How to Create Elegant and Affordable Wedding Reception Centerpieces

Create easy, elegant, and affordable centerpieces for your wedding reception in a few hours. You can buy all the materials at a local craft store, and you will save money by preparing these decorations yourself instead of paying a florist or decorator to do it for you.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• glass decorating bowls- they come in several sizes and shapes
• decorator glass stones or pebbles, available in many colors
• silk flowers of your choice, usually coordinated to your wedding colors
• scissors
• a few hours, and maybe some friends depending on how many centerpieces you need to make.

1. 
    
   Get a

   First figure out how many centerpieces you will need. If you have long rectangular tables you may want two or three centerpieces down the middle, for large round tables, you may choose one large centerpiece. Also include centerpieces for special tables like food, drink, gift, the bridal couple's table and any other special tables.

2. 
    
   Choose your style of vase or bowl.

   Now that you have your total number of centerpieces, go to a local craft store, such as A.C. Moore or Michael's. Go to the glass vase/decorator glass aisles. There will be many styles of bowls, different sizes, shapes, and colors. Pick something you like that will be deep enough to place a sprig or bud of the flower of your choice and a few inches of decorator' s glass pebbles. Also make sure that the bowl can be seen through, as the beauty of your centerpiece will be inside.

3. 
    
   Choose clear pebbles and an accent color to line the bottom of your vase or bowl.

   While in the craft store, find decorative glass pebbles. Select a mixture of clear pebbles and an accent color that goes with your theme. Once you get home, place a few inches of pebbles in each centerpiece, mixing colored and clear pebbles to make the base of your centerpiece sparkle.

4. 
    
   Choose your flowers.

   Now got to the silk flower section. You may want to use real flowers, in which case make arrangements with a florist to supply them to you. However, they will cost more and your centerpieces will have to be done the day of or day before your event and have to be kept cool. Using silk flowers is more economical and allows you to prepare weeks ahead and store where you like. Choose a flower that matches your theme or color, and choose a small sprig or bloom for small vases and a large bloom for large vases.

5. Put it all together. Once you get home, place a few inches of mixed clear and colored pebbles in the bottom of each vase or bowl. Snip a flower sprig of bud off each silk flower and center it in the bowl. For larger bowls, you can use a cluster of flowers. Your simple, elegant, and affordable centerpieces are done! You can store them until the big day!

Tips & Warnings

• Use a flat piece of mirror under your centerpiece to create reflection and depth to the centerpiece.
• Tie a coordinating ribbon around your bowl or vase if you think it needs it, I tend to think simple is best.
• Use small votive candles around the outside of the centerpiece if you nave an evening wedding. Do NOT put inside the bowl unless you want singed flowers.
• Store someplace dust free or your bowls will need cleaning before the event.
• I am not the decorator guru. There are thousands of centerpiece ideas out there, so look around!
• Do not use candles in your centerpieces due to risk of fire.