How to Make Your Own Table Centerpieces for Summer Weddings

Use giant feathers for an enormous, colorful display.

Create a flamboyant feather and flower display to show off a riotous mass of color at your summer wedding. The feather and flower tree centerpieces are made from giant feather quills and silk flowers in the colors of your choice and a lovely glass vase to showcase the unique bouquets. Use feathers and flowers in colors that coordinate with your wedding's color scheme, or make the centerpieces stand out by using as many colored feathers and flowers as you can find.

Things You'll Need

• Long feathers
• Foam bouquet holder
• Tall, thin glass vase
• Floral wire
• Floral tape
• Silk flowers
• Small glass or ceramic plate
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks

Instructions

1. Lay out the long feathers on a clean work surface. You will need about 15 for a small display or 25 for a large display.

2. Insert the bottom ends of each quill into the foam bouquet holder. Leave the center of the piece of foam empty and add the quills in a circular fashion around the center.

3. Insert the foam bouquet holder into the top of a bottle-neck or tall, thin vase.

4. Unwind the floral wire from the spool and coil it down the length of the vase. Cut the wire when you reach the bottom.

5. Wrap floral tape along the entire piece of wire.

6. Trim the stems of the silk flowers to about 2 inches in length. Hold one bloom against one end of the wire and wrap the floral tape around the stem to hold it in place. Hold the next stem against the wire, as close to the first flower as possible to leave no empty gaps. Wrap floral tape around the flower stem and wire. Repeat all the way along the wire. Leave a small, 1/2-inch piece of wire empty.

7. Bend the 1/2 inch of empty wire and hook it onto the top lip of the vase. Coil the flower-covered wire down the length of the vase.

8. Measure the height of the feathers, from the top of the vase to the tip of the feathers. Cut three pieces of floral wire to this length plus 2 inches.

9. Wind floral tape down the length of each. Pull three silk flowers off of their stems. There is now a small piece of greenery attached to the bottom of each flower with a hole in it. Slide the floral wire ends into the holes in the bottom of the flowers.

10. Insert the stems of the three flowers into the center of the feather bouquet. Press down to bury about 1 inch of the stem in the foam bouquet holder.

11. Lay a small glass or ceramic plate face down on your work surface. Spread hot glue on the bottom of the vase and press it against the center of the plate. This creates a sturdy base for your centerpieces.

References

• "The DIY Bride: 40 Fun Projects for Your Ultimate One-of-a-Kind Wedding"; Khris Cochran; 2007