Getting Creative with Your Centerpieces

When thinking about flowers for your wedding, you probably first think about your bouquet. As you should! You're the bride and you and your flowers should look magnificent! But what about your guests? If you're serving dinner, they're going to spend a fair amount of time sitting at the tables at your reception. There are tons of creative ideas for sculpting beautiful and interesting centerpieces that you're guests will enjoy and talk about time and time again after your big day!

Here are a few fun ideas inspired by renowned event planner Colin Cowie for you to keep in mind when talking with your florist about centerpieces:

• Make your arrangements sturdy! Drinks will be flowing, abundantly in many cases, so it's inevitable that guests will bump into the tables at the reception at some point during the night. And you definitely don't want those arrangements falling over.
• Think outside the box! Table arrangements don't have to be made only of flowers (or made of any flowers if you don't want them). Think peaches for summer, green and red apples for fall, brooches, twigs, etc... the possibility are endless.
• Vary the design. Change up the style of your centerpieces from table to table! How fun to have different centerpieces linked together by one theme. Variety will also make the room feel dynamic and unique.
• Keep it consistent with the wedding. Absolutely be creative, but keep your theme in mind when determining your ideal centerpieces. Frosted pinecones don't fit for the month of July, nor peaches in your Winter Wonderland-themed wedding!
• Try working with your florist or lighting designer to highlight your centerpieces. Many florists use candles in their centerpieces to bring light to the table and highlight the beautiful designs. Lighting designers can do even more with features like overhead spotlights.

Photos: Top Left - Angel Wings, Top Right: Katey Penton, Bottom: Melissa Prosser

There are so many fun and creative centerpiece ideas to think about when deciding what you want at your wedding. Your table arrangements are the foundation for your reception space design, so think of them as the perfect opportunity to execute your post-ceremony vision!

To read more about centerpiece ideas, visit Colin Cowie's website. 

Flowers Speak Louder Than Words

            When I look at flower arrangements at big events like weddings, I am all about the aesthetics. What catches my eye? What compliments the design of the room? What makes me feel passionate? Wistful, even! For me, it’s the use of colors, shapes, and inventive designs that excite me. But have you ever thought about the flower itself? Did you know that different flowers have various meanings? Even colors can change significance!

Bloomin' Bouquets

Bloomin' Bouquets

Many of our guys can probably remember being in middle school or high school, trying to decide whether to get a girl a yellow or pink carnation – or, the most DARING of all, RED. After all, they didn’t want to send the wrong message. Is it love, or just a crush? Well, most times, we received the yellow or pink, as the red would have been far too bold of a statement, and the 8^th grade dance just wasn’t a “forever” kind of commitment.

But whatever colors of carnations or roses you’ve ever received from love ones, they have meant something very specific. The Society of American Florists has even compiled a list of flowers and colors and what they represent (see it here). 

The Ancient Chinese used to select specific flowers for big events based on their symbolic meaning (ex. The Peony symbolized wealth, high societal status, and good fortune to come).

Peony

Further along in history during the Victorian Era of the 1800s, table décor and flower arrangements became more about a fashion statement. A variety of styles of floral arrangements came about, some even incorporating tropical fruits! Flowers were still used as symbols of greater meanings. For example, the Madonna Lily was often used at weddings as a sign of fertility and chastity.

Madonna Lily

But why do we put flowers on the table? Some historians suggest we can trace floral table décor all the way back to the Ancient Romans. They used flowers to perfume both rooms and foods. It’s no wonder the arrangements ended up in places where people congregated – like the center of the dining room table!

Flower arrangements for your tables may make your reception smell wonderful too, but they also create the tone for your reception and the ambiance for your celebrants.

Bloomin' Bouquets

Plus, you get to share a little part of the day’s beauty with your guests as they dine -- After all, the day isn’t about you – I mean, what are you….the BRIDE?? Oh, wait…

Bloomin' Bouquets

So maybe you choose to incorporate Hibiscus because of its vibrant, fun color --  or maybe it’s because it means “delicate beauty”. Either way, your arrangements should represent YOU! … because sometimes flowers can speak louder than words… and at the very least, make you feel something.