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Southern by Design: Cotton Blossoms
Hey y'all! We thought we'd switch up our usual affair of real weddings on Thursdays for a few weeks to bring you some other fun features. It'll be a little bit different every week, but we hope you love!
Up first? Something I've dubbed "Southern by Design." With every installment we'll take something quintessentially Southern (this week, cotton blossoms) and show you ways to incorporate it into your wedding.
I think cotton is the perfect place to start due to its Southern roots, its flexible form, and its inexpensive price. I love the look of cotton boll boutonnieres, whether fluffy, raw, or mixed with winterberries or balsa wood flowers.
Images clockwise from top left: Bella Grace Studios, whitebox weddings, Bella Grace Studios, Jasmine Star, Bella Grace Studios, Jasmine Star
They're also beautiful in bouquets. I'm no expert, but aside from being lovely, I'm guessing this would be a more cost-conscious option than traditional blooms.
Images clockwise from top left: whitebox weddings, whitebox weddings, whitebox weddings, Jasmine Star (florals by Lauryl Lane)
Even if you don't go hog-wild with cotton details at your ceremony or reception, scouting out a field in full bloom for portraits can add the perfect Southern accent to your album.
Images clockwise from top left: Mille Holloman Photography, Dero Sanford via Once Wed, Dero Sanford via Once Wed, Millie Holloman Photography
Cotton blossoms make a fabulous, inexpensive styling filler. I love the wood and cotton mix in the top left image -- such a luxe look for a great price. Bolls can also make a perfect nest for a ring shot, or stand-in for a single bloom at each place setting. But my absolute favorite idea? I'd have to say the cotton blossom garlands that lined the aisle at Kristin and Brandon's wedding. Absolute genius!
Images clockwise from top left: Jasmine Star (reception setup by Lauryl Lane and Red Velvet Occasions), Jasmine Star (cake by My Sweet and Saucy), whitebox weddings, Jasmine Star, Jasmine Star, designed by d*Lsh design via Once Wed, Simply Bloom
And how about this gorgeous inspiration shoot from Style Me Pretty to finish things off? Love that the talented team paired organic cotton and burlap with dreamy, girly pastels. Perfect!
Images by Heather Curiel, florals by Merveille, and coordination by Clink Events (via Style Me Pretty)
Anyone planning on incorporating cotton into their wedding? Have another idea we haven't covered here? I'd love to hear about it! Also, if there's a particular element you'd like to see included in a future installment of Southern by Design, just leave a comment below.
Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 08:03AM
Reader Comments (14)
Oh, I love it!! Such a unique material - and it makes these weddings feel so warm and cozy. :)
I've always been a fan of gray/slate... but this is BEYOND fantastic!!!
These cotton blossoms blew my mind, I LOVE THEM!!!
Cotton is without a doubt my new favorite wedding trend!
Love you, ladies! Thanks for the SW love! :)
j*
Where are the bridesmaid dresses from? They are gorgeous..
yay for brandon and kristin's wedding with jasmine, lauryl, melody and eva! it was such a gorgeous wedding.
isn't cotton such a beautiful hidden gem?! love Kristin and Brandon's wedding. we are so blessed to be able to design an invite for the sweetest couple ever. thank you for SW love!
Cotton, tobacco, and peanuts: the three things my family farms, the three things that I want to be in our wedding (and hydrangeas...b/c I love them).
I told my mother we would use cotton from the very first and she didn't believe that it was possible and/or fashionable. Thanks for helping me prove her wrong!! My dad always used to bring me back cotton blossoms when he'd go visit my grandparents and I couldn't go, and my mom would weave them into my hair. So I always knew that I would have cotton in my wedding, because it's so reminiscent of my girlhood.
Cotton can be used in regular bouquets as just another accent flower--I'm going to have a huge bouquet with hydrangeas, etc. but there will also be 3 or 4 sprigs of cotton in there, popping up a little bit. I also hope to have tobacco flowers, nicotianas, in my bouquet because they smell so lovely (almost like jasmine!) and they're also emblematic of my family's heritage.
I am still trying to convince my mom that big metal bucks of boiled peanuts, also a big fav of my dad and I's on our way to Papa's, at the outdoor cocktail hour would be totally awesome, but she isn't moving on this one: thus far it's a firm no! (I think it's also b/c she doesn't care for boiled peanuts....)
This is exactly the inspiration I was looking for! My fiance and I picked our reception venue and it will be at a renovated cotton mill in North Carolina! We have thought about incorporating cotton blossoms. Does anyone know how or where to buy them?
Genevieve- we are using cotton for our October wedding in NC. I am ordering it all from www.cottonman.com
I think it's going to look beautiful!
i need me another southern wedding...sigh. beautiful inspiration!
Funny, I was about to write about our country wedding and how my husband wanted me to carry alfalfa for my bouquet. Today though, I was researching something else entirely and stumbled upon this site. I will definitely have to link to you when I write my wedding post! Lovely ideas.
the bridesmaids dresses are lovely