Taking home centerpieces

@Samantha - Thank you! I find this to be so rude! I don't care if it is "common" it's not right. Would you come into someone's home and do it? Of course not! Well I bought those flowers for you to enjoy and admire as well. I'm happy to buy my guests food, drinks and entertainment but apparently I'm also supposed to decorate their homes

I have heard of it happening, but would never do it myself unless someone offered. To me, its like taking towels from a hotel or silverware from a restaurant. Just seems rude and taking something that doesn't belong to you.

I've taken many centerpieces home after events. I actually grabbed some from my aunt's golden jubilee (she's a nun) this past weekend because I liked the vases and wanted to use them at my wedding for centerpieces. However, I took them because I was given permission to. I would never take a centerpiece without being told I could.

I would have your DJ make an announcement to leave the vases. If people wanted to take the flowers, I would let them. Maybe have someone checking as people leave to make sure no one wanders off with them?

It happens ALL the time around here....but there is usually some announcement or game (next birthday coming up gets it) or something to let people know about it

Not only did people take the centerpieces at my sisters wedding but they also took all the little table gemstones and EVEN THE BM BOUQUETS!!!! The wedding planner was running around trying to get everyone to put everything back. I thought I was going to have to wrestle over my own bouquet. People are crazy!

I've seen I LOADS (I use to work hotel weddings) people do it all the time. I also saw people try and take the table cloths once (which were the hotels)

That is giving me nightmares. I purchased a lot of cute things that I want back for my tables! I planned on using them in my house. The one that shocked me I saw a person at the last wedding take the chair bow from their chair home!

My FH, who is Hispanic, says that people take home centerpieces all the time. I have never seen this and think its super rude. I'm not having flowers and was planning on returning or reusing stuff. Needless to say, this was my first bridezilla moment! So we are doing favors since people will be "stealing" my centerpieces!

I always thought it was just a mexican thing. I know all of my family events and quinceaneras everyone kind of rushes to take them all. I was with a friend at a quince and her mom gathered all of us kids to take as many as we could for her. Just looking back i was like 8. Now i'm like WTF!

This has me thinking though. I was going to provide half of the vases for a mixed centerpiece thing but now i'm just going to buy the rest to not deal with it. One more thing to add now.

Happens in every wedding I've ever been too. It's a Spanish thing, that much I know. We always do that so I'm already assuming they're going to take mine that's why I don't want to spend too much on them.

OMG! I would never take home a centrepiece from a wedding unless I was told by the couple that it was ok. It's never happened at any wedding I've been to but it would be an amazing memento of the day. I will take home favours (since that's the point) and my name card, but draw the line at anything else unless invited to.

I've bought candle holders for our wedding meal, only about 25 guests max so I got a heart shaped one for us, and 5 matching round ones. We'll keep the heart shaped one as a memento but I don't know what we'd do with the round ones so I'm thinking of giving them to some of the guests. Just have to decide who - maybe parents and grandparents...?

That's why I changed my centerpiece from Eiffel Tower vases to cheap dollar store vases, and dollar store candle holders. Exactly what I was told, guest do take them home.

At all the weddings i've been to the guest at the END of the day take the small centerpieces but leave the vases so they take the flowers while the brides family take all the extras and huge centerpieces. And I will be allowing it. Why not let everyone enjoy flowers at there house I rather that then have flowers thrown away.

We are renting our vases too -but want people to take the flowers. Just ask the florist to put the flowers in a disposable container within the rented vases. Problem solved.

Almost every party that we've had people take the centerpieces (quinceaneras/weddings) My mom always makes them and people have even asked her to make them for their events.

I went to a wedding once, where not even halfway through the reception a lady had about three on her table! I thought this was horrible and don't want this to happen at mine.

We are all for people taking them but don't want people to take them before the reception ends and especially not more than one! Also we prefer family/close friends to take them vs others. We are thinking of assigning a centerpiece to each member of our bridal party and those who helped with our wedding. We are going to put a note at the bottom something along the lines that says "Reserved for John Doe for their contribution to our special day." (Signed with our names), as well as have the DJ make an announcement.