How to Pick a Vase for a Wedding Centerpiece

Flowers often make for a memorable part of any wedding celebration, and you want your floral centerpiece to set a tone for the event. You should pick a vase that complements the flowers and enhances the presentation without drawing attention to itself or blocking anyone's view.

Instructions

1. Choose your flowers. Decide on your color scheme and whether you want long-stemmed or short-stemmed flowers or a combination of both.

2. Consider the size of the wedding tables when you pick a vase. If you have large, round tables, almost any size vase will work for the centerpiece. If you're using long folding tables, you'll need three to four centerpieces for each table, so small to medium sized vases are best.

3. Pick a vase based on the height of the centerpiece. A centerpiece with a medium vase and short-stemmed flowers might block a guest's view of others around the table, making dinner conversation impossible. After the centerpiece is arranged on a table, sit down and see if the view is clear.

4. Go with a long necked vase, if your wedding centerpieces use long- stemmed flowers. The flowers will be on the top of the vase and won't block anyone's view.

5. Trim long-stemmed flowers, if you choose a medium or small vase for the centerpiece. You then can combine them with short-stemmed flowers to create a dramatic effect.

6. Make sure the color of the vase complements the flowers. Clear vases work with all colors, while tinted vases mustmesh with the flowers. Yellow, green and red work well in any combination, as do blue and gold. Patterned vases work best with neutral colored flowers.

Tips & Warnings

• If you choose a clear vase but a want more color for the table, add colored marbles or rocks to the vase.

• If you find that you like a small vase, ask the florist to create multiple tiny centerpieces that each guest can take home as a favor.