The typical wedding centerpiece is a floral display, often cascading over the table. Sometimes the shift is made to include candles of varying heights. But what to do if the bride and groom aren’t really into flowers and candles? Have no fear! There are plenty of ways to decorate a table that don’t require fresh flowers and candles. Check out these ideas for inspiration.
Follow the Season
Let the environment be a guide, especially in outdoor weddings. In the fall, colorful leaves, bare branches, and pumpkins (carved or not) capture the season and provide great centerpiece options. In the winter, small evergreens, decorated with berries, or with small tokens of the bride and groom’s affection are lovely. Consider hanging small favors on the tree for guests to take home. In the spring, a basket filled with decorated eggs or small bags of candy could be a refreshing change of pace. Summertime is perfect for glass containers of sand, seashells, and sea glass, but small wooden lighthouses will also evoke an ocean air.
Give Guests a Treat
Try placing a cake or a cupcake tree on each table as the centerpiece. Put different flavors on each table and encourage your guests to mingle and swap. Ask the guest who has known the couple the longest to cut the cake on each table.
For the couple with a true sweet tooth, use glass vases in varying sizes to display favorite candies or cookies in wedding colors. Give each guest a small box or bag to fill up as their favors.
Share Memories
Find inexpensive frames in different sizes and fill them with pictures of the bride and groom, friends, and family. Arrange them at different heights, facing outward in the center of the table. Consider taking some extra time to match the photos to the guest at each table. It gives the guests something to look at as they wait for their dinner and adds a personal touch to the table.
Show Off a Personal Style
For more whimsical events, look to the interests and hobbies of the bride and groom. Booklovers might display their favorite titles as centerpieces, using themes as table names (Mystery Table, Table of Romance, Do-it-Yourself Table, etc). Sports aficionados may choose to share memorabilia (replicas!), frames/placecards with trivia questions, and related (clean) gear. Some other themes are board games, cars, movies, etc. The key is keeping in line with the type of wedding environment the bride and groom are seeking.
Tips for Creating a Perfect Centerpiece
- Keep an eye on the budget. What might not seem so expensive for one table starts to add up for bigger events. Then again, flowers can cost a pretty penny, too!
- Consider the table arrangement and the height of the centerpiece. The centerpieces should be short enough to see around or tall and narrow enough to keep from blocking the guests’ line of sight.
- Keep the guests in mind. The table is, first and foremost, a dinner location. Avoid centerpiece elements that may impact the guests’ enjoyment of their meal such as feathers and potpourri. In fact, avoid heavily scented items entirely.
- Avoid family heirlooms. Do not use items of special significance as centerpieces. There are two reasons for this. First of all, many guests will assume they can take the centerpiece home. Rude? Yes. But it happens all the time. Second, no one is going to have the time and energy to worry about packing things carefully at the end of the event. Things are easily lost, so avoid the disappointment and use copies, replicas, and representations.
With these ideas in mind, finding an inexpensive, but beautiful, flower-free centerpiece to augment other wedding decorations should be no problem at all. Not only will it create the perfect environment for the bride and groom, but it will provide a special memory guests won't be able to forget.
