Centerpieces and Decorations- Any Alternatives to Flowers?

Here's what I did for a budget conscious bride last weekend. She found clear cylinder vases, the I bought a bag of water softener rock salt. I also got some wilton cake food coloring, added a few drops to water, then tossed the rock salt in batches with the colored water (just a little, mind you.) I then dried it on lined cookie sheets in the oven on 175. I poured about 3" of dyed salt around pillar candles that I put in the vases, Salt is inherently fire resistant, a little sparkly, and stabilizes the candles. For fun, I added heart sprinkles around the candles in the vase. The salt was $5 for 40#, they dye was about $3, the vases were about $6 each, and I had the candles on hand.

Those are some good ideas! Thanks for the good question! I never thought of looking at the Dollar store for votives!!

My favorite "non-floral" centerpieces of all the wedding we've done were this:

The bride got those candles that are battery-operated for the middle, then around it she put some really cute decorate frames with pictures of her and her husband in it. They were really fun to look at and the candles gave it that extra touch.

I did a post on my blog last month on this very topic.

Check it out at:

http://everybridesbestfriend.blogspot.com/2009/01/flowers-how-can-i-afford-this.html

I have some written descriptions of ideas and lots of pictures for those that need "visual" ideas. (I love pictures)

Good Luck!

Candles...candles...and more candles. I'm planning on the atmosphere being very romantic...so candles are a very inexpensive way to achieve that.

You can also pick some up here and there..so the cost won't seem to pile up at the end.

You can visit the dollar store once a month and pick some up...before you know it..you'll have a collection.

You can use different heights and shapes too.

Thank you everyone! These are great ideas!

Congratulations for the upcoming wedding!

I will get my flowers from fiftyflower.com, there prices are very cheap and the flowers are beautiful i did a trial order and they came very well packaged and the quality was excellent. I will recommed to get rose petals to decorate the table, are ready to use and very elegant. Take a look at this: http://www.fiftyflowers.com/testimonials/Testimonial_detail.php?id=211&sn=&sft=-1&ss=X .

My favorite look for a non-flower centerpiece is white lanterns. They look really elegant and add a romantic glow to your wedding. http://jcgevents.blogspot.com/2009/02/diy-centerpieces-resources.html

I found some really cute mini hurricane shaped candle holders and votives at dollar tree. I think after tax each one cost me $1.36. I am able to bulk order these from my Dollar tree as well. Then I will find a larger hurricane shaped vase for a homemade flower arrangement.

I have the best idea for an alternative to centerpieces. I can provide you with Wanderfuls, the centerpiece and favor all in one! Please visit my website; www.dianesilhanek.deliverthemagic.com to view these exciting arrangements. These arrangements (or just the favors) can be designed in your choice of theme colors and the wands can be purchased filled with gourmet candies of choice (almonds, etc.) or purchased empty for you to fill with your own choices. Wands can be ribbon imprinted with the bride and groom's names and wedding date. I can design one for you and email if interested. The base for the arrangement is avaiable in gold or silver. You can have 8, 10 or 12 favors in an arrangement at a table.

PomPoms are made of ribbon hand sewn together and tassels to coordinate with the pompoms are also added.

Beautiful and very popular!! Please let me know if interested.

Diane Silhanek

Event Planner

908-451-3378

*****@**********.***

I'm very much considering buying some bulk flowering tea (the kind that is in a bud form and when you drop it into the pot of water it blooms).

Take one to three of the blooms and drop them into warm/hot water (I've got my eye out for some simple clear glass containers) and they bloom into beautiful centerpieces. Not to mention they smell great too.

Very elegant and simple.

AS much as I love flowers, I realize that some brides are not the floral type, LOL.. I have designed some unique centerpieces over the years and as an expert at Ubloom I have seen some fun ideas.

Try the eco friendly approach. Collect several different recycled vases, frames & boxes and interesting containers, select live small plants ( available at 99cent stores) add in photos of the 2 of you from your engament and trips etc and make small Vinettes or gathered collections.

You may even add a description or theme such as summer on the cape, Maui at sunset, whatever the photos show . Guest love this and will go from table to table to read the stories.

Cost will be minimal and the look is interesting and easy to do.

Add in some LED candles for evening and you have a festive setting

My centerpieces sound complicated but they look AWESOME! i got 4 different styles of lamps(eg hurrican, fishbowl, etc) and they are pretty big...i fill the bottom with gem rocks(which isn't necessary i just like it lol) and we are filling them with colored water(orange, teal, blue and purple). then I put tinsel i found at at hobby lobby in them(i got them on sale after thanksgiving hehe) and arrange it so its all throughout the water(very simple) then adding floating candles on top which i got a pack of like 25 for 5 bucks at hobby lobby as well. the vases were the most expensive but thats bc i didn't go to the dollar store. went to garden ridge bc i needed so many(bought 19 but one broke already eep!)

next time we put them together i'll have to take a picture with my real camera and not my phone camera lol. but they look REALLY cool! oh and then we are just putting ribbon bows around the bottom which they look fine without those too i just wanted something around the base.

First Congrats on your upcoming marriage! There are so many options out there beyond flowers. You can also consider renting centerpiece, that way you can save money without sacrificing quality. I hope that helps you out good luck with all your planning!

Hi! Ostrich feather centerpieces will be very beautiful and is an great alternative to flowers. You can coordinate the color of the feathers to your wedding!

For pictures and more information visit www.feathersbyangel.com

My FH and I are also on a limited budget. Ive managed to skim down some of the cost but the other day I came up with and idea. We buy so many candles for around the house and would throw them away after their done. Well, to save on money, I've started saving all the votives and will use them for centerpieces and decorations. Theres a super easy way to get left over wax out of the votive/jar, put it in the freezer for a couple of hours, the wax will contract, hit it 2-3 times in your palm (or on a paper back book) and it pops right out! I now have a cabinet full of votives/jars that are perfect for centerpieces. You can fill them with whatever you want, water with floating candles/flowers, or just put new candles in them. It will save on having to buy more candle holders and still looks nice. Also, try looking around walmart. I have found so many everyday items that can serve as centerpieces, which would cost double at michaels! Ive found wooden plates/bowl things that can serve a base

For tiered candles. *one of centerpieces will be one of the wooden square bowls filled with sand, and Im going to get 3 different sized tall candle votives, with floating candles. Position them in the middle and get "real touch" Green Orchid flowers from save-on-crafts, and put one or two on either side. Or submerge them inside the votives* Ive come across so many centerpieces Ive liked, used them as inspiration, went to walmart, and found items that look like the ones used for A LOT less..... I hope this helps you a bit. Im going to try and get pics up of my ideas. If you need any more ideas, just drop me a msg.

I like the idea of a glass vase with lemons, limes or other fruit in it. Also, I think small potted plants or wheatgrass is a cool centerpiece. Just do extra for the head table, like add candles or something to make it special. Jars filled with colorful candy make a nice centerpiece as well.

I opted to not have flower centerpieces too. I don't know how much my idea will cost overall but I plan to shop around for the best deals. I decided on getting some tall square vases and fill them with Manzanita branches. I'm going to paint the branches a pearly white color myself and hang crystals from them. The bottom of the base will be filled with turquoise round stones and acrylic water. I might end up putting out a few votive candles on the tables too.

Someone else mentioned the ostrich feathers and I think those are gorgeous. I think it has to be a more elegant theme in the evening though. What about using beta or goldfish as a centerpiece? I would only recommend it if you think that there are people attending who would be willing to take them home and care for them though.

As a surprise, I framed old photographs of our family members- from their weddings, and put them on the tables. Everyone was really surprised and got a kick out of seeing them. I had kinda of a shabby chic theme going, so I also used old silver, china and family cherished items as decor! All were free and helped create a warm atmosphere! Candalabras would also be a great addition!