Breathing a sigh of re"wreath"...

Sorry about the lame title. Mr. Lab came up with it because I couldn't think of one. :P

Anyhoo, I'm breathing a sigh of relief (if you couldn't decipher the title) because I've finished all my ceremony decor! After I completed the hanging magnolia mason jars, I got to work on a way to dress up our gazebo "altar":

Ignore the weird yellowing. It doesn't exist in real life, just wacky camera stuff.

I really wanted to keep the ceremony decor simple as not to distract from the natural beauty of Savannah's Whitfield square. When I saw Mrs. Yorkie's DIY monogram wreaths, I knew I had just found my gazebo decor. A mossy wreath is PERFECT in a square surrounded by mossy oak trees! Thank goodness for all the Bees who have done the legwork with their comprehensive tutorials! Making my own wreath was a snap! :D

Following Mrs. Yorkie's instructions, I gathered all my supplies. I started by adding glitter to my soon-to-be new last name initial. I want to add our first name initials using smaller letters, but Michael's was all out of the "L"s and "C"s when I went! But it'll be easy to add those later. Also, don't worry about buying a "flat" round wreath. Once it's covered in moss, it'll look just as round and full as the extruded ones!

Because this project is best done outdoors, make sure to have a can of "Off" nearby to ward off hungry mosquitoes!

I added one step. Instead of just pinning my moss to the foam wreath, I sprayed it (and the wreath) with the same spray adhesive I used to coat my letter. I also used an 18" wreath instead of a 12" one since it's going to be hanging on the gazebo and not being carried by little ones.

I used the cheap Walmart moss. It is a bit harder to work with than sheet moss, but it did the trick and saved me a bunch of money at the same time!


After the wreath was completely covered in moss, I pinned it in places I felt it needed extra support. I had one spot where the moss didn't match in color, but I decided I'd just use that area as the place for the flowers, so no worries!


I tried using the twisted wire for my "stakes" but they kept bending when I tried to push it into the wreath. I had left over stems from all my flower projects, so I just used them as sturdier stakes. I trimmed them so the wire was exposed and then hot glued them in place of the floral wire (after clipping off that wire).


Then came the really fun part: adding the flowers and initial! I used the same glitter as Mrs. Yorkie and opted for ivory hydrangea and a pink hollyhock as the accents.



This lovely wreath will hang on the gazebo above us as we recite our vows! I'm taking it on my next trip to Savannah to make sure we can secure it on the gazebo ahead of time, so I may add a bow later using leftover satin ribbon. Thanks Mrs. Yorkie for the inspiration and tutorial!


Cost Breakdown:

18 inch styrofoam wreath: $9.99
1 hydrangea stem: $5.99
1 hollyhock stem: $8.49 (on sale from $16.49)
4 packs of Walmart moss: $1.97 each
Floral wire (barely used): $1.99
4 x 6 wooden letter: $2.49
Spray adhesive: $6.49
Martha Stewart glitter (only used a fraction of the container): $4.99

Grand total including tax: $51.69

The price was a little more than I expected to spend, but at least it'll hang on our front door for years to come after the wedding!

Now all of my ceremony decor is finished! Can't you just picture this setting with a simple mossy wreath on the gazebo and an aisle lined with magnolias in hanging mason jars? *Swoon*

All that's left ceremony set up-wise is choosing the chairs for the guests and a table for the refreshments and program basket to sit on. I already know that I'm doing a wooden chair to blend in as much as possible with the scenery. It's going to be one of these two options depending solely on budget:

Sources