Have ideas for an altar, anyone?

[mvs8420]

My wedding is outdoors on the patio of a winery. That means that there is no 'altar' in place and we have to come up with one ourselves. We currently have a white arch rented but I am thinking oc cancelling that reservation because I don't really like they way it looks, we would really have to put lots of flowers or something on it and just don't have the money for that. Does anyone have any ideas for an altar? I am also still trying to find an alternative to the unity candle. Thanks!

[LilLady61204]

Got your unity candle alternative. I am doing this for my wedding. you get an four vases. put brown or gray sand in one, your fav. color in the next, and his fav. color in the next. Have one vase that is empty. yo start by the brown or gray sand first. Then you put your color in. then more brown or gray. next will be his color. then agian brown or gray sand goes in. after that you both put your colors in. then the brown or gray sand seels it off. I thought that was great. and is something that you can set out and look at. hope this idea sounded good, and good luck in what ever you do

LilLady

p.s. Hope you find an alter. Had no ideas on that one.

[bmorris]

Well, you said you don't want an arch...but I bought a really cheap 'garden arch' at Big Lots for $5. I'm decorating it with really good quality silk flowers, and hiding Christmas lights in it. From far away noone can tell it's fake. If you are at a winery, maybe you could decorate an arch with (fake) vines and grapes.
You could also make a 'chuppah' (fabric bower), which although it is a Jewish tradition, I have seen them at non-Jewish weddings.
You could make tall topiaries to stand between, or dramatic flower arrangemets. Or rent trees decorated with lights to stand between. Or columns with draped fabric or tulle.
One idea for a unity candle substitute is the native american wedding tradition of the wedding vase. The wedding vase is a two-spouted vase and the groom drinks from one side and the bride from the other, to symbolize something about sharing and using the same resources or something (sorry, little foggy on that one!)

[kyzmit]

I'm getting married in an apple orchard and also had difficulty determining a focal piece. We've decided to wrap a light gauzy material around a balloon arch (found in most bridal catalogs; commonly used behind the cake table). We'll have that behind us, a small pedestal table for our unity candles and an easel for our wedding wreath.

[cl_peterson]

Since it's outdoors, I would think twice about using balloons. If there is any wind at all, they will be moving around and it will be very distracting during your ceremony.

[maybride]

I like the idea of renting the trees with white lights on them. The only other thing I can think of is the pillars with flower arrangements on them, but that can get kind of expensive too.
Maybe you should use the altar you chose but instead of decorating with flowers and vines you could just wrap tulle and white lights around it. Tulle tends to hide a lot!

[iviissbrandi]

I like the sand idea for the unity....I have also seen blessed water poured into a single cylinder and capped of....just giving you some selections!!! You could even use 2 colored waters to compliment your wedding.
ex: if your wedding accent color consist of 2 primary colors; blue+red=purple. Just a thought!

[nle5]

One of the bonuses of an outdoor wedding is the natural beauty around you, lessening your need to decorate. But you still need to do some work. Visit the site a week before your wedding to make sure the grass is mowed, the ground raked, and the flowers have bloomed. If your wedding is at a public park, you may want to ask the groomsmen or friends to do this the morning of your ceremony. If it's been an especially cold season, you may need to supplement the flowers with some potted bulbs from a florist. Other decorations you may want to consider include an arch or trellis to focus the ceremony and frame the bride and groom as they say their vows; strings of lights or lanterns in the trees; luminarias; torches; or farolitas.

An arch dripping with flowers also provides a wonderful backdrop for wedding photos. Coordinate the arch with raised planters sprouting matching flowers and you’ll add enchantment to an already magical setting. You can ask your florist to decorate the arch, or do it yourself. THere are a number of arches to choose from. After the ceremony, the arch can take an honored place in your garden as a reminder of your special day.

You may want to consider renting a trellis. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many florists rent these and will decorate them with your wedding colors.

[JusticePeace]

Try the "Box, Wine & Love Letter Ceremony"

It is lovely and the guest were stunned. They had no clue that the couple planned on doing this, and it was a huge hit!

While there are so many traditions that a couple can incorporate into their
wedding vows, such as the Unity Candle, The Rose Exchange, and many more, there is one special idea that I have recently learned about from my dear friend, Richard (Thanks Rich!) who attended a wedding in Holland. While he was not sure if it was a Dutch tradition, he found it to be extremely touching. When he returned to the states, he could not wait to share this with me. Basically the JP or officiant asks the couple getting married to find a strong wooden box that will hold two bottles of wine and two wine glasses. The couple is then asked to each write a letter to one another, expressing their thoughts about the good qualities that they found in their future partner and their reasons for falling in love with each other. Under no condition can they read each other’s letter. They are to seal them and put them in the box with the wine and glasses. Upon finalizing the wedding ceremony, the officiant will announce to the guests that he / she had asked the couple to write letters to each other and put them in the box with the wine and glasses. The officiant will explain that should the couple ever find their marriage in serious trouble, before making any irrational
decisions, they must open the box, drink wine together, and read the letter that they wrote to one another to reflect on why they fell in love with each other in the first place. The hope is that there will never be a reason to have to open the box, unless of course, it is for a 25 year anniversary! At the wedding in Holland, members of the wedding party were handed nails to hammer (which I dress up with a white ribbon and bow) the box shut. However, as an alternative, I suggest that it be the couple to each take a nail and hammer the box shut (with two pre-drilled holes to make it easier to hammer), if only to add that special touchinto their wedding vows. This is only a suggestion, but I just think that it makes the ceremony extra special for the couple.

Truthfully, I find this to be the most romantic (and coolest!) addition to
incorporate into a marriage ceremony. Not that my husband and I needed to do this (well o.k., maybe sometimes!), but I wish that we had. It would have been fun opening it up on our 25th Anniversary!

The Officiant would say the following:

"Alexis & Travis, I have asked you as a couple, to find a strong wooden box that will hold two bottles of wine, and two wine glasses. In addition, I have asked each of you to write a letter to one another, expressing your thoughts about the good qualities that you have found in your future partner, as well as, your reasons for falling in love with each other. I requested that under no condition were you to read each other’s letter, and that you were to seal them in individual envelopes and put them in the box with the wine and glasses."

"Alexis & Travis, should you ever find your marriage enduring serious
difficulties, I am asking that before you make any irrational decisions, that you both, as a couple, open the box, drink some wine together, and then venture off into separates rooms to read the letters that you wrote to one another when you were united as a couple. By reading these love letters, you will reflect upon the reasons that you fell in love with each other in the first place. The hope here is, that there will never be a reason for you to open this box, unless of course, it is for your 25 year anniversary!"
"Alexis & Travis, I now ask that each of you take a nail, one at a time, and hammer the box shut."

You can view a picture of how it is done at http://www.weddingofyourdesire.com/

[Kelly1Mickey]

I LOVE this idea! Thank you so much for posting it. I am going to run it by my FH and see what he thinks about using it in our ceremony. Thanks again!