2010-06-30 07:00:00 by SMARTBRIDE
Floral Expert Advice: Debunking Celebrity Centerpieces
Centerpieces often take up a large part of the decor and floral budget for many brides. They’re the focal point of the room and provide interest for your guests for the majority of the wedding festivities.
Image Courtesy of FLUR.
That said, the cost of centerpieces can grow exponentially out of control. If you go over the top with your centerpieces, filling them full of expensive flowers, you can quickly blow your budget. Conversely, if you go with cheap looking centerpieces you may hear jeers from guests who’ll be able to guess how much you spent on decor.
Celebrity Arrangement Styles to Avoid
- The Flower Ball:
You've probably seen these in every wedding publication over the past 5 years. Popularized by celebrity florist Preston Bailey, it literally is a giant ball of flowers (usually expensive roses, hydrangeas and orchids) teetering atop a glass vase!
This is at the center of many brides’ fantasy wedding. Unfortunately at $5000 - $7000 each, for most brides they will remain the stuff of fantasy. - The Low & Lush with Wildflowers:
Full of garden texture and intense summer colour, this favorite of Martha Stewart Magazine is full of flowers you might imagine are cut right out of your backyard.
Deceptively, most of these blooms are imported from Holland, California and beyond, which makes them quite the budget breaker. Using tiny delicate flowers means you've got to use dozens of stems to fill the arrangement out. Also, clematis, lily of the valley, mint, and sweet peas are simply not long lasting enough for the a hot summer wedding! - La Tour Eiffel:
A centerpiece made from a soaring thin vase topped with dozens of calla lilies and orchids is the apex of elegance and the perfect finish to a chic hotel wedding.
Unfortunately this arrangement uses a multitude of expensive blooms that push it out of most budgets. Be forewarned, if you love this look and decide to attempt it with fewer blooms (three dendrobium orchids and two callas) the look will not be achieved and you'll have a cheep looking and lopsided arrangement. Unless you've got the cash to work with multitudes of flowers, opt for something else. Also, this arrangement is notoriously difficult to deliver in one piece.
Budget-Friendly Centerpieces
Using easy to grow bulbs or seeds you can create a unique and lush centerpiece. Try growing bright green window boxes full of wheat grass or fill a clear vase with tulip bulbs that are just sprouting (great for a spring wedding).
No green thumb? No problem! Head to your local garden center and fill planters with a mixture of inexpensive annuals that match your color scheme. For a late summer or early autumn wedding you can take advantage of late season sales on bedding plants.
Image Courtesy of FLUR.
Head out of town or to a farm to benefit from natures abundance of branches, grasses, cattails and pussy willows. You can create a great centerpiece with beautiful found objects from nature. Don't discount items like pine cones, mosses, or acorns.
Dollar stores are the budget-brides best friend. Full of the same items that big box stores charge a fortune for, dollar stores are a treasure trove of cool and inexpensive centerpiece ideas and accessories.
Don't forget vintage, consignment, and thrift stores. Keep in mind that you may need to search for those unique finds.
A floating centerpiece doesn’t have to be as clichéd as a small bowl with a single flower floating in coloured water. Lacking in drama and personality this too-simple style can easily be replaced with a fashionable alternative.
Use a tall cylinder vase (easily rented from any wedding supply store) and fill with water, water pearls and the blooms of your favorite flower. Try hydrangeas, orchids, or even gerberas. You can add a submersible LED light into the bottom of the vase to make it glow.
Centerpieces don't have to overtake your wedding budget. Use ingenuity and creativity to create a beautiful table for your guests! When in doubt, go for lots of candlelight for a dramatic and thrifty finish to any space.
Alex
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About our Guest Florist Blogger Alex:
Alex Bazos is a floral designer with 7 years of industry experience focusing on wedding and event florals. As the owner and principal designer of FLUR Designs Inc. in Edmonton, she has become one of the chief proponents of modern floral design in western Canada. Alex believes strongly in educating and inspiring brides and young designers about the new floral design.
More From Our Guest Florist Blogger:
- DIY Rose Pomander
- A Fashion Forward Floral Jewelry & Body Flower DIY For The Modern Bride
- 3 Easy Steps to Create Your Own Bridal Bouquet: Step 1 - To DIY or Not To DIY?
- How to Create Your Own Custom Centerpieces!
- Priceless Advice on How to Budget for Your Wedding Flowers
- Budget-friendly vs. Budget-Blowing Blooms. How to Save on Wedding Flowers!
- How Exactly Does the Cost of Flowers Add Up?
