Geode Wedding

A rustic barn is the setting of this geode wedding. A geode is a spherical rock lined with crystals, and what better way to bring a rustic setting to life than with a glimmer and shine?

Interestingly, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford houses the Alfred Jewel, a slice of rock crystal formed into a tear shape by a masterpiece goldsmith. The jewel is thought to have been ordered by King Alfred the Great (r. 871-899).

This is the perfect theme for a wedding venue in Oxford! With a revered crystal such as this, a geode wedding fits the bill in this prestigious university town.

What to Look for in a Venue for Geode Wedding

With this kind of dark and moody geode wedding, there are loads of possible options when it comes to finding your dream wedding venue. Key things to look for are smaller, more intimate venues with a rustic getaway kind of feel – somewhere that’s fairly isolated lends itself really well to this moody geode wedding theme.

Another great feature to look for in a geode wedding venue is dark, natural wood panelling. Not only is it a rustic and moody look but it also serves as a plain coloured backdrop for you to build upon with your dark jewel tones through details, table setting and more decorative features.

Colour Palettes for a Geode Wedding

For the colour palette for your geode wedding, the main thing to remember is to keep it dark and moody. Pick one or two geode tones like pinks, purples or blues and scale it down to the darker end of the spectrum. This way you get the shine of the colour but it also looks like it’s shaded, as if it were still deep in a cave, really giving you that natural geode feel.

You can lighten the overall scheme with cream or ivory accents, from your dress to the crockery to your invitations – all of these elements, together with the moody but super romantic candlelight and softer floral arrangements will give a mix of colour, texture and depth that will really bring everything together.

Details for a Geode Wedding

As with any niche wedding theme, the devil is in the detail when you’re trying to successfully pull off the geode wedding scheme. Of course, you’re going to want actual geodes dotted around as a part of both your ceremony and reception decor, but you’re going to want to use them sparingly. Otherwise, it’ll look like a science museum gift shop.

Instead, you can use details that replicate your chosen geode hues by using items like tinted, textured glassware, jars of different coloured macarons, and a variety of coloured tapers for a softer, more dark and romantic light across your chosen wedding venue.

Budget for a Geode Wedding

Of course, there are always ways to save money on your wedding and there are plenty of ways to blow the budget out of the water. For a geode wedding theme, in particular, this tends to be a smaller affair, and with a smaller headcount comes a naturally lower price. Also with a remote location, there might be a cheaper rate for the wedding venue itself.

This being said, the key to pulling off a wedding themed around beautiful crystals is all the little details that make the scheme look like a fully formed concept, and especially if you’re using a lot of geodes, this can add up really quickly.

Wedding Dresses & Accessories for a Geode Wedding

For your dream wedding dress, you’re probably going to want to go for a dark and romantic vibe. Now, this isn’t when you have a dark coloured dress, but think more along the lines of white or ivory victorian, romantic gothic in terms of aesthetics. So, that’s lots of lace, flowing silhouettes, lots of texture and points of intricate interest.

Of course, with your accessories, there are plenty of gemstone colours that you can use to match the geode hues that you’ve chosen for the details spread around your ceremony and reception venues. This way everything ties together beautifully.

Bouquets & Boutonnieres for a Geode Wedding

Despite geodes primarily being pretty sharp and geometric, this is not the direction you want to go with your various floral arrangements. Within your geode wedding scheme, you’re going to need to balance these harsher geode elements with softer details to maintain the romantic aspect of the theme, which is where your bouquets and floral centerpieces come into play.

Use lighter, muted shades for your flowers in similar tones to the rest of your geode colour scheme and surround them with a sort of sage green coloured foliage to bring some colour into your geode wedding without making it super vibrant and bright.

Wedding Invitations for a Geode Wedding

Your wedding invite is the first glimpse that many of your wedding guests are going to get of your overarching wedding vision. With your geode wedding invitation, you don’t particularly want to go super dark on the initial card even if your actual wedding is on the moody side – after all your guests have to be able to actually read it.

Instead, get some heavy stock, textured card and use some watercolour paints to mimic the shape of a geode, using different shades of purples and blues to illustrate the muted and darker colour palette without it looking for an invite to a funeral or goth wedding.

Wedding Cake Ideas for a Geode Wedding

For your wedding cake, there are a few avenues that you can go down. You’ve probably seen the geode style wedding cakes all over Pinterest where there is a geode etched into the side of a two or three tier white cake that glimmers with edible purple glitter and the like. This is definitely one option that you could consider if you haven’t already used loads of geodes in your scheme.

If you want something more subtle, you can use a sort of marble effect on the neutrally coloured icing and decorate it with smatterings of gold leaf or floral elements that tie into your other more muted, moodier floral arrangements.

Bridesmaid Dresses for a Geode Wedding

For your bridesmaid dresses it’s probably best to stick to the muted, darker geode jewel tones that you’ve already used throughout your wedding decor scheme for a cohesive overall look. Stick to the floaty kinds of material and romantic silhouettes with lace accents to tie into your gorgeous dark romantic bridal look.

You can further tie your bridesmaid outfits into your scheme using gem inspired jewellery that’s set in gold coloured necklaces and bracelets. This will work not only with your bridal accessories but also with the gold leaf on the cake and the opulence of your overall decorative details.

Menswear for a Geode Wedding

Realistically there are a few directions that you can go with for the menswear and groom’s outfit for your geode wedding. With an old-world, dark romantic vibe, you can easily go with the traditional, formal black tuxedo, but perhaps go with a more matte finish than a shiny one to link into the muted colour palette of your scheme.

Alternatively, due to the more informal wedding setting and intimate guest list, you might want to go with dark jewel tone suits like a darker burgundy for your groomsmen and a navy or charcoal suit for the groom. You can highlight these darker suits with lighter boutonnieres.

Mysterious + Dramatic Geode Wedding

From Ed & Aileen Photography – “Inspired by the complexities and peculiar nature of the geode, these talented vendors brought together a vision that was not only incredibly beautiful, but also dramatic. Andria Madsen Events coordinated this wedding editorial and found the perfect location – a rustic and mysterious barn!”

From Ed & Aileen Photography – “This editorial shoot features two stunning dresses and colourful crystals/geodes. We were inspired by how these crystals played with the light (even in the darkness, they stilled sparkled) and how every geode was incredibly elegant yet wild. From the cascading eucalyptus, billowing dresses, and corresponding decor, this wedding, editorial shoot is sure to inspire!”

Credits: Photography: Ed & Aileen Photography // Coordination: Andria Madsen Events // Stationery: EmPrints Studio // Cake: Sugar Fixe // Dresses: Alice in Ivory // Florals: Blossom Shoppe // Hair: Vic Hair Design LLC // Makeup: Madi Vasile // Tabletop Rentals: Nimble Well // Model: Anna Skuba // Venue: Fairview Farms in Crete, Illinois.