an eco-forest tablescape

when the ultra talented jasmine star and i decided to do a photo shoot and stage a couple of tablescapes, i headed downtown to the flower mart, somewhat knowing what i wanted to do and also still open to inspiration...

and then i saw it...

a huge chunk of living moss that stretched about 4 feet long!  it was bumpy and irregular and imperfect...and i was in love...

i knew i had to have it!  the vendor told me it came directly off of a tree in oregon and i told her i had never seen anything like it in my entire wedding industry career...$35. later i was one happy woman!  what a steal!

so this first tablescape 100% revolved around my new "moss runner"...

the little pieces of fern you see were actually growing right out of the moss naturally so i left them intact and bought some extra fern stems of my own to add to each apothecary jar...

a petite succulent head accented the corner of each plate and peeking out from the bottom was a simple rectangular folded "russian linen" napkin from wildflower...

inside each apothecary jar i placed a bit of moss, a couple fern stems and 1 huge succulent head...

dotting the landscape were some dried fungi caps to add a northwest, woodland feel...

check out those fern stems!  so lush, so organic and so natural...i loved it...

we also added in some amber glass votives for a pop of warmth and color...

the key was to get a mixture of heights, textures, shapes and sizes - whether in the jars, the candles, the moss or the fern...the variety draws the eye all over and makes it visually appealing to look at, even though the concept is pretty simple...

and talk about appealing...helloooo, sweet and saucy shop!!!  melody created a little "cake buffet" rather than 1 large cake - love this!

she accented each cake with a different type of green flower - but i love that she chose florals with a bit of a "plant-like" look so they weren't too girly...

overall, it was a strong, masculine look...and would actually be quite easy to replicate for a DIY bride...here is what you would need:

3-5 glass apothecary jars (tj maxx or homegoods)

clear glass votives candles (ikea or michaels)

1-2 bags of moss and 5 dried fungi caps (michaels)

1 potted fern plant (clip off single stems) and 5-7 succulents of different varieties (home depot or target)

optional:  wood chips (home depot), fresh crimini mushrooms (grocery store), pinecones (michaels), pieces of knotted grapewood branches, etc. - get creative!

thanks again to jasmine for taking such gorgeous photos!!  plus a BIG thanks to jen from green wedding shoes for featuring us today!  check out her post here...

and stay tuned for tablescape #2 from me, jasmine and melody!