Wedding Aisle Rugs and Gifts for Bridesmaids
“Something old something new something borrowed something blue”. Wedding season has officially begun, and this well-known saying is a good luck charm for the bride-to-be. Most brides follow along by wearing for example, a blue garter and borrowed heirloom jewellery. The boho wedding trend that has gained traction in the last few years – wedding aisles bedecked with rented Persian and Oriental rugs – gave us a new idea for the “old” in the saying. Read on as we tell you how our tweaked version of the trend is not only beautiful and affordable, but green and sustainable too!
Background:
Renting rugs is not a new idea – prop companies have offered rugs for decades as part of their inventory of furniture and objects that can be rented for movie sets, theater performances, television shows, concerts and events. What’s new however, is rental rugs are now within reach of everyone, allowing private individuals greater scope for decorating their event exactly as they please.
A new host of rental companies have sprung up in the last few years that cater to weddings and parties. Rental items include Persian and Oriental rugs to use as “wedding aisle rugs” or “wedding aisle runner”. We’ve seen examples online mainly used in outdoor weddings – forests, meadows, beaches etc – plus a few indoor weddings too. The trend is definitely visually suitable for religious venues too (we think vintage whitewash Oriental runners would look fantastic on the stone floor of an old church), but please always make sure you check this rug idea is ok with your chosen venue!
Merge the Rug Trend with the Bridesmaid Gift
But why rent when you can buy rugs for the wedding aisle that afterwards become unique gifts? Bridesmaids (and groomsmen) contribute a “financial investment” towards the wedding. Their “investment” includes a dress or a suit (or swag athleisure if you’re Rag’n’Bone Man, Beth Rouy, and their wedding party!) and often much more. Wedding websites say the average cost per attendant is $1200 to $1500. Protocol decrees that the customary gift from the bride-to-be is at least 10% of the bridesmaid’s “financial investment” and at least 20% of the maid of honor’s contribution.
There’s a huge range of tailor-made gifts for bridesmaids ranging from monogrammed champagne flutes to pyjamas. But for a gift that survives trends while perfectly capturing memories from the big day, why not merge the rug aisle idea with the bridesmaid gift for a one-of-a-kind present? Depending on the rugs you choose the rug gifts can also be 100% green.
Wedding Aisle Rug Choice
Share the rug love with your wedding party. At 1800GetARug we have a huge range of affordable vintage rugs and runners to line your wedding aisle. Colorful Persian and Oriental rugs make up the majority of the examples we’ve seen, and we love the look, but you could also consider a wedding-white “shabby chic” look created with a range of our whitewash rugs. Whether you choose colorful tribal rugs or whitewash rugs, the cost of the rugs will decrease if you choose vintage rugs from our inventory. No two vintage rugs are truly identical in pattern, size, and wear which makes them the perfect choice for a unique gift.
Vintage Rugs are Green Rugs
Vintage rugs represent the ultimate in green living. So many of us are trying to be as green as possible, and a truly vintage item (not faux vintage) is green because its “embodied energy” – the energy it took to make the rug all those years ago – is “held” forever (embodied) within the rug. No new energy is used and embodied energy isn’t wasted by throwing the rug in landfill.
Be Prepared for the Big Day
Identify someone in advance who will roll each rug after the ceremony, tie it with a ribbon attached to the bride’s thank you note, and safely store the rugs in a pre-arranged location. The rolled rugs can either be collected by the new owners after the wedding reception, or they can be transported to a location for collection in the days after wedding.
Let Us Help You Curate Your Wedding Aisle
We are happy to help you curate your wedding rug purchase based on your ideas and your budget. If you’re in the greater metropolitan New York area you can visit our showroom and speak with one of our rug experts, or schedule a free, online video conference.
Depending on the rug sizes you prefer and the number of rows of seating, it takes anywhere from 5 rugs to 15 to make a wedding aisle rug feature. The boho look includes multiple sizes mixed together – runners, small squares, larger rectangles – to create a casual rather than a tailored look. Remember if want a look in-between boho and tailored, you can unify the two by choosing the whitewash option for all the rugs.
Our vintage rug selection includes hand woven and hand-knotted rugs. If you fancy stretching your budget, you can unite the symbolism of a hand-knotted rug with the symbolism of “tying the knot” during the wedding. Whatever rugs you choose for your big day, you can be certain whether rented. or purchased for bridesmaid gifts, vintage rugs will help you create a beautiful and unique wedding.
