FAQ'S About Centerpieces

Article by Sophia Rodriguez
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If you have questions about centerpieces for your wedding and want to know what is appropriate, you are not alone.

As a wedding florist in a busy flower shop for 15 years, I noticed that many brides were unsure about what types of flowers and combinations of flowers and candles or other accent were better for centerpieces and wanted to know what was appropriate.

Here are some of the most popular questions that kept coming up:

We wanted to use candles and vases to keep centerpiece cost down. Can you give me ideas on inexpensive and pretty centerpieces?

Many options are available to you. You could put some decorative stones or river rocks in your colors in a low bowl type vase, add water and then put floating candles in the bowls. You could float a few daisy heads in low, wide bowls, and then use some inexpensive votive holders for candles around the flower bowl. The main vase will be the most expensive part of this; however, you should be able to rent them from almost any rental service. Mirrors under the centerpiece bowls can also be rented and used to reflect candle light from floating candles.

Balloons also make great budget friendly centerpieces. Use 3 to 5 eleven inch balloons tied at different levels and attached to either a water base covered with material in your colors or attach the balloons to a theme or wedding related object. Just make sure the object is heavy enough to hold down the balloons. Balloons need to be done on the morning of the wedding therefore, you will need to assign a responsible person to this task.

Our colors are navy and white. I have no idea what to do for centerpieces. I want something cheap but nice and unique. Do you have any ideas?

You could use shallow round bowls. Use food coloring to turn the water blue and use white floating candles. You could also use cobalt blue vases or bowls with white stones and floating white flowers with a touch of greenery to add contrast and make the centerpieces look more natural. Daisies would be the most inexpensive flower to use, followed by carnations.

Are candles allowed in reception halls?

Check with your venue as to whether they allow candles, many do not allow candles due to insurance costs and liability in case of fire. In our city, they ask us to go to the fi re hall with an example of the centerpiece we will be using to get it approved. Every municipality and hall will have different rules. If you are not allowed candles but still would like to have the romantic ambiance created by the use of candles, you can use LED candles or other type of battery operated candles to cast a soft glow on your centerpiece. Glow sticks can also be used to create a dreamy glow, just make sure to conceal the source of the light to preserve the mystery.

I really like arrangements with fruit in them like slices of lime or lemon. Is it a good idea to combine fruit with flowers?

Adding fruit to your floral arrangements is a simple way to add color and visual interest to your centerpieces. The only problem with this is that fruit secretes toxic ethylene gases. The best way around this is to prepare your flowers separately and to add the fruit at the last minute. If you are using uncut fruit such as a full lime or lemon, the amount of gas expelled will be minimal. However, as soon as you cut the fruit, lots of gases will be expelled. So if your arrangement includes cut fruit, make sure to put the fruit together with the flowers only on the morning of the event to avoid flower damage from the ethylene gas.

If you want more ideas and want to learn how to make centerpieces the easy, cheap and right way, get my book called: Unleash Your Inner Florist: How to Make Wedding & Special Event Flowers. This easy to follow guidebook will save you hundreds of dollars on your wedding flowers. You can get the paper copy for only $24.99 on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or order it as an ebook for $19.99 and be reading it in just a few minutes. Click here for more info: http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com