How to Decorate Cakes with Fresh Flowers: Floral Wreaths, Crowns & More

Buttercream cake with a cake crown of rosemary, lavender and one bright pink anemone.

Buttercream cake with a cake crown of rosemary, micro flowers and blackberries.

What is a cake crown?

A cake crown is a miniature floral wreath designed to decorate the top of a cake, pie, or other dessert. Made with tiny herb cuttings, delicate foliage, and fresh or dried flowers, a cake crown is a beautiful way to bring the natural beauty of the garden to your dessert table.

While cake crowns are often used as fresh flower cake decorations for weddings, birthdays, showers, and other special occasions, don’t feel limited to cakes. These little botanical wreaths are surprisingly versatile. Generally ranging from 4 to 10 inches in diameter, they can be scaled to suit all kinds of celebrations and tablescapes.

Try using smaller cake crowns as floral napkin rings for a dinner party, or place them around individual place settings as a natural alternative to traditional flowers. They can also be used to embellish seasonal centerpieces—a miniature crown around a pumpkin in autumn or nestled around a vase filled with candy canes in winter.

Think of a cake crown as a tiny piece of flower art that can move beyond the cake. With a few fresh flowers, herbs, and bits of greenery, you can create a simple botanical decoration that works throughout your celebration.

Below is a time-lapse of me creating a cake crown from herbs, foliage, and flowers.

Time-lapse video of Kim Bensing creating a cake crown or mini wreath.

what you’ll need

To make a cake crown or mini floral wreath, you’ll need just a few simple floral design tools. Start with green florist wire. I typically use 22-gauge floral wire because it’s flexible enough to shape easily while still providing enough structure to support the flowers, herbs, and greenery. I prefer green wire because it blends naturally into the foliage and is less noticeable in the finished wreath.

If you already have another type of flexible floral wire on hand, you can certainly use it instead. Just make sure the wire is clean, unused, and appropriate for floral arranging.

You’ll also need small wire cutters, floral adhesive, and your favorite pair of flower snips. With these few basic tools, you’ll be ready to create your own fresh flower cake crown, mini floral wreath, or botanical cake decoration.

Supply list

Sturdy Greens & Foliage such as:
-Boxwood
-Rosemary
-Eucalyptus

A few mini fresh or dried flowers buds and pods:
(a few suggestions)
-Begonia
-Lavender
-Ranunculus

Green Florist Wire
Wire Cutters
Floral Snips
Flexible Ruler (is helpful but not required)
Floral Adhesive (Oasis is a reliable brand that I use)

How to make a cake crown topper or mini Floral wreath

Creating a cake crown topper or mini floral wreath is surprisingly simple once you have the right size wire base. For a cake crown that measures approximately 6 inches in diameter, cut about 12½ inches of floral wire from the roll. This gives you enough length to form the circle and wrap approximately ½ inch of wire around the opposite end to securely close the ring.

The amount of wire you’ll need will vary depending on the size and purpose of your wreath. A 6-inch, 8-inch, or 10-inch cake crown will each require a slightly different length of wire.

Because I often create fresh flower cake crowns for cakes of different sizes, I like to use a flexible ruler to measure my wire ring precisely. This makes it easy to create a wreath that fits the top of the cake beautifully—large enough to make an impact, but not so large that it hangs awkwardly over the edges.

Taking a few extra moments to measure your cake crown topper before adding the flowers will give you a much more polished and professional-looking finished design.

Vanilla cake with a cake crown of rosemary, eucalyptus, and mini begonia.

• Prepare your supplies, flowers, and greenery. Gather everything on your work surface and snip your greens and flowers into manageable pieces that will work well with your floral wire frame. I like to create a small work area using a paper towel or, even better, a paper plate. The round shape makes an ideal work surface and helps protect your table or countertop from floral adhesive.

• Attach your first pieces of greenery. Place approximately three small dabs of floral adhesive on the back of two small base greens and allow the adhesive to set for about 30 seconds. Position the pieces on the wire, adhesive side down, facing in the same direction. Hold them gently in place for about one minute, or until they remain secure when you lift your fingers. Because the sprigs are small and lightweight, very little pressure is needed as long as the adhesive makes contact with the wire and has enough time to set.

• Continue layering the greenery. Once your first pieces are firmly attached, work your way around the entire wire frame, adding greens and foliage until the wire is completely covered. As you go, tuck the stem of each new piece underneath the end of the previous piece. This overlapping technique helps create a fuller, more natural-looking mini floral wreath while concealing the wire.

• Add your focal flowers. Wait a few minutes for the greenery to become secure before adding your flowers. This gives you a stable foundation and makes it much easier to create a balanced cake crown topper.

• Choose small flowers, buds, and botanical details. Small, tightly formed flowers, miniature buds, and seed pods work especially well for a cake crown. Look around your garden for interesting little blooms—even flowers growing from hanging plants can provide beautiful details. Dried flowers are also a wonderful option during winter. I especially love using strawflower saved from the fall because it holds its color beautifully. Don’t be afraid to incorporate interesting grasses and pods, too, as long as they are clean and won’t drop seeds, shed petals, or otherwise create debris on the cake.

Choose Flowers That Will Hold Up

When creating a fresh flower cake crown, it’s important to consider how well each flower or herb will hold up out of water. Some varieties are naturally sturdier than others, while delicate flowers and herbs can wilt quickly. Avoid anything that loses its shape easily, especially if your cake crown needs to look beautiful for several hours.

I usually keep my completed cake crowns refrigerated until it’s time to place them on the cake. This helps the flowers stay fresh and maintain their shape. If possible, use a clean refrigerator or a separate refrigerator without food, since food odors, moisture, and bacteria can affect delicate flowers.

Add the Flowers and Botanical Details

Once your greenery is securely in place, begin adding your small flower buds, seed pods, herbs, and colorful botanical accents. Use just a small dab of floral adhesive to attach each piece, working your way around the wreath and placing flowers wherever they create the most pleasing composition.

Try not to overdo it. One of the beautiful things about a mini floral wreath or cake crown is that it doesn’t need to be completely covered with flowers. Leave some of the greenery visible and allow the individual blooms to breathe. Often, the simplest floral cake designs are the most elegant.

Freshly made cake crowns can typically be kept in the refrigerator for a few days, making them easy to prepare ahead of your celebration. I’d love to see what you create, so please leave a comment and share your photos!

If you’re local to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I’m also available to create a custom fresh flower cake crown for you. Just give me a call or send me a text to get started.

For those who want to make their own, I’ve linked all of the cake crown supplies and floral design tools below for your convenience.

Chocolate cake with a cake crown of boxwood, eucalyptus, lavender, dried pods & micro flowers.

A Note About Flower Safety

Whenever you’re creating fresh flower cake decorations, choose flowers and herbs that are in season and know how they were grown. Avoid flowers that have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals that are not appropriate for use around food. It’s also important to research the flowers and herbs you plan to use, as some varieties can be toxic or poisonous.

Most importantly, remember that a cake crown is a decorative element, not an edible decoration. The flowers, greenery, wire, and adhesive should be removed before the cake is served.

Please clearly tell anyone receiving or serving the cake that the cake crown is NOT TO BE CONSUMED.

Layered naked cake with a cake crown of wax flower and blackberries.

HIRE A DESIGNER OR CREATE YOUR OWN

Whether you’d like to create your own floral cake decorations or have a professional design them for you, there are plenty of beautiful ways to bring fresh flowers and herbs to your celebration.

Explore more floral cake ideas to see examples of fresh flower cake designs, cake crowns, floral wreaths, and botanical cake decorations, along with pricing for custom designs by Studio Sprig.

Layered cake with a cake crown of boxwood, rosemary, lavender, & micro flowers.

I look forward to connecting with you!

I’m always here to inspire and support your creative journey. Sign up for Studio Sprig to receive new post notifications, creative inspiration, and fresh ideas delivered to your inbox. You can also follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for more floral design, botanical inspiration, and beautiful ideas for celebrating with flowers.

Cake Crowns designed by: Studio Sprig
Cakes: One Sweet Baking Co.

Buy on Amazon

Wire Cutters

Buy on Amazon

Floral Wire

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Buy on Amazon

Floral Snips

Buy on Amazon

Flexible Ruler

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate and will sometimes offer affiliate links. The price you pay will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link. Thank you.

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How An Invitation Can Tell Your Love Story

Should Everyone have A Wedding Theme?

Today it seems most big events have a theme or a distinguishing thread that evokes an emotion or tells a story. However, not everyone wants a theme. Instead, you may have a small vision board, colors, or floral suggestions representing how you see your event unfolding. Here is how adding a touch of creativity to your existing idea can help you tell your love story in an interesting way.

what is your Love Story?

Most couples do not come to me with a theme, instead, they have some sort of special love story that they want to tell. Occasionally these stories are very unique, but more often than not the love stories are pretty typical.

This was the situation with Marisa and Corey. When they asked me to design their wedding invitation, they did not have a theme. They met while at Kutztown University, had dated for a few years, got engaged, and were now planning their wedding. So they hired me to find a way to tell their love story compellingly and creatively.

Designing A Love Story

Right from the start, Marisa and Corey knew they wanted sunflowers to be their wedding flower. These were the perfect choice because they are lovely to work with and very much in season in mid-August. Aside from being big, bold, and beautiful, sunflowers represent adoration and loyalty, so I thought they were a good start for a wedding invitation concept.

Step 1: Develop an interesting concept

I began this design project by writing a short poem about an adoring couple of sunflowers. Sunflowers needed to be the main characters so I broke the poem into three parts and began by designing the bright yellow text pages of this 8-page invitation book. Writing the poem text helped me develop the concept, in this case, the Sunflower.

Sunflower Concept: Although we often fall for surface beauty, it’s what’s underneath that’s important.

Here is the poem:

“A little bloom peeked out today, out of the earth and far away another bloom about the same came up to dance and feel the rain. They sunned and soared but always two, for each, alone, had much to do.”

“And then one day the sun went down, they looked beneath the garden’s ground. Below the tangled leaves they saw, inside the dirt, no light at all.”

“It’s not the beauty we can see, or bright, rich colors calling thee, It’s underneath and deep inside, undying love that’s true and tried.”

Step 2: Capture compelling Images

To capture the proper images to match the poem, I hired a renowned local watercolor illustrator, Jane Ramsey. Jane illustrated each poem’s page perfectly. I then brought her illustrations into my design program and gave each a thin border for definition. This helped define each sunflower illustration on the page opposite its corresponding bright yellow text page in the book.

Step 3: A good title says it all

The title “Intertwined” is centered on a deep soil-like background on the cover of this book. A small paper sunflower tied with a delicate string of raffia dangled over the saddle-stitched spine. All the pages were printed and bound by a professional printer. This book was the first thing guests saw when they slid open the invitation suite. The full suite consists of the love storybook, the loose wedding invitation that slides out of an envelope glued to the back inside of this book, a custom-designed response card, an accommodation card, and an envelope. You can see the full design and other love stories in my portfolio here.

designing your own concept invitation

If you want to tell your love story creatively, choose blooms, colors, or something special that embodies your emotions, and find a designer who can convey your heartfelt message to guests in a creative way.

Kim Bensing is the creative director behind Studio Sprig at Windy Hill. With the help of her 19th-century farmhouse and its vintage gardens, she shares floral styling strategies, custom stationery concepts, home DIY inspiration, and a new line of wallpaper and fabric designs. Join her on her artist's journey, one project at a time! Subscribe here

10 Ideas for an Eco-Friendly Event or Wedding

Boutonniere design by Studio Sprig. Flower Farm Southern Pines at Cornerstone Farm. Photography by Karmapants

There is so much that goes into planning any event large or small, and remembering to keep things simple and reduce your carbon footprint may be your most difficult challenge. Did you know that the average wedding produces a massive 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of CO2? It's not surprising to me, having worked in the industry for over 25 years, but it is disappointing.

The good news is that there are many eco-friendly ideas you can implement when planning your next event if you don’t want to contribute to that excessive waste. Whether it's your wedding day, or just a big day celebration, always considering your environment and your carbon footprint is very important.

First, try breaking your event down into manageable bites by making two lists: "must-haves" and "can live without". You'll quickly find that it's not as difficult as you may have thought and sorting now helps to simplify everything later. Here are ten things to closely consider when planning your day.

1. Consider a Micro event

When creating your guest list, remember it's quality, not quantity that matters. Good news, some of the most special events are very intimate affairs. Although the word micro doesn't only have to describe your guest list, there are plenty of ways to "Go Micro" for the environment, and still have a sizable guest list.

2. Hire an event Planner

At first, an event planner, 'day of', or coordinator might seem like an extravagance that you can't afford, but hiring an event or wedding planner may prove to be your best decision overall, and here's why. Planners plan all day, every day. They know the venues, the entertainment, and all of the little idiosyncracies that might trip you up along the way. They can save you a lot of time, wedding waste, aggravation, money, and especially all that running around. So don't rule them out before you begin. Consider your location, time availability, and energy level. Where are your efforts best allocated?

Venue Hotel Du Village. Flower design by Studio Sprig. Flower Farm Cultivating Joy Flowers. Photography by Elle Studios

3. find A Beautiful Venue

When hunting for a venue, it's a good idea to open your eyes wide and focus on everything, not just capacity and catering options. Look in every corner of the interior, entryways, hallways, bathrooms, and outside in the gardens, parking lots, and all around the grounds where your guests may wander. Take it all in, because this is one area you can really save a bundle.

We all know what it can cost to decorate an empty social hall, school, or ill-styled restaurant. Sure, the price may be fine and they may provide you with tables and chairs, but is that enough? Chances are you'll need to provide all of your own linens, centerpieces, flower embellishments, arches, favors, candles, and sometimes even food. The list can go on forever. But some more inclusive venues provide most of those things and provide you with the proper ambiance that wipes all of the other items off of your list.

Take this gorgeous barn, for instance. It belongs to a good friend of mine and requires minimal embellishment to make it really pop for a small-medium event.

A micro-event at Southern Pines at Cornerstone Farm.

Beautiful venues really focus on visual impact. When touring, take a good look around outside because so many venues have beautifully landscaped grounds and gardens that need no embellishment at all. The decore is built-in. In fact, adding decor can actually take away from the natural beauty that is already there. In some cases, you can host your entire event in a garden space and not need to purchase anything to enhance the event. The flowers and greenery are already all around you! And be inquisitive, many venues today offer a room full of rentable decor, candle votives, large flower planters, and other items for your tables Some even offer these items to customers free of charge. Always ask the venue coordinator, you may be surprised by what they already have and are willing to provide. This is always a better option than buying everything new if you are only intending on using it for one day.

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Flower design by Studio Sprig. Flower Farm Southern Pines at Cornerstone Farm. Photography by Littlewing Studios

Here is a peek into Cassia & Justin's green wedding on a beautiful farm property in East Greenville, PA. The wedding took place during covid and the couple did a wonderful job creating a micro event that mimicked an old country wedding. After a couple’s photo session next to the barn and in the fields, everyone walked from the outdoor ceremony up the small hill to the reception which was inside a glass-enclosed mini barn. Most guests stayed overnight on the property at the Inn, just a few steps away. The reception decor was simple and consisted of buckets of fresh flowers and herbs which the bride and maids placed onto three unique micro cakes and into small glass bottles. Photography courtesy of Littlewing Studios.

Herbs grown by Studio Sprig. Flower Farm Southern Pines at Cornerstone Farm. Photography by Littlewing Studios

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4. beg, borrow or thrift

If your event is repeated and let's say you host annually, then I'd suggest just purchasing the linens and other necessary items once, and using them as much as possible, but if renting or borrowing is available to you and that makes more sense, then do it.

Flower Farm Southern Pines at Cornerstone Farm. Photography by Littlewing Studios

When searching for vases, candle holders, or other tableware, I suggest always starting at consignment or thrift shops. Antiques are always nicer than new and giving these items a second look is commendable and very green.

I also always encourage my clients to borrow. It’s likely a friend or family member has just the thing you are looking for. Over the years I’ve created many centerpiece arrangements using cherished family heirlooms as the vessel. Delicate teacups, a vintage bottle collection, you name it. Added bonus: there’s often a sentimental story attached to these pieces and guests enjoy hearing it.

5. Host an event At Home

Don't underestimate the space you have right under your nose. This idea always scares people, but using your own home is an easy way to reduce your costs tremendously if cost is a concern. You do not need large furniture or vast spaces to entertain at home. Honestly, I've hosted many events here on our farm both outside in the yard, and inside in our four small lower-level rooms. Our home is not big because it's 172 years old and the rooms were designed to keep people warm and close. But because we always knew we loved to entertain, we made a few good renovation choices over the years and they have helped us achieve this goal successfully.

Many of us have incorporated a patio or deck into our outdoor landscapes. These areas are always great choices for hosting a warm-weather event. I've hosted many events on our very small deck with a round iron table that only seats 4! Truth be told I bought that table at a yard sale, 23 years ago. No matter, because it still works great and when I need more seating, I just add smaller cafe tables, benches, and bars made from old barn doors (all purchased on the Facebook marketplace) to accommodate guests. Miscellaneous ensembles can make our deck look like an eclectic cafe and I'm okay with that vibe.

As for the lawn space, I try to use most of that too. If our event is larger and I need lots more seating, I just rent long tables and chairs from our local rental store. They rent for the entire weekend so I can sometimes squeeze two parties out of one rental. It's relatively inexpensive to rent and very easy because I do not have to worry about storing anything.

6. Stay Local

Choose your event space or wedding venue wisely. The environment is always impacted by where you chose to host. If you want your guests to fly to a destination wedding, for instance, this will undoubtedly affect the sustainability of your event. But driving long distances may as well. There are creative ways you can keep everyone local so they almost don't need to travel at all.

Source: The Knot

Take for example the New Orleans Second Line Wedding Parade, a brass band processional tradition that predates the Civil War. Modern couples incorporate this historic custom into their wedding to give homage to their New Orleans roots. In this tradition, the brass band leads guests on foot from the wedding venue to the reception venue. Now, you'd need for your venues to be near enough, but even if you don't hire an escort band, you could incorporate an eco-friendly l between-venue walk, also popular with rural weddings long ago. And if you have a family member with limited mobility, come up with a cherished way to honor them in your foot parade.

7. eco-conscious sourcing

Casual Biodegrading

If your event calls for more casual, disposable serving products like plates, utensils, and napkins it's best to always choose biodegradable materials instead of plastic. Not only will you have less waste, but you won't contribute to the pounds of trash that most events do.

But don't worry going green does not mean you are not limited to paper goods. There are so many sustainable options today. Below I’ve compiled a list of natural sources with links to compostable dinnerware you can order for your next event. I hope you find a sustainable alternative that fits your style.

• Palm Leaves

• Compostable Wheat

• Bamboo

• Sugarcane

Photo courtesy of Maggpie Rentals

Glamorous Renting
Consider renting fancy dishware and glassware instead of buying everything. This opens up the door to an extra level of glam, while still impacting the environment in a positive way.

And did you know you can easily rent almost anything you need? For instance, the seating ensemble above, and many others can be rented from Maggpie in Boyertown, PA. If you have an empty space to fill or just need an interesting backdrop, shop the exact look you want and rent it! Here is a list of other beautiful and off-beat rental options you may not have known about.

• Love and a Truck Co.

• Fox and Finch

• Lovebirds Vintage Rentals

Design by Studio Sprig. Handmade Paper Porridge Papers. Eco-Conscious Printer Bucks Digital. Twig from backyard.

Sustainable Stationery

When considering your event stationery needs, it's best to always use recycled or handmade paper and nontoxic inks - or search for sustainable or eco-friendly graphic designers and printers like Bucks Digital, in your area if you are not the DIY type. And if you love to DIY, a great paper source is Greenfield Paper Co. from California. They have reinvented the age-old tradition of creating fine paper without cutting down trees. Green Field Paper Company offers three lines of recycled papers that integrate post-consumer pulp with non-traditional additives such as seeds, hemp, coffee chaff, denim, junk mail, and garlic skins! All of their products are made in the USA and they do not use any dyes or bleach. Earth pigments are used to color the papers and all of their seed paper contains non-GMO non-invasive seeds. Or Porridge Papers, my source in the design above, whose owner Christopher once produced a single custom sheet that was sent to Martha Stewart and another order of  2.2 million pieces embedded with lettuce seeds for Kraft Foods. Using seeded and plantable paper is really cool, good for the environment, and a way to save the “memory” of your event.

8. Stay in Season

Flowers

If you choose to incorporate beautiful flowers or plants into your event design, always try to stay in season. Seasonal blooms have always been the goal of Studio Sprig for many reasons. First of all, they are much fresher and much more beautiful, in my opinion. Many times they are harvested one or maybe only two days before your event. This means they not only look their best, but they will hold up longer if you want to repurpose them afterward. Staying in season is so good for the environment because you are using what nature is already providing instead of forcing growth in greenhouses far away in climates more suitable. Here is a nice guide for choosing flowers by season.

Food & Drink

Building your menu around the seasons is such a smart idea. Tomatoes always taste better in summer. We all know this. Staying in season and trying to use local farms eliminates the need to transport food long distances at great cost. Most chefs would jump at the chance to create a menu with only seasonal ingredients, and if you are preparing the food and drink yourself, here are two helpful books.

9. Grow Your Own flowers

When it comes to your event or wedding flowers, there are plenty of sustainable flower farmers you can choose from. Some of them have designers on the premises while others contract the service.

Another good option might be to plan ahead and grow your own. This is much easier if you're planning a micro event or a larger event with less need for custom flowers and greens. But if you or someone you know is an avid gardener, this endeavor could be very rewarding. If you do decide to do this, however, I’d recommend a backup plan just in case. Weather and pests are obstacles to be aware of. This book by Floret’s Erin Benzakein is a well-organized guide to growing your own.

Ann Hayes of Southern Pines at Cornerstone Farm gives a tour of her dahlia fields.

And did you know you can also hire local farmers to grow flowers for you? I work with several growers willing to do this if they have enough lead time and can grow what the event requires in the correct season. And when local farmers grow your flowers you have the peace of mind that the job will get done right and if they do run into a problem on your special day, they are most likely to have a surplus of other varieties for you to choose from and/or the connections to get what you need.

Cool idea: Hosting a tour of the flower farm growing your event flowers is a unique way to bring a small group from your event together. It’s a fabulous setting for an outdoor bridal shower or with this tour you can create an educational precursor for an eco-friendly fundraising event.

10. Donate whenever possible

Food
One great way to avoid a lot of food waste after your catered event is to donate your leftover food to a local church, animal shelter, food bank, or homeless shelter. You'd need to follow food safety guidelines of course and ask your caterer if they have a process in place for this already, but if they do not here are some links that may help you find what you are looking for.

• Feeding America: Looking for a Food Bank near you

• Great Nonprofits: Looking for a Homeless Shelter near you

• Humane Society: Looking for an Animal Shelter near you

Decor & Flowers
Donations of decor are also appreciated greatly. Perhaps you know you'll never use 200 votive candle holders again or you just don't have space for the 25 vases you accumulated. There's probably a bride out there somewhere who would love to recycle your glass jars for you. Or maybe some local hospitals could use a few fresh floral arrangements for their lobby this week. One of the easiest ways to resell your lightly used decor is on the Facebook marketplace.

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Flower design by Studio Sprig. Flower Farm Detweiler Homestead. Photography by Taylor Cotilla

Enjoy this glimpse of Lindsay & Jordan's late summer wedding. Lindsay requested a pure white, sustainable bridal bouquet so I chose to work with one of my local favorites, white lisianthus. These focal flowers were grown on the reputable Detweiler Homestead Farm originally in Telford, PA, and they were accented with greens harvested from Bloom Flower Farm, originally from Hilltown, PA. A bridal, one bridesmaid bouquet, several boutonnieres, and cake flowers were the complete floral order for this beautiful, micro event.

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This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact  Kim@kimbensingdesign.com. If you’re a blogger, what’s your favorite SEO Tool? I’ve had much keyword success with RankIQ. Learn more here. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

A Family Tree Inspired Wedding Invitation

Kelly and Peter Jerrom.

A Family tree & a Twig

Today I’d like to share this hand-crafted invitation that I created for a couple of cute tree huggers that I know.

The invitation suite entitled Love Tree consists of an 8-page book-style invitation which was hand-bound with handmade paper, raffia, and a small twig, a custom logo, a program, escort cards for the calligrapher, response, and directional cards, and a logo-stamped copper foil label to seal the beautiful, yet subtle, fern leaf inner envelope by Envelopments.

Love Tree Wedding Invitation Book and Suite. Concept and Design by Kim Bensing Design

make it “more” special

When Peter and Kelly approached me to design for their wedding, they brought with them an entire Love Story. Kelly and Peter were childhood friends and their parents were friends as well. They expressed how important it was to them that I somehow incorporate their family into their wedding day, but not just in the typical way with photos and a devotional, they wanted more.

You see, Peter Jerrom, my friend, my arborist, my design client, and the groom-to-be owns the boutique landscape business Peter A. Jerrom Landscapes Inc. in Bucks County, PA. Peter’s unique profession and business are the inspiration behind this entire wedding invitation suite.

Logo Designed by Kim Bensing Design

the creative challenge

The concept of a “Family Tree” Inspired Invite came to me pretty quickly as Peter was my arborist and both he and Kelly wanted to include family into the design somehow. But I had to figure out how to incorporate this concept into an entire wedding invitation suite.

So, first I designed the logo that incidentally not only graced their invitation, and envelope enclosure label but lived on to serve as the main design element the entire wedding day. Their last initial “J” for Jerrom lent itself nicely to a very simple solution. I plopped an elegant leaf on top of the elegant J. The logo was embossed onto bronze labels and they were used to enclose the inner envelope which held all the suite pieces together. It was also used in strategic places throughout the suite ensemble, as you can see in the photo above.

Love Tree Wedding Invitation Suite. Photography by Richard Quindry.

How to make an invitation into a mini book

Next, I designed the soft green invitation book cover. The cover features the quote “Life without Love is like a Tree without blossoms or fruit.” and the words Love and Tree are enlarged and carefully stacked to serve as the book’s title.

The pages of the book showcase the family tree-style dates of marriage in Kelly & Peter's families. I decided to use watercolor tree illustrations as the focal art so I commissioned a friend and well-known Bucks County watercolor artist, Jane Ramsey to create the three trees inside the book. As you can see, on the first spread, the tree is small and its four branches sprout only the couple’s four grandparent groups and their wedding dates.

Spread one. Love Tree Custom Invitation Suite.

But on spread 2, as the tree grows, the couple's parents are added to either side of the tree.

Spread two. Love Tree Custom Invitation Suite.

Until finally on spread 3, you see Kelly and Peter-names only, but no date. This detail allowed me to dedicate the last page of the book to the actual wedding invitation, completing the tree.

After all the pages and covers were printed, handmade paper, raffia, and lots of small twigs were gathered, I had the help of 2 moms and several bridesmaids to assemble the 100+ invite books which made their creation a lot of fun.

Spread three. Love Tree Custom Invitation Suite.

Facts about this Wedding Invitation Suite

This Custom Invitation Suite, I’m honored to say, won a PHILLYGOLD at the Art Directors Club of Philadelphia, as well as A GOLD ADDY from the Advertising Club of Philadelphia. The logo and concept lived on throughout the wedding day on the cake, and aisle runner and even showed up again later in a cool birth announcement I created for Kelly & Peter’s first child. This announcement featured a tree with one long branch from which we hung a dangling swing. It’s really nice when creative concepts can travel and incorporate themselves throughout a long and happy life.

Love Tree Wedding Invitation Suite. Invitation book, program, response card, escort cards, label. Photography by Richard Quindry.

Love Tree Wedding Invitation Program Designed by Kim Bensing Design

The hidden life of trees

Below I have included the link to a really interesting book about how trees communicate. It really will make you think about trees, flowers, fungi, and all plants differently. Trust me.

Hand-painted Love Tree Aisle Runner.

Learn more about why trees are so fantastic

Learn: Read this cool book entitled "The Hidden Life of Trees —What They Feel, How They Communicate”
Create: The next time you host an event, be sure to create a concept-centered invitation that inspires creative fun.
Inspire: Please comment and share ways you’ve developed a concept for an event that was original and inspired others.

Simple “J” Logo & Ivy Love Tree Cake Decor.

I’m always here to help you with your creative journey. Please sign up to receive blog post notifications and follow Studio Sprig on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I look forward to connecting. - Kim
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Kim Bensing Design Photography by Jeff Reeder

Simplified Wedding Ceremony during Covid

Is it possible to design and flawlessly execute your dream wedding in late July 2020, during covid?

Yes. Cassia and Justin used this opportunity to simplify and scale down their ceremony and reception while still creating the day of their dreams.

To accommodate guests they rented this splendid Airbnb in Berks County, Pennsylvania for friends and family as their backdrop and gathering site. Friends congregated the night before and prepared in the well-appointed farmhouse. The next day, the couple’s socially-distanced outdoor wedding ceremony took place on the back lawn, while the reception dinner was a short skip up the hill in the small, but perfect, mini-event space - custom built just for events like this.

Cassia requested a simple, seasonal bouquet of fresh herbs, bold zinnia and glorious summer dahlia, loosely tied with a white dangly ribbon. It was the perfect accompaniment to her free-flowing, meadow dress. Justin’s funky floral tie looked great paired with his tiny “clustered wildflower” boutonniere.

The small-scale redesign of this wedding allowed the bride and her family the opportunity to design their own dinner tables and a trio of cakes with plentiful fresh-cut organic herbs, sprigs, and flowers, supplied the day of by Studio Sprig. I think the results are breathtaking. If you enjoyed this blog please subscribe here. Thank you.

Please enjoy more stunning event photos by Scott and Kristi of Littlewing Studio.