Centerpieces are the focal point of your reception tables. They should tie in with your theme and the mood you want to send. The more creative you get the better. There is absolutely no reason you can't do a nice centerpiece for little money if you put effort into it.A lot of people choose to use flowers. This can be pricey if you use real ones. You also have to pay for the florist to create the bouquet or centerpiece. This is beyond the price of the actual flowers. I would recommend picking a simple centerpiece that can be assembled easily by you or relatives and doesn't cost a fortune.
Before you choose your centerpiece, review the facility's guidelines. Our facility did not allow candles unless they were enclosed in glass or a vase that exceeded the flame. Check any guidelines on what you buy as well. The bowls we used were not intended for floating candles. We took a risk by using them for that purpose, but at least had the thought in the back of our mind that something could happen. One of the bowls did end up cracking (no water spilled), but that was the worst.
Our theme was bubbles and the color aqua. Since bubbles are somewhat water-like, we decided to have large glass bowls on each table filled with water. We placed several fake water lilies at the bottom along blue stones from the local craft store. Then we placed a floating candle at the top. It was pretty and had a peaceful happy quality to it. It also gave the table decoration without creating an obstacle to conversation.
It was easy to set-up because the flowers could be cut far in advance. In fact that was all the prep work that was needed (aside from maybe taking the stickers off and cleaning the bowls). We lowered our costs by taking advantage of weekly coupons at the craft stores. Both AC Moore and Michael's have weekly coupons that save you up to 40% on one item not on sale. So if we made weekly trips we saved a lot. Some items, like the flowers, were so cheap it wasn't worth the extra trip so we bought those all together. Also if you know someone who works at a craft store or party store, see if they will let you use their discount. My fiance was working at AC
Moore and saved us quite a bit. You might also want to check your local dollar store for affordable vases or candleholders.
It's also worth a shot to check sites like craigslist.com for used wedding pieces. I haven't sold all my centerpiece elements yet, but I intend to. What else am I going to do with them, and why not help someone else out and make a little money back? When it comes to centerpieces the skies the limit. Anything will do, so long as it fits your theme, color
scheme, and is practical.
