- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
Using flowers as centerpieces is something that many (most?) brides assume is a given. It doesn’t have to be. We all know how expensive flowers can be and of course they only live for a short time. Nothing can replace the look and ambiance of fresh flowers, but there are some alternatives that will make your tables just as spectacular. Here are some ideas I was considering when I realized that fresh flowers were not going to be able to fit into our budget:
Candles:
This is probably the most common flower alternative. I love the soft light given off by candles and they are simply romantic. The problem I encountered was cost. I had a hard time finding the quality and quantity (plus holders of some sort) I would need to make an impact, without spending more than flowers may have cost. Eventually, I found a great deal on pillar candles at Ikea.
{image}
{image}
{ Mrs. Lemon}
{image}
{image}
Fruit:
Often fresh fruits are paired with flowers in centerpieces, but they hold up pretty well on their own too. These would be especially fun for a summer or outdoor wedding.
{image}
{image}
{image}
Plants/Rocks/Mother Nature:
If you still want the look of life and nature in your centerpieces there are many options that won’t break the bank.
{image}
{image}
{image}
{image}
{image}
Wedding Favors:
If you are going to have them on the table anyway, why not make wedding favors work double duty?
{image}
{image}
{from etsy seller: daisys and dots}
Photos:
Here is another chance to do something with those engagement photos taking up space on your hard drive. Or maybe better yet, photos of family weddings, childhood snap shots or show case your furry friends.
{image}
Are you using non-floral centerpieces? What are some of your favorite ideas?
Non-Floral Center
we’re going with fruit & flowers. low bowls in blue & white piled high with lemons, sprinkled with bright pink blossoms. we’ll round it out with a pair of wine glass lamps at each table.
i do love the candles with the river rocks… so relaxing.
We are going to kill two birds with one stone and have cupcake centerpieces - dessert and a centerpiece! and saving money on a large cake
We’re growing our centerpieces. We purchased small galvanized buckets at Ikea for $1.00 each. We decided to use 5 buckets, so $5.00 per table in containers. We then picked impatiens — a six pack is around $3.00 or so, and planted one per container. Our centerpieces ended up costing around $7.50 per table.
I have to admit, watching them grow this summer has been nerve-wracking! We’re 12 days away, and it looks like we’ll be okay. If you choose to grow annuals, just be prepared that they may be “green” rather than your wedding colors if the flowering isn’t timed just right! 
We are! I am sooo excited about ours. I am highly allergic to flowers so I am not having a bouquet and niether are my maids. On the tables we will have small stacks of books tied with ribbon and two or three mason jars filled with candy. The best part is the cost for all this was approximately FREE! We got the books free from freecycle and the ribbon and jars we had around. The only thing costing us $ is the candy.
We’re also going non-floral with mostly glass and metal bowls/pedestals/candleholders/plates that will hold tealights, water, and a handful of wintry natural touches for our January wedding. I’ve had great success spray painting those little wicker balls a glossy silver, so I may mix them painted and unpainted. Everything so far, I’ve picked up on sale, but I’m seriously considering renting some other glass and metal pieces, just so I don’t have to store them!
I’m going to use mostly candles and a few low centerpieces, so that our tables resembles a dinner party. I’m also going to use limes and oranges, since that is kind of our theme.
Ooh, I adore that picture with the tea lights stuck into a little carved out space in the apples and pears. Brilliant! Great find, Miss P.
Flowers are nice, but everyone uses them. To be unique you have to bring something exquisite to the table. Candles, fruit, art and such. It all works!
We had to ixnay on the flowers for budgetary reasons (our whole wedding has to come in under $3000!!!) We bought these beautiful pilsner glasses from ikea for $.69 a piece and my FMIL has a corkscrew willow in her backyard. We spray painted all the sticks a beautiful silver and we’re going to string some crystal turquise beads and hang them from the branches and put some marbles in the bottom, should come to about $3.00 per table for a big dramatic piece!
I think I posted a link to this one time before but in case you didn’t see it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33411984@N00/1263473746/
I made these centerpieces for my wedding– I grew wheatgrass in some containers I picked up at Jo-Ann fabrics 70% off. Then I made some paper flowers following the papersource.com pattern. I put them on long stems and tucked them in the wheatgrass. I think they came out pretty cool!
In an effort to be servicey to those who are using candles, I must relate–you can get the simple pillar candle holders (the wide, the votive and the taper sizes) for super-cheap at the Crate & Barrel outlet…ONLINE!!! The taper holders are literally a dime a pop. I got a set of six of the larger clear pillars for $1.50 to boot! If you’re looking for a simple, modern design to either incorporate into more elaborate tableaux or ones that are very minimalist, they work very very well in either situation.
Just go to the “Outlet” section of the Shopping portion of the website–it’s at the very bottom of the list.
@elizabeth: you’re officially my hero today.
I’m doing half flowers and half votive trees I’m renting for 40-something. Not on the real cheap but much better than the 70-100 for flowers.
I wish I was crafty! *whine*
Hi Five Miss. P…I will be having for my centerpiece a Chandelier stand that has 6 hanging voltives and at the base their will be 4 tea lights… The whole flower centerpieces are beautiful YET they are not making my flower budget very beautiful! I love the pics above!!
So many great options! I love the smooth stones and votives & the apples in the baskets!
We wanted to give our guests something live and green as their favor. We put one largish (6 in) clay pot with mini-roses in the center with 5 smaller ones (2 in) around the edge. I bought them all earlier in the week at a gardening wholesale center. And I had a friend bring them to the reception and help set them up. They looked great in our garden setting. I know that some of our guests are still enjoying them.
We also saw a great idea at a wedding we photographed a few years back- one bride used paper&bamboo lanterns. they looked awesome with some surrounding elements- stones, candles and a couple of orchids.
MY Fi is creating wooden lighthouses for each table and we will place rocks, shells and candles on the tables. We are debating on the favors and if they are we go with the pansy idea we will have little buckets of pansies at each place setting.
I love the picture idea!!! Wish i would have thought of that for our wedding.
I’m going with the potted plants. I love the photo you found with the little daisies. Some could be taken home as favors and the leftovers could be donated to a nursing home.
I’m right there with you. In fact, two of my earliest posts were on this very topic. I love the natural grasses and candles and such. But sometimes event those can get to be troublesome. The candles may be required to have shades at certain venues, distorting your original vision. And the grasses and branches can start to get as expensive as flowers depending on what you pick.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Mrs. Pineapple, Pittsburgh Age and Occupation: 24, Graphic Designer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Student Affairs Administration Engagement Date: August 4, 2007 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: April 14, 2008 Venue: The Rivers Club About Me: Being a transplant from sunny south Florida I am learning to live with all four seasons while playing with our cat collective, line dancing, and doing a ton of DIY projects for our wedding (seriously, like a thousand)!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics