Wedding Blog
I’ve agonized for months over what was going to serve as centerpieces at our reception. Not having the budget for overflowing floral centerpieces (or for anything that would qualify as a “floral centerpiece”), and on the flip side, not wanting to simply plop a candle into a hurricane and call it a day, I’ve struggled. And planned. And changed my mind.
Of course, I could use the hurricanes that my reception site actually has on hand. I’m sure they’re fine. And I love a good hurricane. It can be simple but you can still dress it up. But that’s just far too easy. And who wants things to be too easy leading up to their wedding day? Not this girl.
The primary elements I’ve wanted on our tables from the beginning have been (in no particular order): candlelight, a single flower (floating or otherwise), a green element, a black container/plate/charger of some sort, and possibly a touch of damask.
I was convinced for a while that I was going to go antiquing and find a variety of ornate black trays of some sort at antique stores. How I was going to come up with 15 of these, I don’t really know… I struggled to find even one.
Fortunately, Crate & Barrel exists to save my sanity. Somehow I have managed to find almost every element that I’ve needed—in budget!—for our centerpieces. At least I’m hoping that’s the case, as I just ordered the final pieces yesterday.
Source: Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel “Dots” candle holder: $.95 each, 1.75 inches high. They’re the perfect little tea light holders and make the most beautiful designs on the table when lit!
Source: Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel Tropical Mini Vases: $9.00 for a set of 6 vases (normally $17.70), 5 inches high. Great little vases for single stems.
Source: Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel Black Square Plate: $4.95 each (normally $12.95), 10.75 inch square. Porcelain with a glossy finish, the reflection from the tea lights should look great on these plates.
For $175 I was able to get enough of each of these items to outfit 15 tables, with candle holders and vases to spare! However, I still have to see how each of these elements work together… that’s still to be determined. Hopefully by next week I’ll have everything and can piece it all together. I’m not sure if the vases are going to look really cute or super awkward. And I won’t dare to tell our florist yet that I’ve changed my mind completely (as we’ve been going back and forth on possibly floating some flowers). That’s a conversation I’ll save for later.
I’ve been debating using these table squares by Darling Damask on Etsy. Depending on the size, they range from $8-$10 per square, and she gives a discount for bulk orders.
Source: Etsy
I had planned on having white linens, and I don’t think the damask squares look that great on white. But on black, they look cute and would at the very least add a little more visual interest to the tables. I priced it out, and if I bought the fabric myself and sewed these, it would be pretty comparable to just having her do it. Decisions, decisions! Thankfully, this one can wait, as I have plenty of time before I have to actually finalize our linen choices!
Are you DIYing your tabletop decor? What’s your vision?
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Share this post: Tables For 8…But What to Decorate?
Good luck with your design plans! I can’t wait to see how it all comes together!
I’m going to use my Cuttlebug (like one Bee did) to add a pattern to colored vellum, and wrap it around clear glass votive holders. That’ll add pop to go with the (minimal) flowers we’re using!
I love your idea. I have a similar color palette. We are using a black and white theme with purple accents. I chose to make 1 out of the 6 different centerpieces. ( I know that’s a lot)But, the centerpiece I chose to DIY is a 9 candle centerpiece with rose petals surrounding the base of the candles. I’m still searching for something large enough to hold all the candles.
Miss Stiletto!! I love those damask squares! You should totally do that…
Or if you want to DIY them, I’ve got a sewing machine & can help 
We can have a quilting circle-type Chicago bee get together…haha!
Ha ha, thanks Miss Quiche 
I’m actually now going to enlish Mama Stiletto to bust those out. Turns out when I’d initially done the math, I thought it was the same price to buy them from Etsy than to buy the fabric and do them myself….since it’s less than half the price to do it yourself, we now have confirmed why I was an English major
And….I also have a sewing machine, but I don’t trust myself to sew that straight!
I’m a fellow damask bride! I got married in January and used black linens (that were provided) bought damask fabric (the same as in the picture) from a fabric superstore and cut them into runners. I also bought silver chargers and spray painted them teal (that was our other color)… it was perfect with the Eiffel tower vases we got. I too wanted something really simple and elegant so I asked for just a dome-shaped flower arrangement on top. She also filled the vase with teal-colored water so that gave the table some more color.
The florist was under 2 grand for EVERYTHING. and it’s a pretty well known on in my area. You can do it without breaking the bank.. you just have to get creative with your options.
Good luck! I’m sure all of the stuff you bought will look lovely… but if you want, i still have my runners and chargers!
You could still do the damask on white tables if you you added a border…maybe grass or black. Just a thought
@Miss Stiletto: Is there a demask print that has a black background and a white design? That would work better if you were using the white table linens… it should add a little more contrast that way.
And the centerpiece elements look very nice, I’m sure they’ll pull together quite well
Wow, your centerpieces are going to look great!! I like the Damask, it would add some zing to the concept, and tie in nicely with everything else you’re doing.
i am a damask bride who just recently decided to incorporate Alice in Wonderland into my theme..
my original (the very first of many) theme was a Masquerade Ball so we bought candle holders very early on.. i’m not one for waste so we decided to use them anyway, even though the theme kept changing. last night i decided to incorporate Alice In Wonderland into our non-existant theme and didn’t know if the candles would be.. suitable. but i decided to keep them since i’m not going all out with the theme and figured it would still look wedding-ish with candles (plus i got the holders for $10 each for sets of three) so i bought ice blue candles and called it a day. i toyed with the idea of those damask things too since i didn’t want the candles to drip. but now that you said it wouldnt really pop on white- i think its back to the drawing board for me. thanks for the crate&barrel recomendation- i will deffinately be looking there soon.
I’m using similar squares under our centerpieces, but I just bought satin damask napkins on sale for 50 cents apiece!
@joanlindsay:
Great suggestion! I’m thinking about doing a black border possibly…I know another Bee did this but I’m blanking!
@marshmallowmarfio:
Alive in Wonderland is so fun!! So many great ways to incorporate that. I’m back and forth on the linens but am definitely going to test out the fabric (picking up a yard isn’t a big investment) and seeing how things play out together.
@almostananderson:
Ooh, fabulous deal, and no work!
@Miss Stiletto: Ok… here’s a super quick version in photoshop of the reversed (totally bad quality, but it was a five minute fix):
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q93/spiffay1/tablereversed.jpg
That may give you an idea of whether you like the damask on the white linens.
We are having brown table squares and actually bought brown cloth napkins from target! I wonder if other stores like would have damask napkins!
They are $7 for a 4pack
Miss Stiletto - I am a black / white / “spring green” damask bride and made black and white table runners for my 10 person round tables… 30+ runners - whew! I will be selling them after my wedding if you are interested - they are about 12″ wide and 120″ long. Message me if you are interested and I can send some pics!
If you want to add more texture to the centerpiece without buying the damask fabric, how about putting some candy on the black tray? Some pretty white or metallic loose candy would add depth to the centerpiece without spending a lot of money.
@tbrooke:
You are fabulous! That looks really cute…visuals really do make a difference Really appreciate it!!
@tbrooke: How nice of you to do that! It does look great & I agree that having a visual makes the biggest difference!
I’m another damask bride! Here’s a pic of my centerpieces: http://www.wickedbride.com/2008/12/reception.html (I think I stole the pic from the knot?) - Anyways, I got these great black pillar candle holders (they came this weekend!) and I’m going to make the carnation balls to go on top. We’re renting damask table linens from Cloth Connection. It’s a halloween wedding, so along with black and white I’m going to pops of orange here and there.
@wickedbride:
Thanks for sharing…I LOVE your centerpieces, I think they’re going to look fab-u-lous!
I just read your post on your blog about your candy buffet woes…I hear ya, sister! Candy is expensive. And who wants to do something that isn’t chic in the end? That’s awesome that you found someone to rent all of the jars from…then you won’t be left with a house full of ‘em!
We’re doing wallpaper table runners. There are tons of graphic florals and damask prints in wallpaper these days, and it’s much cheaper and less time consuming than a DIY sewing project (the cutting is really the only part of sewing I’m good at anyway!) We are doing banquest tables, so I haven’t decided if we’re going to do one running the length of each table, or width-wise alternating under ever other place setting. Now I’m thinking I could save even more if I did large rectangles like those Darling Damask squares, and just centre them on the banquet tables under our centrepieces. Thanks for the idea!
As for the rest of the table decor, I’m wrapping cans in fancy paper for an eclectic bunch of flower pots and using either big bunches of hydrangea or carnations in them. There will also be small votive holders all over the tables, and a big hurricane (gasp!) in the middle of each table.
Thanks, Miss Stiletto - I think your ideas are great! We’re doing a “vintage modern” themed event as well! We’re doing a cocktail reception, so these large pillar centerpieces are only going on 4 tables (so they weren’t too expensive) - the rest are going to be high-top tables. I’m still fretting about what to put on those… I’m thinking just mini carnation balls.
Oh the candy buffet! FI wouldn’t hear of not having it! But he thought you could just get a “couple” different candies. I’m like, “honey, a ‘couple’ doesn’t make a buffet!” You need a lot of candy to make an impact! I’m so glad to be renting the jars - I found them for sale for $9.99 a piece - but the thought of storing them until October in a house with 2 insane cats just wasn’t working for me! @Miss Stiletto
@wickedbride:
I know, if the buffet doesn’t make a statement, what’s the point?
I’m finding different candies I can make myself (gasp!) and other sweets and treats that will be fun and interesting. Oh and did you see Miss Duckling’s earlier post?
http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/02/11/the-%e2%80%9cperfect-pair%e2%80%9d-bridal-shower/
Great tootsie pops covered in fun paper…how easy is that?!
@Miss Stiletto: Exactly - go big or go home!
Ooooh! I didn’t see Miss Duckling’s post - LOVE!
I think the damask would look great on white linens, though maybe more so without a big black charger, which I love.
We’re going to have lost of candles, floating and tea lights in red and deep purple and some sort of flower either in the water or floating with the candles. We’re going to use the vases the venue has but bring our own colorful details.
We had our wedding in our backyard and did the long tables. So instead of one centerpiece on a round or square table, we did little vignettes down the length of the table. It was a beachy wedding with aqua, cream and sand colors. I found square glass vases at Ikea, put aqua iridescent stones in the bootom (from Target) and had two or three stems of white orchids in each one. I found beautiful candle holders covered in small shell tiles in four different sizes/shapes on clearance at Rite Aid drug stores - so my two sisters and I hit up 6 different stores to buy all they had (they ranged from $ .45 to $2.95 each!!). We put ivory candles of various sizes in them, then made small groupings of them down the center of the tables. Last, we had about a dozen tall hurricanes with tall cream candles. It was perfect - simple, elegent and glowing.
Wow talk about a bargin shopper! These look like they will all look beautiful together. Can’t wait to see pictures! I hope it all turns out like you are hoping for. What are you going to use to add your pop of grass green? the single flower?
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Mrs. Stiletto, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit/Fundraising
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer and Photographer
Engagement Date: March 2, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: The 19th Century Club
About Me: My fiance and I love living in the city of Chicago with our cats Basil and Linus, and vow to never move to the suburbs if we can possibly avoid it! We’ve poured ourselves into planning a wedding that reflects our personal style - modern and high contrast with a vintage twist. Blogging keeps me creative, baking keeps me happy, and grande nonfat no foam sugar free vanilla lattes keep me sane.
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