Outdoor Wedding Idea: Feather Flags

The other day, I watched Branagh's 2007 version of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Though I really wanted to like the movie better than I had, the multiple wedding scene at the very end made it worth my while. The weddings had a distinctly Japanese flavor (as the story was based in 19th-century Japan) and took place in the forest. As a backdrop to the ceremonies, loads of these huge white vertical banners with long red ribbon streamers were stuck into the ground. It was so visually striking, it was hard not to love. All I kept thinking was how fantastic that would look as a backdrop to a real outdoor wedding!

{Courtesy: HBO}

Here are a couple banner-style wedding flags (also known as 'feather flags') very similar to those shown in the wedding scene. I love the first photograph shown below. Wouldn't these make a strikingly original backdrop for your wedding ceremony? I like them because it is an alternative to an arbor or archway requiring loads of flowers or greenery that will only end up being used once and then die. That seems so wasteful to me -- and this is entirely more original, your guests will never forget it and will make fantastic photos.

{Courtesy: Fun Kites}

{Courtesy: Tag Events Australia}

Frequently used for advertisements or commercial promotion, feather banners are available in loads of colors and styles - everything from custom-printed banners to solid colors, if white isn't what you're after. I think a collection of red banners would be amazing, as would a bright color like yellow for a nautical or beach wedding. Just like the movie, I think the addition of brightly colored ribbon streamers to white feather banners would look great, too. Perhaps they line a long driveway, boogie in the wind bordering the dance floor, diffuse a setting sun along the beachfront...the possibilities and applications are nearly endless.