When bride-to-be, Lindsay, began planning her shabby chic wedding, she turned to handmade artisans Jennifer (of Just Kate Etc.) and Rachel (of Rachel Carl and Co.) to help her plan accordingly. The result? Gorgeous display pieces, a thematic candy buffet, chair ribbon decoration, a uniquely functional escort card, and more. Today, we’re sharing their beautiful ideas with you to inspire your own shabby chic wedding! Read on to see more and find out five tips for planning yours…

5 Unique Shabby Chic Wedding Ideas

1. Utilize re-purposed furniture.

Bring in charm and character with re-purposed furniture pieces for your shabby chic theme. This cabinet, for instance, not only looks the part but also serves as a functional escort card (jar) display. A small table and two chairs creates a ‘sweetheart’ setting for the couple. The furniture was rented from Just Kate Etc.

2. Wooden Boxes + Mason Jars

Search yard sales for old wooden boxes (they clean up great with mild soap and water) and mason jars, which can be re-purposed into vases for anything from wildflowers to a bouquet of freshly cut peonies.

3. Turn must-haves into functional works of art.

Forgo blah in lieu of functional. Escort card drinking jars – made from regular ol’ mason jars – gives guests a drinking glass for the night and gives them a cue where to be seated. A chalkboard lid on the top of the jar for names is key, while organizing the jars according to table number (and alphabetically) is a must for easy access.

Jennifer tells us, “The biggest project by far was the escort card and favor combo. I came up with the idea of using my decorated ball jars and creating a chalkboard lid for each jar for the guest name. The bride and groom are both teachers so the chalkboards just seemed to make sense! Then I added a chalkboard heart or guitar tag to each, which had the table number listed. Lindsay wanted to incorporate something special just for the groom and since he plays guitar, the tag was a perfect way to add a special touch just for him.“

4. Incorporate your color palette… everywhere!

One crowd-pleaser at a wedding is a candy buffet in lieu of a traditional wedding favor. Instead of a favor placed at a person’s seat, the guest is invited to help themselves to a candy buffet and fill a treat bag with favorites. Your shabby chic wedding can incorporate the very same whimsical flair by selecting candies that match your selected palette. For this example, pink lady candies and rock candy were used.

This guest book sign was created by Jennifer to encourage guests to leave a note for the newlyweds. She says, “I also created a custom chalkboard with shabby white paint to use as a guest book greeting. And matching chalkboards to use for table numbers. I was lucky to work with my very talented sister in law Rachel Carl of Rachel Carl and Co. for this wedding. She did all of the calligraphy for the jar lids, table numbers, custom chalkboard, candy bar labels and stamp used on the tags. Her attention to detail was the perfect finishing touch to this wedding.”

5. Decorate with subtle details on tables and chairs.

Burlap table runners and chairs decked out with ribbons are two ways to shabby chic-ize your big day. We love what Jennifer did with the burlap table runners.

She tells us, “The bride also needed something to add to her tables, so I created burlap table runners with lace trim on the edges. And I used some vintage doilies and added them to some larger ball jars. The bridesmaids used these jars to hold their bouquets and they lined the head table at the reception.”

Here’s the bouquet Jennifer made for the bride:

Ribbons may take awhile to add to each chair, so we recommend just adding these to the bride + groom’s chairs or the head table. We think they add the most amazing touch.

Beautiful work, Jennifer, Rachel, and Jo!

WHERE TO BUY

Items by Just Kate Etc.:

Ball jar with Shabby Chic designs and chalkboard lids
Heart and Guitar chalkboards
Tea stained tags
Shabby white hand painted chalkboards for table numbers
Guest greeting fancy chalkboard
Unity Sand Set
Bride bouquet tag
Burlap table runner with lace trim
Chair swag
Shabby chic Garland
China cabinet, table, chair, soda crates, candy jars and vintage tins for rent at Just Kate Etc.

Items by Rachel Carl and Co.:

Calligraphy for jar lids
Stamp for tea stained tags
Calligraphy for heart and guitar tags
Calligraphy for table numbers
Calligraphy on Fancy Chalkboard
Calligraphy on bride bouquet tag

Photography by Jo Brock Photography

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Happy Planning!

♥
-E.

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