Looking for fun and fresh new ideas for your wedding ceremony and reception!? We’ve done the hard research for you and here’s what we found! From Decor ideas to guest books, we’ve curated a list of fun new trends that hopefully will help you finish out your wedding day plans!

Photos as Decor

After spending time and money arranging engagement photos, you might as well turn them into breathtaking wedding decor! These standing frames make a huge decor impact and can be used indoors or outdoors depending on how you choose to print and display the photos. There’s such a variety of frames and decor options, that this idea can be styled in a way that coordinates with your other decor.

Fun Table Numbers

This is one of the most fun table number ideas we’ve ever seen! Gathering photos of both the bride and groom at each age would be the most time consuming part of making these come to life. This Etsy shop creates the cards for you, but Canva is always a DIY option as well.

Kid’s Table

If you have friends with kids coming to your wedding, then setting up a kid’s table or kid’s corner at the reception is the best idea! From snacks to crafts to puzzles and games, this allows your friends to relax and enjoy the reception too. There are so many ideas on Pinterest if this jumps out at you!

Playing Card Guest Book

These custom cards from Etsy allow you to personalize them with photos (another great way to utilize those engagement photos!) and add lines for your guests to add a note. We love this idea because you will have something functional after the wedding with all your guests’ sweet thoughts. Too often a traditional guest book will sit in a closet after the wedding day and never opened again. So, it’s worth thinking of non-traditional guest books so that you get to enjoy the memories more often!

Reception Party

There are so many ways to make your wedding reception a party for your guests. Two things we think are fantastic ideas are disposable cameras for your guests to use and glow sticks and lights for the dance floor! If you have a family of dancers and they will be on the floor for most of the evening, making it more fun with a disco ball, glow bracelets and necklaces or the foam light sticks will just make the night more fun!

Whereas if you have more shy family and friends, then disposable cameras invites them to jump into the festivities and look for photo opts without having to be the center of attention. And you never know what they might capture that your photographer missed!

Personalized Family Gifts

One of the sweetest things you can do on your wedding day is gift your family and bridal party with thoughtful, sweet gifts. If you’ve had a loved one passed away, you can get these pocket squares made with their handwriting. Or you can write a personalized note to them and get it printed for them. Either gift is special and unlike something that they already have at home.

As always, we hope that these ideas help you fine-tune your wedding day details and inspire you to look into the details that make your day one of a kind!

-The Timber Rivers Family

One of the leading wedding trends for 2025 is floral prints and accessories. As we mentioned at the beginning of the year, bridesmaid dresses and men’s ties are rising in popularity. But as the year progresses, we are seeing more and more floral elements that we love and decided they deserve their own discussion! Here’s a highlight of Etsy’s and Pinterests’ best floral moments.

Clothes

If flowers are your thing, these men’s looks are out of this world! We love the bold statement of larger boutonnieres and more vibrant floral accessories. These scream spring/summer and I think are the perfect choice for an outdoor wedding.

This collection from Tungvu deserves a moment…. so incredibly breathtaking! These bridal gowns capture the beauty of this floral trend without losing their bridal style. What I love about this collection is that they don’t all look bohemian. You could easily have a classy styled wedding and wear a floral gown with something like these!

Bridal Accessories

Again, these hair pieces from Etsy range from bohemian fairy garden to classic bridal with everything in between. The beaded headband is so unique and glamorous, the bright floral piece has a natural shape that makes it look like freshly picked flowers. And the metallic pale pink flowers carry that elegance of a traditional bride that wants some unique accessories.

I love this custom denim jacket for the outdoor bride who wants a wedding keepsake she can wear again and again! And the hand painted, custom ribbons can be attached to your bouquet, a bridesmaid gift, or bridal clutch for a floral element that you can cherish after the wedding day. Floral jewelry is very on trend and the lily of the valley necklace is precious if you’re not quite all in on the floral wedding gown.

Sneakers are a great way to stay comfortable and these floral embroidered high-tops customized with your wedding date are too cute! Florals for the wedding day or for your rehearsal is just one more way to incorporate this colorful and peppy trend.

Food and Dessert

I’ve never seen so many floral themed food ideas, Pinterest is suddenly full of them! From cucumber sandwiches with veggies made into flowers to decorated cookies to dried flower topped sweets, the ideas are endless!

And of course the cake designs range from wildflower fields to elegant french gardens to white cakes with small floral accents.

If you’re not the type of bride that wants to stray from a solid white dress but you love florals, here are some more ideas! Dressing your bridesmaids or family in bright florals that coordinate with your bouquet makes for breathtaking photos. Etsy also has some fun wedding accessories like floral cake toppers and embroidered photo books or guest books.

We hope these ideas and Etsy creations help you in the planning of your special day!! – The Timber Rivers Family

A new trend we’re seeing on the rise is going back to the basics with black and white weddings! This is such a classic style and perfect for the bride who loves elegance and wants a timeless look for her wedding day.

Your first thought may be, “But what florals would you use in a black and white wedding?” Baby’s Breath may be the only one that comes to mind, but before you dismiss the idea, Baby’s Breath can be used in a beautiful way, we love it photographed here with large candles and orchids! But there are also many other choices. White roses are are classic, anemones have the black and white in each bloom or large white hydrangeas are stunning for a rich and full look.

The bow trend is still hot, and honestly, I think my favorite application is with black ribbon. Something about adding a black bow to your menu, invitations, glasses or cake decor just makes the most classic statement!

If you’re in the thick of wedding planning, then you know there are so many little details! The white on white and the simplicity of black type on white paper is clean, stunning and timeless!

And of course, the backdrop for your ceremony, the bride and groom table or a photo op are just as important as choosing your flowers and invitation designs! These black and white ideas range from fun to elegant, so that every bride can find the perfect look for her wedding vision. For more black and white ideas, browse our Pinterest collection HERE.

As always, we wish you the best in being inspired for your wedding day and if you choose to have your wedding at Timber Rivers Venue, then our design team will be right by your side as you make all these choices.

-Love the Timber Rivers Family

If you watch HGTV or follow home DIYers, then you know that color-saturating a room is the new, bold trend! Color-saturating a room is when designers paint the ceiling, trim and walls all the same color, typically something bold and moody!

What we have seen lately are brides picking up on the same idea with their wedding colors! Instead of coordinating a color scheme, they choose one color and saturate the entire wedding. Honestly, it’s breathtaking! So, we put together some collages to show you and hopefully inspire you to think outside the box for your special day.

Fern Green

Doesn’t this just scream all the best of summer?! I adore this color-saturation maybe more than all the rest.

Magenta

Magenta is a hue of pink that should never be underestimated. It has a stunning contrast with greenery and carries a sense of romance and luxury like no other color!

Lemon Yellow

There’s nothing quite as fresh and spring-like as lemon yellow! It’s a stunning color for any bride who loves florals, bright sunshine days and happy environments.

Blue

French country style is perfectly paired with a fully blue color scheme. Talk about fresh and summery, there’s nothing quite so elegant and refreshing as a a blue and white wedding.

Dark Plum

This might be the most elegant of all the color-saturation choices… Nothing says elegance like the color of royalty!

Goldenrod

Goldenrod or mustard yellow can transition from spring to summer to fall. It may be one of the most versatile wedding colors but also one of the most often overlooked! If you’re looking for something unique, goldenrod yellow may be the perfect choice!

Black

This may be a hot take, but black at weddings has become a very popular addition! I think it adds an elevated look and clean cut lines that create an event of timeless elegance.

Brown

And of course, I have to add one more with this year’s Pantone color of the year: Mocha Mousse! Personally, I love it paired with coppery metallic tones and creamy tans! A color scheme for the neutral bride to use any time of the year.

Wether you are a fan of the color saturated wedding look or not, I hope these ideas inspired you to try something new and bold for your wedding day!

-The Timber Rivers Family

Flowers and Candles

One of our favorite things to see as we scroll Pinterest for table decor or spring wedding trends is this reoccurring combination of flowers and candles! Its just breathtaking and there are so many options, tall candles with short florals, tall arrangements and tall candles, grand candelabras and florals, or light florals and glass encased candlesticks. There’s just no bad way to do this trend, it’s stunning every time.

Bridesmaid Dresses of Different Colors

Mixed bridesmaid dresses is a trend that has come and gone but it is back this year with so much energy! We honesty love how varied the dresses are getting and the inclusion of floral prints for spring and summer. Whether you like all different spring-like florals, or stick with one color and include varieties of hues, patterns and textures or have every dress be a different color, it can really create a beautiful wedding party look. If you’re looking for a bright and lively spring/summer wedding idea, this one really fits the bill.

Floral Prints

In addition to seeing more floral bridesmaid dressing and even bridal gowns, we’re seeing a lean toward floral prints in other elements of decor as well. Invitations with florals are extremely popular right now for spring weddings, especially ones with a vintage flair. Adding floral ribbon, floral table clothes, floral plates or other fabric can bring in that same flair as the floral bridesmaid dresses if you want to compliment the dresses or if your girls aren’t a fan of wearing floral. You can bring in that vintage tea party vibe through many avenues other than wearing the florals.

Tea Party Elements

In the same style as the vintage floral patterns, tea party styled receptions are really in this year. If you love this set up for a brunch, lunch or dinner reception you can go all in with floral arrangements in a tea pot, vintage china, desserts served in teacups, and heart-shaped tea bags as guest gifts.

Or if you like the look, but want a little less feminine reception, you can add some subtle elements and not go all out tea party. We love the vintage china with florals and candles down the table centers as a way to hint at tea party and not look like an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding. This trend is flexible enough to feel delicate or themed.

We wish you the best planning your spring wedding and hope that these ideas spark creativity and help you make the best choices for your special day!

-The Timber Rivers Family

From classy to casual, your wedding’s menu needs to be something you and all your guests enjoy! Here’s some of our favorite dinner ideas along with some fun snack bar ideas for cocktail hour.

Dinner Ideas

Our first bit of advice is to choose a meal that the bride and groom love, it is their celebration after all! Buffets are a fantastic way to get all of your guests fed quickly and can be more exciting than you make think at first. A meat like Prime rib has the option of so many sides, like mashed potatoes or cheesy scalloped potatoes, green beans, broccoli, corn on the cob rolls, or side salads. Being a North Carolinian, we love pulled pork with coleslaw, mac and cheese, rolls and green beans as a more casual buffet option.

Setting up a bar type dinner can be fun and add variety for your guests. For a winter wedding you could set up a soup or chili bar with several options to choose from, a side salad and bread/grilled cheese/cornbread. This is a tasty and often very cost effective dinner option!

Sandwich bars are a great light option for a lunch reception, there are so many varieties that is can be really fun to plan and enjoyable for your guests. Combining the soup and sandwich bar ideas could also be an excellent winter or fall dinner.

Create-your-own-pasta dish is another fun way to ensure each guest enjoys their dinner. We’ve seen this best set up with a buffet of different kinds of noodles, a red sauce, Alfredo sauce, vodka sauce and grilled chicken, meatballs or ground beef for the protein. Having a side salad and rolls or Italian bread is a nice addition!

Our all time favorite dinner bars are tacos, breakfast for dinner and Hibachi. All three have so many topping options, sauces and taste delicious. Again, choose a theme that the bride and groom love and then make it customizable and delicious for the guests.

Grazing Bar & Cocktail Hour Ideas

Charcuterie Boards are all the rage for good reason! They are delish! For a large event, there are several ways to incorporate a snack bar with charcuterie ingredients. The first is to make a beautiful board, the presentation is beautiful, but some people are uncomfortable with hands touching all the pieces. Even if you have tongs on the board, some guest will invariable use their hands. One way around that is to have skewers with a pieces of cheese, cheery tomato, pepper, olive, meat… etc. then you can have sweet skewers with various fruits, allowing guests to put a skewer on their plate and get all the goodies without touching everyone else’s snacks.

Another way to go around the board set up, is to make small cups with a rolled deli meat slice, some cheese and fruit so each guest can grab a cup and munch while they visit with friends and family.

Other appetizer ideas include kebabs, meatballs, fruit and veggie, spring rolls, dumplings, cranberry and brie bites and shrimp cocktail. You can also set up sweets for cocktail hour, a cupcake or cookie bar is a fun way to let your guests get something sweet before the big cake cutting event on the evening.

Never be afraid to mention ideas to your caterer, or ask them if they can make a favorite family recipe! It’s your big day and the food is a huge part of the reception celebration, so make sure you choose something you’ll look back on and fondly remember!

Love,

The Timber Rivers Team

Whether you have lost a close friend, grandparent or parent that you know would have been thrilled by your wedding day or have a family member in the military stationed far from home, there are so many ways to involve them on your big day. The best part is the visual for you to know that they are part of the wedding, but it also lets your guests have a chance to know the people who shaped you into the person you are today, making these vows to your spouse. Here’s five of our favorite ideas:

#1 A Photo Table

#2 Burning a Candle

A fantastic way to honor your lost and not present loved one is burning a candle for them. I love these from Etsy because you can customize the text to make it personal for your family!

#3 Decorating a Chair

I think this is the most commonly seen tradition, but there are so many creative ways to go about it that you can truly personalize this and make it your own. I love these acrylic frames on Etsy because it allows guests to see a face with the name of your loved one and you can look out and see them smiling at you during the ceremony! Win, win. Florals, fabric and other decor can be added to their chair to make it more of a memorial along with a photo or a sign to make it more noticeable and special.

#4 Their Memorabilia as Decor

Something really special in certain situations, is using your loved ones’ items as decor. Some things to consider are embroidered tablecloths, china, crystal candlesticks, lace, or picture frames. But you could also use some outside of the box items like old wooden tools from grandpa’s barn made into mantle decor with florals arranged in them. Grandma’s scraps of fabric from sewing could become part of your head table arrangement or cut up and made into the flowers in your bouquet! Your Father’s cowboy hat collection could be hunt on a wall as a photo backdrop with some greenery incorporated. There are so many ways to repurpose items, especially if they mean a lot to you and your future spouse.

#5 A Small, Personal Photo

If you’re not looking to create a memorial or something large, this might be the idea for you. Etsy makes small locket-like photo charms that you can clip onto your bouquet or boutonniere. This is a great way for you to have your loved one close in a personal way that’s not for everyone else to see. And for the men, they make photos into patches of fabric that can be attached on the inside of his tie.

As always, we hope that these ideas inspire you planning for your wedding day. And if you’re planning a wedding at our venue, know that our decor team will work with you in any way to honor those people most important to you on your wedding day! Those who are able to attend and those who aren’t.

Happy planning,

The Timber Rivers Team

We may be partial being full time residents in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, but there is no better place to host an outdoor event. Not only because our venue is beautiful, but for these three practical reasons as well!

#1 Outside is Better in the Mountains.

I know you may say, “But there’s bugs and humidity and the sun!” But that is exactly the reason to head to the mountains for an outdoor event. In NC, we have very few bugs, low humidity even in the middle of summer and reasonable temperatures! The fall is even better for all three things, less bugs, no humidity and cool temps. It’s all around a haven for hosting outdoor events with nothing in your way but stunning scenery and vibrant colors.

No bride wants her hair or makeup ruined by high humidity, so consider a mountain venue in your planning so you aren’t limited by city venues with air conditioning to keep your look glamorous.

#2 Stunning Photos

There’s just nothing like the photos you get from natural light and landscaping! What I love the most is the contrast of a regal bridal gown against the bright greens of summer grass and tress or the fall vibrant leaves. Both seasons are wonderful settings for photographs and I can never encourage couples enough that your wedding photos are something you will look back on for the rest of your life! Choose the setting and the photographer that will capture your special moment well.

#3 A Fun Travel Spot

If you and your guests don’t live in the mountains, then your wedding can be a mini vacay for everyone! Surrounding our property, we have connections with rental cabins that all have beautiful views and big porches to sit outside and soak in the mountain mornings with a cup of coffee. You and your guests can fully enjoy the mountain before and after the ceremony. If you have an adventurous crew, the bridal party can go down the New River in kayaks or tubes, go hiking to the top of Mount Jefferson or visit a local brewery with a rooftop bar. You can plan a weekend of fun activities and get the most of the Blue Ridge Mountains along with your wedding celebration!

For lists of our rental cabins, fun local activities, our favorite hiking trails and details about the wedding venue, shoot us an email or fill out the contact us form on our website. Wishing you the best in your wedding planning!

-The Timber River Team

For the brides-to-be looking at all the venue options for their wedding and trying to make good decisions… here’s our best tips and wisdom! The experience with your wedding venue can make or break the enjoyment of your wedding day because of how involved the location is compared to other aspects. If you even attended a wedding where guests didn’t know where to park, where to enter, and the director was unorganized or MIA, then you know what we’re talking about! A good venue with attentive staff can make your wedding day ten times less stressful. So let’s dive into the details.

1. Lower Stress Levels

The #1 reason to carefully choose your venue is to protect your stress levels as the bride and groom. Family and friends will already make things a little more tense or complicated the week before the wedding and you don’t want wedding details to make that any worse. So, the first thing to look for in a venue is that their staff is ready and willing to have everything done and ready for you when you arrive the day of the wedding! You need to relax and enjoy getting ready, not feeling like you have to check behind the staff to make sure everything you asked for is being done.

At Timber Rivers, our leader seeks to serve each wedding couple and ensure that details are nailed down and prepared ahead of time. She trains all her staff to serve first and make sure to listen and prep all the wedding details so things are done ahead of time and no couple is stressed about decor, food or wedding props.

2. Customized Decor and Florals

Inclusive venues meet with you and get your vision for florals, bouquets and decor to ensure that they have your vision figured out and their team instructed. Our team plans with each bride and groom leading up to the wedding, decorates the week before while sending the bride photos to make sure they love what is being set up! This way the bride can relax knowing that her vision is coming to life and the venue team can decorate on schedule and have everything ready for the big day!

3. Small Business Team At Your Service

There are so many amazing aspects of getting married in a small town and supporting a small business… but our favorite part is the service you receive! At our venue, there is only one wedding per weekend, so each bride is the whole staff’s priority. Everyone is there to serve and make sure the couple’s day is everything that they had imagined. You won’t be forgotten, looked over or ignored when they entire staff is there for your big day only. It’s a wedding perk that shouldn’t be overlooked.

It’s not easy to entrust the details of your wedding day to just anyone, and that’s where a great, inclusive venue comes in clutch. You need directors, owners, and staff who care about the details that matter to you and want your day to be extremely special! If you’re hunting for a venue in the mountains of North Carolina, check out Timber Rivers Venue, we are here to serve you!

Much love on your special day,

– The Timber Rivers Team

We recently hosted a gorgeous western themed wedding at Timber Rivers Venue and the couple had the most unique personalization we’ve ever seen! They hired a metal working company to create a cattle brand with their initials. After the ceremony, all the guests gathered around the fire pit while they branded a framed piece of fabric to become a keepsake in their new home!

Linked HERE is a company that create these custom cattle brands if you feel like this is the perfect touch for your wedding! There are some small companies on Etsy as well that create cattle brands, so you have that as another option.

I’ve also seen couples use the brand on a large wood slice as a unique piece of home decor. Or purchase a small brand and use it on little circle wood slices with precut holes so you and all your guests can take home an ornament! It’s a fun smaller keepsake for the couple but also makes a unique guest gift as well.

If a western wedding isn’t your thing, stay tuned as we share other fun ideas and wedding details throughout the year! Follow us on Instagram to stay updated on our newest blog posts.

Until next time! – The Timber Rivers Family