For my son’s wedding at our family cabin, I knew it could be hot for guests, so I had the idea to create large outdoor planters that could double as umbrella stands and decorative features for the venue. The goal was to build something functional for the wedding that we could also reuse later on our patio.

To make the planters stable, I placed 5 gallon buckets inside large decorative planters and filled them with quick set concrete. Before pouring the concrete, I inserted a PVC pipe in the center which would later hold either patio umbrellas or tall poles.

For the main patio seating area, I used 1.5 inch PVC so the planters could hold umbrellas. For the venue entrance, I created a second version using 2 inch PVC so they could support 2x2 posts that would hold fabric draping.

Once the concrete cured, I drilled drain holes in the planters, placed the concrete buckets inside, and filled the remaining space with soil. Then came the fun part. Planting the flowers.

I followed a simple planting formula that works every time: Thriller, filler, and spiller.

1. Thriller: Tall grasses or flowers in the center

2. Filler: clusters of blooms around them

3. Spiller: greenery that spills over the edges.

Because the planters were extremely heavy once assembled, I placed them on heavy duty rolling planter bases, which made moving them much easier.

At the wedding venue, we added umbrellas to some of the planters and solar uplights at the base to create soft evening lighting. At the entrance, I placed a planter on each side of the gate and draped chiffon fabric between the tall poles.

It created a beautiful and welcoming entrance for guests and later became a functional addition to our patio.