Introducing elements of nature into your wedding day can look different in a million ways! From sweeping palm branches hung from above to individual bud vases on your tables, the options are just about limitless. For this tutorial, we wanted to lay the table like a meadow, so the grasses, flowers, and herbs effortlessly flowed in amongst the settings. If you’re happy getting the tables dirty, you can lay moss down the centre of your place settings to create the same effect. This green-filled wedding DIY shows how to create a similar effect, but with less mess, and with gorgeous gifts to give away at the end of the evening.

What You Will Need:

–  Baking trays for vessels. Rummage around the op shops or head to bargain department stores to find enamel or ceramic baking dishes. These will allow for the planted arrangements to remain low to the ground, but with a large enough surface level to create a grassy visage. We also used other baking dishes and some pots for height

–  Plants! Some gorgeous choices include; sedum (ground covering varieties), ‘no-mow’ lawns, or creeping thyme.

–  Good quality potting mix.

–  Wooden sign & sticker letters (we found both at Kmart).

Step 1. 

Gather your signage-making materials together. We’ve used a Kmart wooden sign with Kmart golden stickers. You can make this sign with pre-ordered vinyl stickers, or by using individual letter stickers as we have here. Measure the placement of the stickers to ensure they are straight.

Step 2. 

Using your chosen baking trays, ensure there are no drainage holes at the base. This will mean there’s no mess on your tables, and you won’t need to water the plants often. If you’re buying smaller plants, you can pot these up into planters a month or two in advance, so that the foliage grows wild and overflows the container (this will happen slower in cooler months). Otherwise, if the plants are established, pot up your plants approximately 1 week before your event so that if the plants wilt initially, they will have perked back up again for the event. Water the plants well, then place a thin layer of good quality potting mix over the base of the container. Remove the plant from its pot, then remove the bottom half of its roots and soil, teasing out another quarter of the soil. While it’s best practice to leave as much soil around the plant roots as possible, in this scenario, we want the plant to sit as low in the baking tray as possible. Space the plants closely together if planting for an event that week, or plant them further apart if they are to grow in.

Step 3. 

Once the plants are all potted in, give them a very light water. As there are no drainage holes, ensure that the plants aren’t sitting in water. Follow the same steps for other variations of containers, using herbs and other trailing plants, spacing them closely together.

Step 4. 

Once all of your plants are potted into their containers, set them somewhere bright and warm to continue growing before the event. When styling your tables, cluster the dishes together in varying heights and shapes to create a lush, growing feel, and to bring a little bit of nature to the table. You can also use these baking trays of plants to display name tags as guests arrive, or use skewers pressed into the plants and stickers to spell out words. Be sure to gift the plants to those you love, or plant them into your own garden after the honeymoon!