10 fabulous and creative ways to use brown paper bags at your wedding

Once upon a time the humble brown paper bag most often featured in a school lunch box protecting a sandwich. But those days are long gone, as clever brides and grooms realise what a versatile addition they can be to a wedding. Here’s 10 great ideas for using them in inventive – even unexpected – ways.

Favour containers

What could be more perfect as a favour than something that’s as tasty as it is beautiful looking? At least you know it won’t be left behind when everyone goes home. You can add your names – or any other text you fancy – to the bag or just leave it plain to allow the lush cherries or other fresh fruit to claim the spotlight.

Photo: Design Sponge

Ceremony programs

Ceremony programs contain some of the day’s most important information, so it’s no surprise couples often go all out to make them interesting, from printing little booklets to creating paper fans. Brown paper bags bring another dimension, as they also serve double duty – for example to hold a bottle of water on a hot day.

Photo: For Print Only

Garlands

Garlands add eye-catching appeal to everything from tables and windowsills to doorways and more. This creation – which would perfectly complement a natural theme – features flowers, but you could also make classic-shaped bunting, perhaps with a different letter stamped on each triangle to spell out a message.

Photo: 52 Mantels

Tiaras

If the bride is the queen of the day, then it follows that her flower girls must be the princesses. And as anyone who’s read a good fairytale lately knows, no royal ensemble is complete with a gorgeous tiara. Best of all, they’re so simple to create that the little ones can actually give you a hand to make them.

Photo: Happy Hooligans

Menus

When most guests take their assigned seat at the reception, they’ll look to get an insight into what kind of foodie direction the night is going to take. So entice them with a menu presented in simple, yet mouthwatering, form. And one that gives its own reward, courtesy of a beautiful fresh bread roll.

Photo: Etsy seller inkandivory

Centrepieces

Who needs a vase, a glass bottle, or even a milk jar when you have a not-so-humble brown paper bag to serve as an appealing platform on which to build a vibrant floral display? For best results pick blooms which bring plenty of colour and texture to the party and finish the look off with a loop or two of jute twine.

Photo: Pinterest

Welcome kits

Looks matter, but so does practicality – and brown paper bags have them both. Which is why they’re so perfect to create welcome kits for out-of-town guests. As well as a wedding day timeline you could fill them with everything from snacks and brochures for local attractions to a bottle of bubbly to get the celebrations started.

Photo: Etsy seller GoodieBagPartyFavors

Cutlery pouches

No two receptions are the same. And more and more couples these days are moving away from the idea of a sit-down dinner to something more casual. This could be a barbecue, a picnic or even a flurry of food trucks. Either way, they’ll need cutlery, so present it in a beautiful kit themed to your wedding colours.

Photo: Catch My Party

Ceremony decorations

Brown paper bags can be a pretty versatile decorating agent for the ceremony. You can hang them from chairs to hold a single beautiful flower, fill them with sand and sit a single lantern on top, or even use them to hold confetti for guests to throw after the ceremony. The only real limit is your imagination.

Photo: Rebecca Wood

Hangover kits

We love this styling because it ties in perfectly with the hilarious movie franchise that sent Bradley Cooper’s career skyrocketing. But, even if you didn’t want to tie yours to Hollywood, hangover kits are still a thoughtful idea for the morning after the night before. Think water, aspirin, some lollies and maybe even a piece or two of fresh fruit.

Photo: he asked. i said yes