Do tall centerpieces really get in the way....?

I personally hate them unless they are skinny with the florals above eye level that you can talk around. I think it depends on what shape of vase you pick

Here is the inspiration of what I want.

I've done more centerpieces than I can remember. Low, medium, tall, and super tall. A tall centerpiece should not obstruct vision or communication if it is the right size. It needs to be tall enough so that the arrangement is above the eye level of the guests at the table. A low centerpiece shouldn't obstruct anyone's vision. Your florist will know how to do this correctly. If you're DIYing, keep them low. Besides the fact that they won't obstruct anyone's vision, they are relatively easy to do. Tall centerpieces take some skill. Anything top-heavy -- like a tall centerpiece -- requires the right mechanics if it's going to stay upright if someone knocks into the table.

Sorry. Here

No link, Alicia. I'd love to see what you'd like. And yes, I agree with L & G. My favorites are the super skinny vases (like a metallic colored eiffel) with a huge, glorious arrangement on top. It looks like it shouldn't even be standing upright, but it is -- and you can't knock it over unless you hit it with a baseball bat. Ironically, I've been to family weddings in which the centerpieces were three various sized cylinder vases with submerged orchids and candles. I could not see the guests on the other side of the table. They were pretty, no doubt. I just couldn't talk to the people on the other side of the table unless the people next to them got up to dance, and I grabbed their empty seats for a minute, lol.

Amy, every time you post your flowers, I smile. You had a very talented designer. Your pieces were breathtaking. Alicia, we've done plenty of those, and yes, your guests can see through them (and if they can't, they move their chair two inches to the right or left). I know I'm killing myself here, but those are super easy to do. I would never suggest a DIYer take on the arrangement Amy S. had, but hydrangea and curly willow? Yes, it's doable (assuming you could do them on-site).

Thanks yall. I'm hoping to use a florist. She had this picture and I loved it. Now just waiting for the quote.

Remember you? You had one of the most visually arresting weddings I've seen on WW. No joke.

Alicia - that's the same inspiration I have. Centerpiece, I'm glad to hear you say that is a good choice for DIY - I have some experience with putting together centerpieces and floral arrangments (worked for a caterer/planner in college for a few years), so I'm not doing it for the first time, but I wanted something simple, with impact. I am using dahlias and garden roses in low vases as well, because I love flowers. Also, after doing a mock-up, and putting it at the table, both my FH and I could easily see and speak to each other, and length-wise, our oval table is as wide as the tables we're using at the wedding.

@Amy I'm with Centerpiece, I always loved your flowers, I remember when I first came on here I loved seeing pictures of your wedding! I'm doing a lot of flowers too, so I love to see weddings like yours with a ton of flowers!

To answer the question, I heard somewhere if you do tall centerpieces the vase should be at least 20 inches tall, 24 inches is better though. That should be above people's heads and should still make it easy enough to have a conversation. Here's a picture of my mock-up, it is tall enough to be out of the way.

It really is a doable DIY, Doublej079. At one wedding, I did eight of them right outside the kitchen doors of a venue in about 20 minutes (some of that time was used to run in and get more water in a bucket to fill the cylinders -- plus there's the 360 degree tweaking to make them perfect from every angle). The low centerpieces took MUCH more work, and they required some serious design skill. I guarantee that the kitchen staff who were gathered around watching me assemble those tall centerpieces could have done something similar the next day -- maybe.

Garden roses and dahlias are beautiful together. What color scheme are you going for? If you're DIYing, and you are going with low centerpieces featuring roses, remember to pull the guard petals off of your roses (even if you don't want to).

Yes.

Tall centerpieces are supposed to be above the guests' eyeline when seated so not to interrupt conversation, more so than low centerpieces.

OMG @Amy those centerpieces are to die for!!! So gorgeous! Too bad I wasn't around to see some of your wedding photos!!!

I am wondering...does it look bad if all the tables have tall centerpieces? I want tall ones and have 15 tables.

I loove tall centerpieces. I'm doing all tall. I agree that as long as the flowers are above the guests heads then it's fine. tall centerpieces provide such a WOW factor at the wedding. This is what I'm doing & I couldn't be happier

@Jessica - I love those! Those are my wedding colors too!!

All of my tables had tall centerpieces, I think it looks just fine. See pics here.

From what I've heard they need to be skinny and tall or below eye level.

This is a better view of the overall reception area and a bunch of centerpieces.