Wedding Blog
One of the things I was most obsessed with when we first started planning our wedding was centerpieces. It seemed to me, since we’re on a tight budget, that these could make or break the cost (and the overall look) of the reception.
For those of you who have decided not to use flowers for your centerpieces, here are some creative, cost-effective options. Totally outside the flowers-or-candles box!
1. Balloons! Now stick with me here. While balloons may conjure up images of a three-year-old’s birthday party, when done correctly they can be completely elegant and fun!
Check this out:
I saw this image in a recent Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, and if Martha says it’s great, then it’s A-OK in my book!
For this centerpiece, you need galvanized champagne buckets with a bottle of champagne, or even colorful bottles of Jones Soda inside. Anchor a few balloons on the tables, hang (non-helium filled) balloons from the ceiling, and voila! A gorgeous room for next to nothing. Sweetness!
2. Branches. This can be done a couple of different ways. Either you can gather a few branches and place them in a vase, etc. OR you can lay them across the table (if your tables are rectangular) a la Mrs. Gummi Bear.
Dress up the branches with little blooms, votives, or even tiny birds. Cute!
3. Wheat stalks. This one only really works if your wedding is held in the fall.
There are great DIY instructions for this centerpiece on Martha’s website, so check it out! The nice thing about this is you can make it as far in advance as you want. Fab!
4. Favors. Have your centerpiece serve double duty!
Stack up your favor boxes on a beautiful cake platter. In this particular photo, the top box serves as the table number as well. Three birds with one stone!
Do you have any creative centerpiece ideas to share with the hive?
*All photos from source
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im doing cupcake centerpieces - total cost for stands and cupcakes $16 per table…. but then i save money by just getting a small cake for FI and I to cut
I love these ideas, I think going light on the flowers is a great way to save a little moolah.
One of my favorites that I have seen is piles of river rocks and bright red apples. I think green pears would work with this as well for a palette of green and grey.
My cousin did bowls of citrus fruit with just a few small white flowers tucked in and it complemented her Florida wedding perfectly.
I LOVE the balloon look. And the cherry blossoms! I’ve seen some cool ostrich feather centerpieces, too. Great finds!
I love the cherry blossom branches. I’ll probably post pictures soon, but we’re thinking of doing bamboo steamers and bird cages for the cocktail hour centerpieces.
We are doing cake centerpieces…
We are doing champagne bucket centerpieces (filled with a bottle of bubbles, naturally!) and lots of candles. Our reception is in an old nightclub that’s very retro-swanky, so we’ve hired a big band and are keeping the champagne coming. For the cake buffet tables, My crew and I are making carnation balls that will rest on vintage champagne cocktail glasses I ordered for cheap off ebay. We’re serving champagne punch during cocktail hour… oh crap, I guess we have a theme. 
Oo … I like the balloons. That might be cheaper than hanging lanterns. Also, we’re looking at branches as well. I found this this easy tutorial http://craftershock.com/blog/2008/11/13/tutorial-paper-flower-table-setting/ on paper flowers and branches. I’m thinking branches with a light dusting of gold spray paint and flowers in our colors - blue and green. Not sure if that will be enough to make them summery though, I have to try it.
Great ideas! I especially love the champagne bucket and the favor centerpieces.
I love the idea of using the cake stands and stacking favor boxes. Think of the fun you would have in buying pretty cake stands that don’t match exactly, and then you could give them away to aunts, grandmas and others who helped with the wedding as a thank you. Dang, now I’m of course wishing I had done that!
The guest favor boxes is actually a great idea, since most of the time, the guest table centerpiece is also given away.
We did apple baskets - I got authentic apple baskets from a farmer’s market distributor in Texas, then glued some ribbon to the edge in our colours. We filled them with Gala apples - it worked with our colour scheme. Best of all, the baskets were $2 a piece!
We’re doing feathers! Tall Ostrich Feathers! We have a very large room to fill and the feathers will be high enough that people can see around them in their skinny vase! And… you can sell them when your wedding is over!! YAY for Ebay!!
A friend had yummy cake centerpieces recently on cake stands (the size of a round two-layer birthday cake for each table). Saved her $$ for not having a big cake as well as not having floral centerpieces!
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Mrs. Powder Puff, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 25, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Career Services
Engagement Date: May, 2008
Wedding Date: July, 2009
Blogging Since: November 12, 2008
Venue: Outdoor ceremony, banquet hall reception
About Me: I am your typical Midwestern girl attempting to plan a sane, budget-friendly, fun wedding to the man of my dreams. I love shoes, laughing at “Platinum Weddings”, crafts, inspiration boards, candy, and basically anything I can DIY. While weddings can certainly be all-consuming, I honestly can’t wait until the ceremony is over and I can finally call Mr. Powder Puff my husband!
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