How to Pick Centerpieces for an Outdoor Wedding

For an outdoor sit-down wedding reception, the centerpieces are the major element of the decorations. Centerpieces both large and small usually account for the bulk of the flowers at a wedding reception. How you design your centerpieces depends on your budget, taste and the theme of the wedding.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Talk to your florist about options for centerpieces. You are really only limited by your creativity and your florist's abilities, as there are no set rules for what can and cannot be a centerpiece.

2. Pick flowers for your centerpieces that match the season or the location. If you're having a garden wedding, for example, use flowers that are repeated in the garden.

3. Choose low centerpieces for windy areas. Keep centerpieces close to the table to make them more stable.

4. Use hurricane lamps, fishbowls, lanterns or glass vases to protect candles in your centerpieces from the wind. They are also attractive decorative elements.

5. Use other elements besides flowers in your centerpieces to add texture and interest. For example, fruit like oranges, lemons, limes, apples, grapes and pomegranates can add pops of color and are very affordable. Filling a tall vase with lemons can be a centerpiece on its own.

6. Pick centerpiece vessels that match the style and formality of your wedding. Gold-plated fluted vases don't go with casual beach weddings any more than a rustic wooden bowl would fit a ballroom wedding.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose flowers for your centerpieces that are in season in your region to save some money. A lot of the markup for some flowers comes from having to import them from other locations.
• Weigh down centerpieces from the inside or use weighted vases to keep them from toppling over in the wind. This is particularly important if you have tall centerpieces.
• For long tables, a new trend for outdoor wedding receptions, use centerpiece groupings all along the middle of the table. The spaces between the groupings can be filled with smaller items like seashells pine cones and other decorative elements, or they can be left empty.
• Flowers are not absolutely necessary for outdoor wedding centerpieces. You can construct elegant centerpieces using other elements like candles, seashells, dried grasses, branches, fruit, gourds and more. As long as the centerpieces you pick match the tone and theme of the wedding, that's all that matters.
• Use citronella candles in your centerpieces to keep bugs at bay.
• Don't choose centerpieces that are so wide that the table is completely taken over by them. You have to leave room for place settings.
• Be mindful of the line of sight of your guests. Pick centerpieces that are either short enough to be seen over or tall enough to see under.