Help us with our wedding centerpieces!

September 18, 2011 6:34 PM

DIY Wedding Centerpieces-calling any and all creative types!

We are having a fairly large wedding (31 tables) and florist arrangements are above our budget..

We spent some time in crafts stores and browsing online and decided to do a centerpiece that consists of a large vase filled with dried branches and topped off with floating candles.

Here is the problem: we have no idea how large this vase should be. We've looked at vases that are 6x18 or 8x16 and they look large when we are holding them in the store-but we don't know how they will look on the table.

Is there any way to gauge how large our centerpieces should be? Our tables are round 72 inchers and will be seating 12 guests each.

Any insight on juding our centerpiece size would be very helpful (and any other DIY centerpieces tips would be appreciated!!)

Thank you!.

posted by duddes02 to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Can you do different height vases to give it some depth? That's what our florist did. Google image for "floating candle centerpiece vases" and it should give you some idea.
posted by jerseygirl at 6:44 PM on September 18, 2011

Response by poster: @jerseygirl. Since we have 30 tables-we really only want to buy 1 vase per table.
posted by duddes02 at 7:01 PM on September 18, 2011

Lovely potted plants from Home Depot. Large, pretty, cheap.
posted by piro at 7:29 PM on September 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

if the vases seem small on the table, put them on top of an open napkin of a contrasting color to the tablecloth, and scatter rose petals around it. you can get bags of 100 very cheaply from a florist.
posted by thinkingwoman at 7:36 PM on September 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

I would go with something wider rather than taller. You don't want your guests craning over the tops of the centerpieces in order to see the others at the table.

But 72 inches is a standard size, right? Could you buy just one vase of the different sizes you are considering and take them with you to some sort of furniture store? Then you could set them in the middle in order to visualize.
posted by ohsnapdragon at 7:58 PM on September 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Either of those sizes/heights will be fine since the vessel is clear, but be mindful of creating a centerpiece that takes up too much visual space. I think you might consider branches OR floating candles, but not both in the same container. The advice above about going wider rather than taller is good, as is the idea of using contrasting colors to make a bit of a splash.

What other items will be on the table? The centerpiece is, well, the center piece of the table's decor, but it won't be the only item on the table, right?
-salt and pepper
-table numbers
-silverware
-placecards
-condiments (butter, sugar/sugar substitutes for coffee/tea, etc.)

This does not directly speak to your question, but hear me out on this: I know you're trying to manage this large wedding and the details and whatnot, but 12 people at a 72" round table will be COZY. I mean, thigh-to-thigh, knee-to-knee tight. I work in event management and that's very close seating at the tables. As a point of comparison, we usually stick 8 people at a table that size, 10 if we're really pushing it. Have you actually seen 12 chairs around a table that size? With people in them? (I seriously don't mean to stress you out or piss you off. I just wanted to offer a bit of perspective on this as it was the most jarring bit of info in your entire question to my event-planner eyes.)
posted by heathergirl at 8:35 PM on September 18, 2011 [6 favorites]

Tall centerpieces are great as accents, but problematic on guest tables on their own. You'd have to make them pretty thin to avoid the "can't see across the table" issue, and if thin, tall centerpieces is all you have, well, it'll look thin.

If cost is an issue, you can look into party rental places (your venue probably has a few contacts) to rent the vases instead of buying. What are you going to do with 31 vases after the wedding's over anyway?
posted by litnerd at 5:31 AM on September 19, 2011