Weddingbee Blog

I’ve decided that I’m going to make our centerpieces a DIY project. I’m just not big on floral arrangements because quite frankly, flowers die. Of course, if we had an unlimited budget, I’d be more for elaborate floral arrangements in a heartbeat.

So my idea for the centerpieces is to focus on mood lighting. I’d like a soft, romantic feel to the reception hall. And since I have a slight love for vintage/antique items, I think I’ve found my choice for the focal point for the tables. We’ll be doing a combination of lanterns, tea lights, floating candles, candelabras, and submerged flowers (preferably orchids).

Every other table will have either the lantern surrounded by tea lights, the floating candles and submerged flowers in mason jars, or a vintage-style candelabra to keep with the Southern theme.

One of the clear perks of making my own centerpieces is getting to keep my creations after the wedding. I will be able to use them as home decor, or even dress them up as gifts for friends! Not to mention, I’ll save money on the floral bill.

Here are some pictures of the items I have my eye on:

These are the main lanterns I’d like to use for the reception site. I can get enough of these to decorate the whole space for less than $100! They’ll look super cute after the wedding as indoor and/or outdoor decor for our home.

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I love the nostalgia of mason jars. The submerged flowers will be in mason jars, as well as tea lights and/or floating candles. I might do ribbons in our colors like this:

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In a perfect world, I’d be able to catch fireflies to display in some of the jars like this. I also love the tea lights around the jar. They’re simple, but enchanting.

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Here’s what I’m talking about in regards to the submerged orchids and floating candles. Just imagine these in mason jars.

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I found battery operated LED paper lanterns online for only $5 a piece. I’m going to scatter these along the ceiling of the hall to complement the mini lights already at the reception site. Here’s an idea of what it’ll look like (but we’ll have far fewer lanterns):

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I absolutely LOVE fancy chandeliers. But since it would be outrageously expensive to buy and install some, we’ll do the next best thing: we’ll create elaborate candelabras dripping with crystals! This will be a very cheap DIY compared to buying them. I can spray paint the candelabra and attach the crystals (sold a dime a dozen online) myself. Anyone who knows me knows I have to have some “glitter & sparkle” somewhere in the reception, so this will be it!

This one is only $14 on eBay! I might not have to make them after all! How adorable is this?!?

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Last but not least, I want to incorporate my favorite pattern, damask, on the tables. Instead of doing it in black and white, we’ll probably have the pattern in gold or bronze tones to go along with our color scheme and to add a little class to the otherwise very laid-back decor.

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I know that it seems like a lot, but it’ll basically allow for about 3 different table themes throughout the room instead of cookie cutters of one style. I like the idea of mismatched, but still complementary, decor for different tables (it’ll kind of echo the look of the bridesmaids’ different dresses).

Do you plan on dressing your tables up differently, rather than having all the same centerpieces? What will they look like?