How do I make a classy(ish) bamboo centerpiece?
July 10, 2013 8:56 PM Subscribe
I am in charge of centerpieces for a wedding reception next week (the actual wedding took place several months ago). I have a rough working concept, but I'm missing the element that will pull everything together.
My idea so far consists of a 6" stalk of bamboo in a wide mouth Mason jar. The jar is filled with water and very pretty blue glass "rocks".
I put together a mock centerpiece this evening to see what it would look like. Sadly, the result is a bit boring - even though I love the height of the bamboo and the Mason jar element. If I were doing flowers, I'd tie a piece of twine or ribbon around the jar to pull everything together. I've tried a few different types of ribbon and thin rope and it just looks like I'm mixing genres.
I'm very close to creating something simple and beautiful, but I need help getting there! The centerpieces will be on twenty-five tables, each seating six people.
Thank you!
My idea so far consists of a 6" stalk of bamboo in a wide mouth Mason jar. The jar is filled with water and very pretty blue glass "rocks".
I put together a mock centerpiece this evening to see what it would look like. Sadly, the result is a bit boring - even though I love the height of the bamboo and the Mason jar element. If I were doing flowers, I'd tie a piece of twine or ribbon around the jar to pull everything together. I've tried a few different types of ribbon and thin rope and it just looks like I'm mixing genres.
I'm very close to creating something simple and beautiful, but I need help getting there! The centerpieces will be on twenty-five tables, each seating six people.
Thank you!
Set the jar into a swirl of silk fabric?
Cluster some small round Chinese paper lanterns around the jar?
Add a soft, contrasting flower, like a white lily?
Twine a stiff, narrow ribbon that will curl around the top of the bamboo and then downward, in a loose spiral?
Position a plain paper fan behind or under it?
posted by Miko at 9:46 PM on July 10, 2013
Cluster some small round Chinese paper lanterns around the jar?
Add a soft, contrasting flower, like a white lily?
Twine a stiff, narrow ribbon that will curl around the top of the bamboo and then downward, in a loose spiral?
Position a plain paper fan behind or under it?
posted by Miko at 9:46 PM on July 10, 2013
Best answer: If you want to emphasize the height of the bamboo, use a tall, thin vase with straight sides. A Mason jar is too busy and its rim is a strong horizontal element.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:52 PM on July 10, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by hydrophonic at 9:52 PM on July 10, 2013 [7 favorites]
Best answer: It looks like mixed genres, because it is.
The rocks and bamboo seem sort of zen garden and the mason jar is Kuntry Klutter. My first thought is to substitute a simple tumbler glass for the mason jar and see how that feels.
posted by 26.2 at 10:33 PM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
The rocks and bamboo seem sort of zen garden and the mason jar is Kuntry Klutter. My first thought is to substitute a simple tumbler glass for the mason jar and see how that feels.
posted by 26.2 at 10:33 PM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
Totally agreeing with a different shape container. You can also try a colored container.
What sort of space do you have around the centerpiece on the tables? Spreading some colored glass around the centerpiece with some tea lights in some matching votives will dress it up. That makes it not just the vase and bamboo, but a whole setup on the table.
Depending on the theme of the wedding, you could also set the vase into a small sand box with sand drawings (and again, you can easily add small candles.)
posted by Crystalinne at 12:30 AM on July 11, 2013
What sort of space do you have around the centerpiece on the tables? Spreading some colored glass around the centerpiece with some tea lights in some matching votives will dress it up. That makes it not just the vase and bamboo, but a whole setup on the table.
Depending on the theme of the wedding, you could also set the vase into a small sand box with sand drawings (and again, you can easily add small candles.)
posted by Crystalinne at 12:30 AM on July 11, 2013
I agree that the Mason jar doesn't work, but if you're tied to it, would you be able to add a soft filler flower, something like baby's breath or yarrow or feverfew? Cut the stems just slightly taller than the mouth of the Mason jar, so the bamboo is rising out of a soft cloud of flowers. (Filler flowers like feverfew and baby's breath are trending right now, could be good or bad but if you're using Mason jars I'm assuming trendy isn't an issue.)
posted by pie ninja at 5:43 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by pie ninja at 5:43 AM on July 11, 2013
Sit the jar on a round mirror. The mirror will reflect the jar and it will represent water.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:43 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:43 AM on July 11, 2013
Best answer: Tha narrower the container, the less lonely a single stalk of bamboo will look. If for some reason the Mason jar idea is important, consider the 1/2pt jelly size, so that the bamboo dominates the jar. Fill the jar with glass rocks, then scatter more glass pieces around the base of the jar to get a visual blend with the table it's sitting on. Might be expecially nice using the mirror as suggested by Ruthless Bunny.
posted by aimedwander at 6:47 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by aimedwander at 6:47 AM on July 11, 2013
Tall centerpieces can block conversation, so I'd wouldn't go with tall jars. One jar is likely to look lonely, so use several 4 or 5 per table. You could use the really low jars with sand or rocks and a tealight. You could ask friends, craigslist free, or freecycle.net for pretty jars and baby food jars if money is an issue.
posted by theora55 at 7:34 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by theora55 at 7:34 AM on July 11, 2013
Just so we know what you're talking about--are you using a plain stalk of dried bamboo, or "lucky bamboo" (which isn't really bamboo)?
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:45 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:45 AM on July 11, 2013
A picture would help. Proportions matter quite a bit in this sort of thing too.
Maybe you could get some river rocks? The kind florists use sometimes? Or, here's an idea-Teleflora has an arrangement called Zen Artistry. It uses three thin stems of bamboo, some floral stuff and is in a flattish type container (we don't actually use the one they picture if you google the arrangement. ) Using a flatter container, you could use some type of florist putty or floral foam in the bottom (the kind you use wet) to attach the bamboo, and some pretty stones at the bottom, with maybe some trimmed greens (google Zen Artistry and you will see what I mean)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:56 PM on July 11, 2013
Maybe you could get some river rocks? The kind florists use sometimes? Or, here's an idea-Teleflora has an arrangement called Zen Artistry. It uses three thin stems of bamboo, some floral stuff and is in a flattish type container (we don't actually use the one they picture if you google the arrangement. ) Using a flatter container, you could use some type of florist putty or floral foam in the bottom (the kind you use wet) to attach the bamboo, and some pretty stones at the bottom, with maybe some trimmed greens (google Zen Artistry and you will see what I mean)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:56 PM on July 11, 2013
Along the lines of what some others have suggested, I'm imagining that the mason jar is much too big for a single stalk of bamboo. I would tie a cluster of 3 or more stalks of varying heights together, maybe with twine to match the aesthetic of the mason jar. I would also suggest that the jar be about 1/3 the height of the entire centerpiece (meaning that the bamboo will be about twice as high as the jar starting at the mouth--if that makes sense).
posted by a.steele at 3:04 PM on July 11, 2013
posted by a.steele at 3:04 PM on July 11, 2013
Response by poster: The centerpieces have been saved!
Here's the verdict: the Mason jars are out (my mom is now using them for my sister's outdoor graduation party - filling them with wildflowers and tying twine around the top . . . a much better fit).
Instead, thanks to your marvelous suggestions, I'm doing this: a simple, narrow glass container filled 3/4 of the way with smooth, dark, flat, semi-polished stones. This allows the bamboo to stand out, while also creating a sleeker effect. On the table, I'm scattering the same stones around the base of the container. The room the reception is being held in has very strong stone/wood elements, so this blends perfectly. After the reception, the centerpieces will be given to close friends and family members.
Voila!
posted by WaspEnterprises at 6:54 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Here's the verdict: the Mason jars are out (my mom is now using them for my sister's outdoor graduation party - filling them with wildflowers and tying twine around the top . . . a much better fit).
Instead, thanks to your marvelous suggestions, I'm doing this: a simple, narrow glass container filled 3/4 of the way with smooth, dark, flat, semi-polished stones. This allows the bamboo to stand out, while also creating a sleeker effect. On the table, I'm scattering the same stones around the base of the container. The room the reception is being held in has very strong stone/wood elements, so this blends perfectly. After the reception, the centerpieces will be given to close friends and family members.
Voila!
posted by WaspEnterprises at 6:54 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Does the wedding (reception) have any theme colors or motifs (other than bamboo, that is) that you can pull from?
I think maybe what you're looking for is some softness. Glass rocks, glass jar, slick bamboo... these are all smooth, hard elements. Could you do any elements outside of the jar, around the outside? Perhaps a mixture of real smooth stones with the glass ones would provide detail without adding too much complication, maybe with some of the stones around the base of the jar on the table? Could the jar be set on a piece of decorative cloth or paper that is a contrasting color to the tablecloth and bamboo?
posted by Mizu at 9:02 PM on July 10, 2013