*The* Centerpieces (A DIY Project)

As you remember, I decided on using dried flowers for our centerpieces- with the focal piece being dried wheat. In order to get more inspiration, I visited the dried floral sections of Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Garden Ridge. I bought a few supplies and took them home for some experimentation. Finally a few trials and errors... I finalized two different designs for our centerpieces.

I used dried wheat, on the left and dried setaria(deep purple), on the right- I'm not exactly sure what that is, but it matches our color scheme perfectly. :)

Centerpiece #1:

Centerpiece #2:

I originally came up with this (shown below) for the second centerpiece, but dried lavender is a little more expensive than the other supplies and it breaks really easily, which makes it hard to work with.


Then I came up with this:



A while ago I created a mock table set up using some eggplant-colored fabric to simulate the table sashes (chair sashes used as table runners) that we are renting and a white duvet cover (excuse the wrinkles) to act as the table linens provided by our venue. I found the votive holders on sale at IKEA. All other supplies were bought on sale at either Hobby Lobby or Michael's. I used votive candles that I already had because I want to wait until we get closer to October to purchase the candles we will actually use to avoid getting candle discoloration.

Here's a breakdown of the cost for Centerpiece 1:
2/3 bunch of wheat
Regular Price: $5.99/bunch = ~$4.00/ 2/3 bunch
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$2.00/ 2/3 bunch

1/2 bunch setaria
Regular Price: $4.99/bunch= ~$2.50/half bunch
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$1.25/half bunch

Vase
Regular Price: $7.99
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$4.00

Lavender potpourri*
Regular Price: $4.99
Sale (40% off at Michaels): ~$3.00

Votive holders
Regular Price: ?
Sale (IKEA): $1.50/4 votive holders

Votive candles
I haven't bought these yet, but I'm not planning on spending more than $1.00/ 4 votive candles.

Eggplant table sashes:
Renting them for $2.00/ sash

Grand Total: $14.74**
Woohoo! Within my budget!

Centerpiece #2:
Twig/Branch Wreath
Regular Price: $6.99
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$3.50

1/2 bunch of wheat
Regular Price: $5.99/bunch = ~$3.00/half bunch
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$1.50/half bunch

1/2 bunch setaria
Regular Price: $4.99/bunch= ~$2.50/half bunch
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$1.25/half bunch

Misc. from silk flower section:
Regular: $1.40
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): $0.70

Vase
Regular Price: $7.99
Sale (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$4.00

Vanilla scented candle (smells soooo good)
Again, I haven't purchased all of these yet, but they go on sale regularly at Hobby Lobby.
Regular Price: $5.99
Sale(1/2 off at Hobby Lobby): ~$3.00

Eggplant table sashes:
Renting them for $2.00/ sash

Grand Total: $15.95
Almost under budget....close enough :)

I would strongly suggest that those of you still in the process of planning should "Shop Sales." Since I figured out what I wanted to do for the centerpieces way ahead of time (a year out), I am able to shop for the items I need only when they go on sale. If they run out, I wait until they restock. I don't have to buy everything at once, which is much easier on my checkbook. Hobby Lobby runs their sales pretty regularly- the items I need are on sale at least once a month, if not more. Michael's usually offers a weekly coupon. My day-of-coordinator suggested that we use table sashes to add some more color to the tables.

Centerpiece #1 shown with a table sash:


I can't believe what a good idea this is! It's a much cheaper alternative to renting an entire table linen(which can be anywhere from $10-$25/table- eek!) It's also cheaper than renting a table runner and, although it is a little less wide, it provides the same effect and really brings out the purple setaria in the centerpiece. I think it makes the potpourri appear more purple too. I love my DOC! :) (More on that decision a bit later.)

Are you planning your wedding around sales? Anyone else using dried flowers?


*I had originally found some potpourri at Garden Ridge. For $1.50/bag. I was so excited to find something this inexpensive! So I bought a bag and experimented . I liked it. Alot. Then I went back to get some more. They were out :( And they didn't restock it because they it was clearanced out. If you find something you need for your wedding projects... make sure 1)they are not on clearance 2) if they are on clearance, buy it. now.

DIY Centerpieces- Part III

I continued to search for ideas on creating an alternative to the traditional fresh-floral centerpiece. As you might remember, I drooled over succulents and day dreamed about candles, but then, I came across this:

source

Oh Martha, you make me *swoon*. Dried florals were the perfect alternative centerpieces for our fall wedding. From this point on, I had visions of bouquets of wheat sitting pretty on table tops.

source

source

source

Sigh. Now that I had found my fresh-floral alternative, I wanted to customize it a bit by incorporating our wedding colors. So, I decided to create centerpieces that included vases of wheat/dried florals with accents of purples/blues/browns, accompanied by votive candles- ensuring that the dried stuff and the fire remained away from each other :) I was also determined to create two different centerpieces and then alternate them between tables. Before we had finalized our guest lists, I knew we would need at least 25 tables. So, I limited my budget for decoration to $15/table. Could this be done? It was a bit overwhelming thinking of it all at once. However, diy decor was a high priority on my to-do list, I knew that I would complete it somehow. So what exactly do the centerpieces look like you ask? Well,, that will have to wait for the next post. Did you diy your centerpieces?

DIY Centerpieces- Part II

As I continued to look for fresh floral alternatives, I came across an obvious solution: candles. I love candles. And scented candles can be a substitute for the aroma produced by fresh flowers. I mention this, because my mom (who was a tad disappointed when I mentioned I didn't want to use fresh flowers) stated that she is always reminded of my Aunt's wedding when she smells chrysanthemums, which were used at her wedding. I hadn't thought of that before, but I really liked the idea of associating a smell with our wedding day. So, here are some images I found inspiring:

Cylindrical candles of varying heights provide an elegant look.

source

Love the way simple white candles look on a mirror.

source

Candles on a cupcake stand. Genius.

source

Glass candle pillars of different shapes and sizes.

source

Winter wonderland (w/ candle by CariKraft).

source

Floating candles are simple and look amazing.

source

Most venues have rules regarding candle use- so you might want to check on what they are before investing time and money on candles (although an alternative to this is led candles, they are more expensive). Are you using candle centerpieces?

DIY Centerpieces- Part I

As I started formulating a vision for our wedding, I'll admit that one of the first things I started thinking about was decor for our reception venue. I wanted something that was
1. unique
2. could be used again if possible
3. I could put together myself
4. within my budget.
And so, I began my search for the perfect centerpieces. I knew that creating 20+ table centerpieces was not something I would be able to accomplish in the last week or two before our wedding. The solution? Non-floral centerpieces (at least not fresh floral centerpieces). And actually, I really wanted avoid incorporating any fresh flowers in the entire wedding. Gasp! No fresh flowers? Yes, you heard me :) I wasn't against potted plants or flowers, I just thought (and still think) its such a waste to purchase fresh flowers that will just die in a few days. For a while, I was obsessed with the likes of this:

A variety of succullents clustered together to make eye-candy such as shown below. I love the color combination that the result produces.

source

Bright white vintage vases add contrast to these succullents:

source

How cute do these look dressed up in gold goblets?

source

A romantic/bohemian look is created with a variety of vine-like branches mixed with succullent flowers in an earthy pots and accented with river stones:

source

Succullents are fairly easy to keep alive, so you wouldn't neccessarily need a green thumb if you really loved this look and wanted to diy it. I think all of these centerpieces would also be semi-easy to recreate (with maybe an exception to example #1).. and wouldn't it be fun to thrift some cute containers to pot them in? While I still love the idea of incorporating succulents as centerpieces, I continued to search for a centerpiece that would better compliment our venue and wedding theme(stories soon to come!) . Stay tuned for part II in my search for diy-fresh floral alternatives. Are you using potted plants as your decor?