Hey, today we’re celebrating wine lovers who are about to tie the knot. The wedding team loves it. They are moments filled with emotion, conviviality and sharing. Your union should reflect you, and if your thing is wine and fine grapes, what better than incorporating them into your wedding décor. With a little creativity and plenty of upcycling, the possibilities are endless. The Oé team has some ideas for DIY décor that’s original and eco-friendly, to showcase your wine-related items on your wedding day. Here comes the bride and groom!
Cork stoppers to decorate your wedding venue
Nothing is lost, nothing is created: everything is transformed. Lavoisier said it, and we couldn’t agree more. We could even add: “nothing is thrown away, everything is upcycled.” The team knows and loves upcycling. All our bottles are committed to sustainability from A to Z and come mostly from the deposit system. Our stoppers are made of natural cork and come straight from an FSC forest in Portugal, a label that certifies sustainable forest management.
What if we took a closer look at our famous cork bottle stoppers ? Once the bottle is open and the fine organic wine has been enjoyed, we sometimes don’t know what to do with them, yet they can be used for many things. First, we work with an association, France Cancer, which collects the stoppers to transform them and raise money for cancer research. If you’d rather keep them for yourself and your creative ideas, feel free to give them a second life. For example, the team has already turned them into placemats.
And for your wedding, we have a few great ideas you can make at home! Let’s get started with some amazing DIY projects. You can use your stoppers to make place cards and add a rustic touch to your tables during your wedding meal. There are two options. You can use one: simply secure your cork stopper with a small holder, then split it lengthwise and insert your guest’s name. For the more handy guests, take several, tie them together with a small piece of linen cord before adding the paper with your guest’s name. There you go! For your printed materials, as with our stoppers, you can use paper from an FSC forest or recycled paper.
To add an even more rustic touch to your wedding décor, you can also make a stopper chandelier to hang from the ceiling of your reception venue. Once again, a little glue, some twine, FSC wooden hoops, a bit of elbow grease and patience, and you’ll have perfect rustic, unique chandeliers to delight your guests. Lovely, isn’t it?
Wine bottles for your menus and more
Now that we’ve seen what we can do with stoppers, let’s see what we can do with our bottles. A glass bottle is an elegant object. If you’d like to keep our Oé bottles after enjoying our wines, we completely understand. They can be reused in different ways and fit perfectly into a wedding décor. For example, you can turn one into a holder for your guestbook. It’s a rather original idea that is sure to surprise your guests.
The seating chart is, of course, an important element for arranging your guests during the wedding meal. You can opt for something original and use your recycled Oé bottles for each table. Simply write the table number on a card placed in the stopper’s slot and the corresponding guests’ names on the labels, and there you have a seating chart that perfectly matches the wine theme of your day.
All our labels are recycled and recyclable and applied with water-soluble glue. They come off perfectly with hot water. You can apply a new label made of recycled paper and use your creativity to write the meal menus in your finest handwriting.
Unleash your creative spirit and go all out with your bottle customization ideas. You can paint them in your wedding colors, place a rolled-up scroll inside to leave a lovely message for your guests, like a message in a bottle. You can also let your guests write one or more messages that you’ll discover after the festivities or during your honeymoon, so you can keep beautiful memories of this wonderful day.
Guestbook, seating chart, menu holder—there you go, some ideas for giving your bottles a second life. There are many more, for example, you can use them as candles to light up your tables during the evening or arrange them along your garden to illuminate the path with small LEDs. For this, you can use bottles of different sizes to add variety to the décor. Our standard bottles and our Oé mini bottles are perfect for the occasion.
Barrel tables for your wine reception
Before the wedding meal, there is the wine reception, the aperitif cocktail party where everyone gathers after the ceremony to raise a toast. To serve your hors d’oeuvres, you can opt for an original décor and swap traditional tables for wine barrels, one of the essential accessories for winemaking. You can ask your local caterer, rent them, borrow them from friends or local winegrowers—there’s something for everyone.
For the setup, simply place a wooden board on top of two wine barrels and cover it with a tablecloth, and there you have the perfect buffet table for your wine reception. To take things a step further, use your barrel tables to hold your wine glasses and drinks and add bunches of grapes if the season allows. Your barrel tables can also be used at your dinner to hold the wedding cake or your dessert, a wonderful way to end your meal on a high note.
Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash
Drinks, hors d’oeuvres, cheeses, desserts—have you thought of everything ? We’ve talked so much about upcycling that we almost forgot that before reusing our bottles, we have to enjoy them. Treat yourself to our selection of organic, vegan, pesticide-free wines. You can find all our fine bottles of wine on our website. Côtes-du-Rhône, Languedoc, Bordeaux, Vaucluse or Mediterranean, whatever your tastes, we’re sure to have just the thing for you.
We hope we’ve given you some ideas for your big day. Now it’s time to let your imagination and creativity run wild and come up with beautiful ideas to delight your guests. If DIY isn’t your thing, there’s always another option. You can hire eco-friendly wedding planners who will take care of your wedding décor for you, such as Sarah Rozan, MyGreenEvent or Ma Vie de Bohème. For the most creative among you, if you have any DIY ideas you’d like to share with us, we’d be delighted to receive them and share them in turn. Write to us at hello@oeforgood.com and share your wonderful discoveries with us.
To find the grocery stores that offer our deposit system, click here!
Cover photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash
