Hi friends! Y’all seemed to like our cotton blossom feature from a few weeks back, so today I’m here to share the next element in our Southern by Design series! Magnolias, a quintessentially Southern bloom if I ever saw one, are the name of the game today. I don’t know where you’re reading this, but right now the magnolias are out in force here in North Carolina — I pass banks of them driving home every day. So lovely!
Up first? Set the tone for your Southern soiree with a magnolia invitation. I love that the blooms can go graphically modern, as in the Wedding Paper Divas suite, or sweet and subtle, as in Sarah’s design.
Image credits, clockwise from top left: Wedding Paper Divas; Parrott Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper, with illustrations by Swallowfield; Julie Holcomb Printers via Martha Stewart Weddings; Dauphine Press by Minted
The beauty of a magnolia bouquet is that a single bloom is large enough to carry alone! If you’re hoping for a little more impact, ring your roses with magnolia leaves. And for the DIY-inclined, we also love the idea of carrying crepe paper blooms — magnolias are notoriously fragile, so this is a great option for those getting married in the heat of summer.
Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Court via Snippet & Ink, Victoria Pearson, bouquet by The Treasured Petal via Weddingbee Pro, Style Court
Single floating blooms lined up down long tables can make an outsize statement. We also love the burnished gold of magnolia leaves, whether in an arrangement or a wreath. Crepe paper blooms can work here, too!
Rebecca Thuss via Snippet & Ink; image by Kevin and Lauren Millard via Southern Weddings, floral design by A Beautiful Event; Martha Stewart Weddings
And the cake! What better place to feature a beautiful bloom than on each tier of your wedding confection? For longevity’s sake, we suggest sugar flowers as opposed to the real thing.
Martha Stewart Weddings; cake by the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, image by Trista Lerit, via Southern Weddings; cake by Lovin’ Sullivan; cake by Ashley Bakery, image by Heather Forsythe, via Southern Weddings; cake by the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, image by Trista Lerit, via Southern Weddings; cake by April Reed; cake by Sweet & Saucy Shop, image by Amy Squires, via Weddingbee Pro (last two images)
Lastly, magnolias make the perfect accents no matter the “theme” of the wedding. Try a single bloom as a ring pillow, or nestle your rings in the branches for a stunning wedding day shot.
Stacy Reeves; Jenna Walker via Style Me Pretty; Brookelyn Photography via the Bride’s Cafe (last two images)
Anyone planning to use magnolias as a wedding design element? Anyone know of any other fabulous magnolia inspiration images? I’d love to add them to this post! Leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Previously:
Ooh – great post. Thanks for featuring my gardenia hair flowers and my magnolia favor boxes via the Bride’s Cafe! Loved that wedding!
gorgeous images of one of my fave flowers. we dont have many magnolias in NYC and I so miss them. growing up in Nashville, we used to have three or four in our front yard, lovely.
I am from Wilmington, NC, and I climbed many magnolia trees while I was growing up. Magnolias are such a beautiful flower, perfect for a wedding!
I’m getting married in November and plan to use the leaves everywhere. It’s the evergreen of the South so why not take advantage of it? I have two large trees in my yard. Having the leaves on hand is saving us so much money on decor. The gardeners want to trim the trees so bad, but my mother won’t have it. I’m planning a DIY project by writing words on the leaves like, love, peace and unity with a gold paint pen.