Category Archives: Eco-Friendly Friday

Photo Credit: Alex Bourgeois

Herbal Centerpieces Make Keepsake Wedding Arrangements

In keeping with the seasonal, local theme of my wedding, I decided to use potted herbs as the centerpiece for my reception tables. Not only did they make beautiful, live arrangements, but the plants could be taken home by our guests and replanted for years of enjoyment.

Through word of mouth, I discovered The HERB FARMacy, a wonderful plant grower in Salisbury, MA. The owners, Rita and Brooke, propagate and grow over 800 varieties of certified organic plants in their amazing greenhouses, which are well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Photo Credit: The HERB FARMacy

Jim and I visited the farm about a month in advance and had so much fun exploring the fragrant greenhouses in search of perennial herbs. Trying to mix textures, patterns and colors for more visual interest, we picked out a variety of culinary herbs, including lavender, mint, basil, thyme and rosemary. We opted to use three plants per table- one large and two small pots for variety. Rita and Brooke were extremely helpful and accommodating. They arranged a growing schedule for our chosen plants so that they would be the perfect size in time for our wedding. They also replanted them into clean, compostable containers the week of our wedding so we could use them as is.

Photo Credit: Alex Bourgeois

Once we picked out the herbs we wanted, we had to come up with a container to hold them. Fortunately for us, my father is a super crafty and talented woodworker. He came up with a low, boxed tray that was just big enough to hold three pots (see tutorial below). He then painted them with a crackly weathered finish, which completely fit in with our beach side wedding. We purchased some bags of decorative pebbles from the craft store to fill the box, tied some ribbon around each plant, and added some unique seashells from my great-grandmother’s collection.

Photo Credit: Alex Bourgeois

Our guests loved the herbal centerpieces and many wanted to take them home. Looking back, I probably should have had some sort of game, or system, for giving them out. However, it seems that everyone who took a plant is actually still using the herbs, which makes me very happy. Last time I visited my mother, I tasted some of the orange mint that she planted and was instantly transported back to my wedding day.

Photo Credit: Chrissa Markos

In total we spent just under $170 for 8 centerpieces. It cost about $140 for 24 organic herb plants. Four bags of decorative pebbles cost around $20 at the craft store. I’m sure you could purchase a big bag of pebbles at a garden center for less. An 8 ounce bottle of crackling medium is around $8. My father already had all the scrap wood and latex paint, so there was no cost involved there.

DIY Weathered Container

You will need:

• 1” x 1” (approximate) wood strips
• 1/8″ thick board (we reused luan scraps, however you can also use hardboard/masonite)
• 4 regular nails
• Brads or small nails for bottom
• Interior latex paint in two colors (we used black and white)
• Crackle Medium (we used Delta Ceramcoat brand)

Step 1: Determine the final size of your container. We used a 10″ square container, which held one 6″ pot and two 4″ pots.

Step 2: Cut your sides. For a 10″ square we cut two 8″ long pieces and two 10″ long pieces. Or, if you have a miter box, you can cut 4 equal pieces and miter the corners.

Step 3: Cut the bottom board to the size of your container (10″ x 10″).

Step 4: Build the outer frame by nailing the ends of the 4 pieces together to form a square.

Step 5: Attach the bottom to the frame with either small nails (brads) or heavy duty wood glue. We used nails as we weren’t sure how long glue would last.

Step 6: The Finish. Paint the entire container with your base coat (black) and let that dry completely. Then, paint on the crackle medium following the instructions on the package. Now paint on your top coat (white) and watch the crackle magic begin. The thicker the coat of crackle medium the more dramatic the crackle will be. You can also achieve different effects depending on your brush stroke. I highly recommend experimenting first with some scrap wood until you achieve the effect you want.

How to Crackle Paint http://www.ehow.com/how_4488274_crackle-paint.html

***Reuse Alternative: You could reuse an old wooden picture frame for this project instead of building the box from scratch. Simply remove the glass and backing from the frame. Attached the entire frame to your backing and finish with the crackle painting technique.