Happy Summer Solstice! Fun fact of the day: the word ‘summer’ is also a rare noun that refers to a principal beam that supports an arch. It comes from the Old French ‘sommier’.

One of our favorite ways to customize a space for our couples is by creating an arch to remember. The ceremony arch literally frames the wedding and is also one of the first things that guests see or notice. It is therefore the perfect vessel to set the tone for a wedding and inject a sense of the couple’s personality into the venue!

Afterall, once you’ve found your dream venue and paid the deposit, it’s time to make the space truly yours. While many brides and grooms may have come before you and tied the knot in that very same space, that does not mean your wedding has to look a thing like theirs. Next Monday (June 24, 2019!) on Green Wedding Shoes, watch out for our latest Leilani Weddings x Brooklyn Winery editorial, in which we talk about taking a popular wedding venue and transforming it in ways never done before!

But for now, let’s take a look at some wedding arch designs that can instantly elevate an event.

Boho Brooklyn Winery Wedding Styled Shoot - Leilani Weddings - Natalie Faye Fern

PHOTOGRAPHY: Brian David Weddings

HANGING BLOOMS

A hanging floral installation can be a unique and dramatic take on a traditional ceremony arch. The appearance of lush greens and blooms suspended in midair instantly elevates your wedding celebrations with an air of romantic whimsy that is at once artistic and elegant. This type of arch works best in venues with high ceilings and beams, including lofts, industrial chic spaces, and large pavilions, but may also be an option in some ballrooms. Hanging installations look beautiful when styled wild and untamed. However, by employing an interior metal frame or similar, florists may also create more structured geometric shapes, such as a perfect ring of greenery. During fall and winter, consider using dried leaves and flowers for a seasonal approach that works particular well with this style of arch!

Bri + Kyle - Rimrock Ranch Joshua Tree Wedding - Leilani Weddings (Planning + Design)

PHOTOGRAPHY: Pure Light Creative

BOHEMIAN LOVE TRIANGLE

We love a triangle arch for that perfectly bohemian vibe or a Southwestern desert wedding! Despite its sharp edges, there is something harmonious about the shape for a wedding – with two sides meeting in perfect union at a point, skywards. Triangle arches always look wonderful with rugs, macrame, deer or cattle skulls, assorted vases around the base, or decked out in asymmetrical florals (a popular style features two floral arrangements – one on each side – at varying heights). However, with such a statement shape, one need hardly do anything at all. With gorgeous landscape for a backdrop, a plain triangle arch may serve as a frame without stealing its thunder.

Sarah + Chris - Camp Paivika Mountain Wedding - Southern California Bride - Leilani Weddings

PHOTOGRAPHY: Jay Eads

RUSTIC DRAPE

Adding fabric to your arch is an instantaneous way to relax hard lines and channel a soft, romantic vibe. Delicate and sheer fabrics add an ethereal, fairy tale touch while velvets and heavier draping are perfect for couples who want a more bold and regal look, or the opportunity to play with rich colors. Don’t be afraid to mix textures like lace, chiffon, and satin!

PHOTOGRAPHY: Alyssa Marie

ARCH IN THE WALL

Sometimes, fate strikes, and your venue’s architecture has a ready-made arch just waiting to be repurposed. Perhaps it was once a fireplace or is currently an elaborate doorway. Work with your florist and wedding designer to highlight the arch and reimagine the space around it.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Gene Kang

GEOMETRY

The geometric arch is a minimalist couple’s dream – simple clean lines, fuss-free, and still visually arresting. While they come in so many different shapes and sizes these days, we are especially fond of this one from Hunter and Emily’s wedding. It featured an outer hexagon made of wood and an inner hexagon made of metal. Against a backdrop of spartan greenery wth just a small pop of flowers, this geometric arch was the epitome of modern elegance.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tyler Chase

GARLAND CASCADE

Hanging garlands are an adorable way to soften a square or rectangular arch. They instantly lend a touch of playfulness and invoke tropical vibes. It’s also a little like getting married in front of a floral waterfall! As a good garland cascade is not commonly used in ceremony arches, it’s sure to be one for your guests to remember.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Twah Photography

GARDEN ROMANCE

For the couple who veers classic in tastes but still prefers a wildly romantic garden wedding to a ballroom affair, a rustic arch bursting with roses and greenery offers a balance between traditional and fun. Allowing your wedding flowers to shine in a state of artistically untamed beauty allows a wedding to feel less stuffy even when other elements, such as your color palette, wedding garments, or rituals might lean more conservative. This is also a great option for couples who might crave a relaxed, rustic affair while their families want a wedding that looks more traditional.

Lindsay + Carlin - Backyard Pool Wedding - Leilani Weddings

PHOTOGRAPHY: Demetri Angelopoulos

ROCK STAR RUNWAY

At any wedding, the aisle and the arch are an extension of each other – one leading to the next. The aisle’s value to the arch as a prelude – building excitement in anticipation of the big moment – cannot be denied, and it should be adorned and treated accordingly. On occasion, one also has the opportunity to make the aisle itself the highlight – elevating it to a similar status as the arch. The phenomenal runway at this pool wedding was an aisle to remember – creating a heightened experience for the ceremony both literally and figuratively! Using greenery and white blooms, the florist kept the circle arch chic and classic, complimenting the colors of the environment and allowing the bride and groom to shine.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Allison Maginn

AN ACTUAL ARCHWAY

Grand columns and archways make the most majestic wedding arches! Draping solves the issue of anything distracting or unsightly in the background, and simple greenery or florals climbing up two columns is a graceful way to mark the ceremony space without distracting from the beauty of the architecture.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Meagan Lindsey

PAMPAS PARADISE

Pampas grass has been used to festoon arches in delicate bunches at bohemian weddings aplenty. Katie and Steven’s wedding, however, took it one step further with a ceremony framed by a full ring of colorful pampas. The unique dusty colors of their floral installation popped dramatically against the Franciscan Gardens’ green hedges, invoking feminine charm and tasteful glamor.

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