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Updated Oct 14, 2024Potted Plants Wedding Ideas to Leave Your Guests in Awe
Save some money and the planet? Yes, please.
Photo: Klaus Vedfelt | GettyImages
Whether you are seeking to have a more sustainable wedding or want to wow your guests with greenery, there are so many incredible potted plant wedding ideas that can bring this vision to life. From towering palm trees framing your wedding altar to an abundance of ferns lining the aisle, couples use potted plants in so many different ways.
For nearlyweds specifically planning an eco-friendly wedding, potted plants may have piqued your interest for their longevity, rentability and future uses. While it is not always the case, opting for potted plants can also help if you're looking to save on wedding flowers. To help us understand how to incorporate this floral style into a wedding, we spoke with Christian Figueroa, the CFO of The Wright Gardner in San Francisco, and Sarah Bardsley, a florist and owner of Petal and Peach in San Diego.
In this article:
What Are the Best Potted Plants for a Wedding?
Some of the most sustainable wedding flowers can be used time and time again, but that doesn't mean you have to opt for fake ones. Instead, couples are using potted plants for centerpieces, aisle decor and more and then repurposing them on their own deck.
Figueroa says that most couples want something really large to make a statement. His company opts for tall pots to elevate the potted plants, creating a large canopy.
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Here are his most popular picks:
- Kentia palm
- Rhapis palm
- Monstera
- Philodendrons
- Peace lilies
Figueroa noted that couples should know ahead of time that most rental companies specialize in indoor plants that need to stay indoors. Most of the potted plants his company keeps "will burn if placed outside for the duration of a wedding." For outdoor options, couples should contact a local nursery.
Bardsley also shared her top five favorite potted plants—and her reasoning—with us. They are:
- Olive trees: Elegant, slender, and symbolic of peace and longevity, olive trees look effortlessly chic at ceremonies flanking your altar or down long guest tables at a reception, accenting floral centerpieces—a very modern Tuscan vibe.
- Lavender: Lavender brings calming vibes, soft purple hues, and a rustic, romantic scent that floats through the air like a love spell. This is a very English garden look, mixed with other plants at the aisle entrance, you can't go wrong!
- Ferns: Lush and full, ferns create a whimsical forest vibe. Perfect for lining the aisle, add some fresh larkspur and it's like you're walking through an enchanted fairy garden!
- Rosemary: Rosemary smells heavenly, looks modern and can be minimalist down the tables with other plants.
- Spider plants (a.k.a. the wedding spider plant): This fabulous little plant—also known as the "oil painted spider plant"—has been popping up at weddings, and for good reason! With their vibrant green-and-white streaked leaves and cascading babies (called pups), they're classic and bring such a lively color and texture to the mix.
Potted Plant Wedding Ideas
When looking at all the different types of wedding flowers, couples first need to know their budget and style. One of the best ways to do that is to take The Knot Style Quiz to help you understand what vibes you are shooting for. Next, search for a vendor to make your vision come to life. You can find plant rental companies or florists near you at The Knot Vendor Marketplace.
When you meet with your vendor, share some of your favorite ways you've seen couples using potted plants for weddings. Here are some of our favorites.
1. Potted Rosemary Centerpiece With Garland Runner
For those couples considering herbs as centerpieces for their wedding, check out this potted rosemary topiary. Accentuated by an earthy blue runner and green garland, it adds a pleasant scent and relaxed aesthetic to this outdoor reception. Bardsley shares that couples can also "use a mix of small potted plants in different heights and textures to create a lush tablescape that feels fresh and modern with garden vibes."
2. Elevate Tropical Greenery for a Hanging Garden
This vintage-inspired wedding took place at a farm, allowing these elevated green potted plants to make quite a statement at the reception. Bardsley calls this look "hanging gardens" and describes it as a "dreamy canopy filled with trailing vines like fern or ivy. It adds height, texture, and a little jungle magic." The best part? By placing the centerpieces with plants high above the table, guests' views are not blocked from the fun.
3. Lush, Garden-Inspired Seating Area and Photo Booth
This wedding reception created a garden oasis outside a teardrop camper photo booth. Paired with plenty of lanterns and seating, these potted plants in a variety of colors created a cozy atmosphere.
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4. Potted Tree Ceremony Backdrop
Photography: Steph Grant Photography
,Florist: Something Borrowed Blooms
When trying to figure out what type of wedding plant decor vibes you're trying to give, consider potted trees to create a beautiful foliage-filled backdrop. This works especially well if you're hosting your wedding at one of America's sustainable wedding venues.
5. Playful, Purple Potted Living Aisle
To keep things playful yet casual, this wedding used trios of potted plants to line the wedding aisle—what Beardsley calls a "living aisle." She notes that "after the ceremony, couples can reuse them at the reception or take them home to create a newlywed garden!" The couple will also want to incorporate some new flower pots into their list of eco-friendly registry ideas to complement this.
6. Simple, Classic Potted Wedding Favors
These potted ferns and other greens were placed in shiny silver pails to create a cute, classic tablescape at the reception. While these potted plants are for wedding favors, Bardsley shares that couples could also use this idea for "escort cards, too, where guests can have their own mini plants to take home. Spider plants, succulents, or herbs like basil and mint work wonderfully."
7. Variety of Potted White Flowers for Rustic Reception Decor
This white and green potted plant backdrop is just right for giving low-key plant decor vibes at a wedding. While a couple could likely find plants like this at a business with wedding flowers for rent, if you purchase them, they can double as a thank-you gift to anyone who contributed to the wedding day.
8. Pink Potted Roses as Cocktail Hour Decor
Rose bouquets certainly have their place in the world, but we think rose bushes deserve a spot at weddings, too. These gorgeous pink garden roses were placed on a terrace to add to the garden theme.
9. Potted Coleus and Pink Petals Ceremony Decor
Photography: Ashley Caroline Photography,
Florist: Foret Design Studio
These wedding planters were filled with pink blooms and a coleus plant. Surrounding the multidimensional display were flower petals and a rug to round out the boho vibe for this wedding altar using potted plants. Bardsley says that this can be replicated at the beginning of an aisle and is a favorite and very popular design. Couples can use "a vignette of mixed plants in various sizes planted in baskets for a garden look or ceramic urns for a more minimal modern vibe."
10. Fern Aisle Runners
Luscious ferns lined the aisle at this meadow wedding. Potted tall white flowers gave extra height to create a truly romantic walk down the aisle.
11. Orchid Potted Plant Wedding Centerpiece
Photography: Nicole & Teddy Wedding Photography
For a potted plant or flower wedding centerpiece, consider using a simple purple orchid in the center of each table. In this case, simple heart confetti completed the look.
12. Daisy-Filled Beverage Station
For some seriously cute wedding plant decor vibes, create a meadow for your drinks. This beverage container was overrun with daisies for an abundance of white and yellow colors. It is also a wonderful way to include fresh florals in your wedding while keeping your budget below the average cost of wedding flowers.
13. Seating Chart Potted Plant Wall
Using geometric black shelving, this seating chart was displayed on a variety of potted plants, from ivy and roses to herbs and other greenery. Against the brick backdrop, this potted flowers wedding decor gave an industrial garden party feel.
14. Fern and Birch Tree Reception Tent
This wedding brought the forest inside by using birch trees and branches to adorn the tent's pillars. Ferns in the wedding flower pots created a lush, leafy scene, perfect for the colorful reception.
