Wedding Centerpieces To Blow Your Guests Away Without Using Flowers

Posted on July 13, 2011 by megan

A huge part of a wedding budget goes into paying for flowers. If you’ve decided to splurge a little on the catering or the venue, you can make that money back by removing some flowers from your decorations. Another argument is that flowers create too much fuss. If you order them in bulk they require delivery, arrangement, refrigeration, and suddenly a whole extra level of stress descends on everyone. I’ll show you some centerpieces that can be made way in advance so that they’re all taken care of the day of the wedding.

Fete Centerpiece by Jung Lee

The green plant in glass look is always a winner for a wedding that is stylistically modern. Above we see Jung Lee’s classic calla lily arrangement submerged in water. She uses real calla lilies which aren’t too expensive, but you can also submerge cloth or plastic flowers from your local craft store. If they’re underwater, nobody will notice they’re not real.

Rectangular Vase by A Concept Designs

Glass vases do wonders for modern centerpieces. This rectangular glass vase by A Concept Designs is chic, inexpensive and would look great with any greenery inside whether it be an underwater fake flower or a bushel of meadow grass.

Meadow Grass

Other inexpensive plants include dried kiwi vines which twist to produce stunning sculptural designs. This next photograph shows kiwi vines and moss working together to create a dramatic centerpiece.

Gnarled Kiwi Vines

Moss never sounds like its a good choice for weddings, but you have to admit it has potential to look classy.

Moss Centerpieces in Milk Glass Containers

The moss is very easy to work with and so cheap to pull together. Moss, floral foam, floral pins and hot glue are all available at your local craft store. I use Joann Fabrics or Michaels. All you do for this look is place your floral foam in the vase and create a bubble on top. Pin and glue the moss all around as you see fit.

Milk Glass Vase from AA Importing

The moss really looks good with the white, so here is a milk glass vase from AA Importing. Another option for decorating centerpieces is using fruit. You can fill a clear vase with lemons, or decorate around the vase with sliced figs and berries. Just be prepared for one of your guests to start eating the decorations.

Centerpiece of Lemons

Green Apple Centerpiece

The cylindrical glass vase full of green apples is very summer. This idea could also suit a winter wedding if you just changed the apples to the color red, or better yet, added some plums.

Shell and Sand Centerpiece

Plants aren’t the only possibilities. Is your wedding reception near the beach? Sand and shells are easy to accumulate. You could even have the ring bearer carry the wedding bands in a clam shell. Again, think of how much less stressed you’ll be not worrying about flowers when you have your sea shell centerpieces all ready to go. The glass vase doesn’t have to be boring either. You can get a personalized glass vase with the letter of your last name.

Dragonfly Tea Lantern by Whitehall

A cute little dragonfly lantern on each table would be charming, especially if you sprinkled glitter or stones around each one. If you have a lot of tables, you can also substitute it for this less expensive lantern.

So let’s hear it. What’s the greatest or funkiest wedding centerpiece you’ve ever seen?