stunning two-piece wedding gown at their scenic elopement, then had an equally scenic larger wedding. Our inner emo kid is obsessed with how Alex had a pop punk surprise at the wedding reception.

But our Gen Z/millennial urge to parent a plant is OBSESSED with all this inspo for how to use potted plants at your wedding! Honestly, we're mad we didn't think of this first. Talk about an affordable, eco-friendly wedding hack. Potted plants can be a budget-friendly centerpiece! Or you can dot potted plants among the wedding aisles! Who knew greenery in pots had so many possibilities?!

Ready to see how you can use potted plants in your wedding decor?

1) Use succulents and cacti as wedding centerpieces at your reception tables.

Or imagine sticking fresh herbs like rosemary or lavender into planters! Whatever types of plant you're into can go into a nice terracotta planter or pretty pots and voila. You've got yourself a fresh smelling centerpiece.

2) You can use potted plants in your wedding by adding them to the ceremony space.

We love the idea of lining potted plants down the wedding aisle. It's a simple hack to create a grand entryway!

By using potted plants to decorate your wedding venue, you can use less wedding flowers which means you'll save more money on florals! This gives you an opportunity to be more intentional about wedding florals.

Instead of incorporating florals everywhere, maybe you can allocate them to a few places like in bouquets, as a backdrop, or a few big installations. You don't need to blow your whole wedding budget on flowers in bulk. Using potted plants in your wedding decor can help fill open spaces that you'd normally think to add flowers in. For instance, Samantha and Alex only really used flowers around their chuppah and in the bouquet.

3) Add smaller plants to your escort cards! This might be one of our favorite ways to use potted plants in your wedding because guests can take them home as wedding favors.

These air plants make such simple, budget friendly keepsakes for wedding guests!

4) Wait till you see how Alex and Samantha incorporated potted plants into their wedding guestbook table!

Look at those air plants in pretty pots! This is such a simple and chic way to use potted plants in your wedding decor. You can even use crystals (like that amethyst) as plant holders.

And as for the guest book, wedding guests signed a guitar! But not just any guitar, it was Alex's first guitar (and the guitar he used to serenade Sam for the first time.

5) Don't forget about using potted plants to decorate your cake table!

6) Creating a simple setup around a statement piece like this neon sign adds a boho and organic touch.

We talked a lot about how to use potted plants in your wedding décor, but let's switch gears and let Stephanie tell us all about this potted plant loving couple and their botanical wedding.

Samantha and Alex took wedding planning very deeply, and planned their details extremely intentionally. They wanted to be sure both their friends and family were honored and a significant part of celebrating their marriage, while also ensuring their relationship was at the absolute forefront. They started with a private elopement and private vows held on their ten year anniversary, one month before their wedding date, so that they could celebrate the day that had meant so much to them over the years.

When their larger wedding date came, they pulled personal details into every aspect; from the Jewish hoopah hung, made by Sam's father that is no longer with us, to his cuff links given to her groom to wear, to decorations made personally by family and friends.

Towards the end of their wedding night during the reception, they even played ode to their daily live together, and one significant aspect: pop punk music, and their late night jam sessions. Alex surprised his bride by interrupting the live band, and playing a song for her himself. He followed with “Teenage Dirtbag” and rallied the crowd, and Sam jumped on the drums.

Their wedding day and celebrations played ode to their love for their family and friends, their deep love for each other, and their love of punk music–wrapped up in this intentional bubble of planning.

Our takeaway from Alex and Samantha's botanical wedding and punk rock cool ceremony? When you're planning a wedding on a budget, it helps to focus on your priorities. Whether it's saving money by borrowing potted plants for your wedding decor from family and friends or planning an emo surprise, direct your resources into the things that matter most to you.

Got more wedding ideas for how to use potted plants in your wedding? Tell us in the comments!

Wedding vendors:

• Photographer: Hennessy Photo Co
• Venue: The Oaks at Plum Creek
• Coordinator: Aesthetic Event Planning
• Floral: Fairytale Floral
• Cake: Flick of the Whisk