Fresh, Beautiful Citrus-Themed Weddings

Will you be attending any weddings this spring or summer? While I’ve seen these events themed for all seasons of the year, it’s still true that June is one of the most popular months to tie the knot.

 

Maybe I’ve gotten a little sentimental as I’ve gotten older, but I adore weddings! It just brings my heart joy to see a couple setting out on this particular journey. I love observing the small human dramas that inevitably accompany any wedding, from toddlers talking through the ceremony to a favorite older relative dancing with the bride at the reception.

As a visual person, I also love taking in all the details—the flowers, the dress, the cake, and all the pretty touches that everyone seems to be getting so good at in the age of Pinterest. Frankly, I even enjoy looking at photos of beautiful weddings that I didn’t attend.

Which brings me to orange- and citrus-themed weddings! These days, it seems like every wedding has a unifying concept, color, or idea, and since I work for a citrus company, you can imagine it caught my attention when I first began to see weddings featuring oranges, orange blossoms, and citrus fruit.

While it might seem simply cute or trendy, this idea actually has hundreds (even thousands) of years of history behind it. In fact, oranges (and especially orange blossoms) have an ancient and powerful association with love and weddings. In ancient China, orange blossoms symbolized purity and chastity and were even sewn into the gowns of brides on their wedding day. This tradition later spread to Spain and broadly to Europe, where the delicate, fragrant, and elegant orange blossom is still commonly used in Spanish wedding bouquets to this day.

Most famously, this idea influenced Queen Victoria, who chose to wear a crown of orange blossoms on her wedding day in 1840. Her dress with also trimmed with orange blossoms. Thousands of brides followed in her footsteps, bedecking themselves with real or wax orange blossom hair ornaments.

Today, oranges and citrus bring to mind sweetness, plenty, and fresh simplicity—lovely themes for any wedding. And while they may be an ancient symbol, something about their bright color and elegant look also looks quite modern. Today’s brides and grooms will also appreciate that while fresh flower décor is often extremely expensive, brightly colored, lush citrus is a terrific bargain by comparison. Let’s certainly not forget the wonderful and universally beloved flavor of fresh citrus, either.

 

In fact, a citrus-inspired wedding can incorporate this incredibly versatile plant and fruit from the invitation design to the dress and bouquet all the way through to the cocktails, centerpiece, and dessert. Take a look at some of the ideas below to see how creatively couples use this theme in their weddings.

This wedding actually took place in an orange grove! While you might not be able to pull that off, the bouquet, invitations, and simple, but delicious-looking cake, all featuring citrus, are inspirational.

Okay, the colors and the incredible flowers in this wedding are amazing, lush, and maybe a little over the top…but take a look at that lemonade table, the cake display, and the bowls brimming over with citrus and hydrangea!

This citrus-inspired Florida wedding featured a wealth of citrus greenery and lush fruit…you couldn’t ask for more beautiful trimmings.

Here we see an orange-themed invite and simple but beautiful Florida orange centerpieces.

Check out this gorgeous destination wedding table, featuring hanging citrus chandeliers!

How about these adorable tangerine name tags?

And here’s a whole slideshow of lovely citrus wedding touches! I like the kumquat boutonniere.

If this has inspired you, or if you just enjoy daydreaming over pretty pictures, there are many more beautiful citrus wedding ideas online. Enjoy wedding season!

_{References: https://www.grownups.co.nz/ancient-orange-blossom/}