A Love Grows in Brooklyn

Check out these adorable ideas of decor for a garden-party-themed wedding!

(My favorite is the place cards tied to mini trees.)

One note: the bucket table with cards spread out is actually a "wishing card" table - in lieu of a guest book, this couple chose to lay out notecards stamped with words like "passion," "love" and "inspiring," then asked their guests to write a wish and throw it in the bucket for them.

A lot more to keep track of in your scrapbook, but it allows the guests to be as personal as they want without the awkwardness of someone reading what they wrote.

Place Cards

Place cards can be a super cute, super fun way to personalize your wedding (and your dad, mother-in-law or venue manager probably won't argue with you on this because it's an easy detail to forget).

There are so many ways you can do cute, cheap placecards. One of my favorites is the mini-topiary tree, which are great for green-minded couples and can double as your favor (see photo, from Beaucoup stationary's site: www.beau-coup.com ).

Another fun idea for a garden-themed or outdoor reception is a short glass of berries with a toothpick flag sticking out of the berries. (A great snack to keep guests busy and from kevetching if the salads are taking a while.)

You can also use the placecards to give subtle cues to the waitstaff: I'm using my black & white theme in my placecards to signify the guests' meal choice to the staff (black for vegetarian, white for meat). Much easier than asking them to memorize seating charts and a touch classier than having them auction off food at the table ("Pork? Anyone for pork?").

Bottom line? White tent cards are boring, and you're so much better than that.