Rustic chic weddings are not going anywhere… except to the farm!

Rustic weddings have been popular for a while and the trend for country chic is not going away. Where once brides and grooms dreamt of luxurious hotels, these days it is all about hay bales.

Barns are popular venues, as are farm houses. Barns are in fact so much in demand that they outstrip reception halls in terms of popularity. In certain locales, farmers and landowners are cashing in on the trend by re-purposing their barns and giving their property a spit and polish to appeal to the wedding market. Some have found a lucrative revenue source by adding “glamping” facilities so that guests can have the country experience without any of the inconvenience!

Barns of course really help set the tone, but couples are adding extra special touches that reflect the theme and themselves. Decor tends to include fabrics like linen, particularly in earth tones, as well as farm motifs such as crate and hay bales. However, what is really driving the trend is the great outdoors. Couples are choosing rustic weddings for the scenery more than anything else.

Often it is a connection with the area that leads a couple to choose a country-style wedding. Communities where one or both grew up, spent their summers, went to college or attended summer camp are a draw for many. Indeed, for city dwellers, getting away from the hustle and bustle and into nature is a boom.

There is one important caveat — rustic weddings may be… well, rustic, but they are elegant and understated too, which means getting the perfect look is just as demanding as any other highly styled wedding.

When the trend first hit, rustic weddings were all about handmade goods, DIY and the personal touch. That hasn’t gone away, but to get the look, many couples are turning to sites like Etsy and outsourcing the crafty aspects.

This means that going the country road (couldn’t resist the pun) is not necessarily any cheaper. However, depending on where you hold the wedding, the venue cost — which is generally one of the biggest spends — can be significantly less.

The fashion for country weddings is really just a part of the biggest trend in the wedding industry — creating an experience that transports the couples and their guests beyond the humdrum of the everyday into something unique and memorable. And that is certainly no easy task!