Southern Belle Theme Centerpiece Ideas
A southern belle can be any woman from the southern United States, but the term is usually associated with beautiful, graceful, charming and very feminine women. In fact, the word "belle" is French for beautiful. Common themes associated with southern belles include hoop skirts, ball gowns, lush greenery, fragrant flowers, delicate lace, large bows and big hair.
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Floral Bouquet
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Find inspiration for your southern belle centerpiece in the rich flowers found around the South. Start with a large container, such as an urn-shaped porcelain vase, to hold your overflowing bouquet. Arrange a flared bouquet with traditional southern flowers and fillers, such as magnolias, roses, baby's breath and ferns.
Slide the large bouquet into the vase. Arrange some of the ferns so they cascade down the sides of the vase. Place a bouquet centerpiece on a lace doily in the middle of each table.
Southern Belle Doll
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Get creative with fabric, flowers and a fashion doll to create a miniature southern belle centerpiece. Use foil to create a hoop skirt frame for the doll. Slide a purchased or homemade ball gown on the doll, making sure fabric covers the frame and looks like a hoop skirt. Arrange the doll's hair into an upswept style and position her hands together like she's holding something. Use beads or tiny gems to add a necklace, tiara, bracelet or earrings.
Stick the doll's feet into a foam disk that's about four inches thick and as wide as the skirt. Take a second, equal-size wood disk and glue it to the bottom of the foam, so that one disk holds the doll upright and the other serves as a heavy base. Cover the sides of the base with fake flowers that accent the doll's dress. The resulting centerpiece should look like a southern belle standing on a flower stage. Slide one fake flower between the doll's clasped hands to help tie the theme together.
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Lace Parasol Bouquet
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Lace parasols are light umbrellas that create shade in the hot sun and are often carried by southern belles at daytime debutant balls. Turn the umbrella upside down and it becomes a container for a balloon centerpiece. Open any fancy parasol and place it upside down on a table. Fill small latex balloons with air, using hues that match the parasol, and tie each one with a bow.
Use double-sided tape to secure balloons to the inside of the parasol so that the wiring is covered and only the lacy edges show. Fill additional balloons with helium and tie each one with a long ribbon. Twist the ribbons from the floating balloon bouquet around the parasol handle so that the balloons float above the centerpiece.
Flower Southern Belle
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Combine Styrofoam and silk flowers to create an elaborate centerpiece shaped like a southern belle. Place a large, half-circle, Styrofoam form on the table, flat side down. Glue a foam egg to the half-circle to make a skirt and bodice shape. Glue a foam ball to the egg to make a head. Cover the foam with small silk flowers. Glue a large silk leaf to the right and left sides of the egg to create the look of arms.
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References
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