Since I wrote Going Non-Floral: Unique Wedding Bouquets a couple months ago, I have been thinking about the non-floral centerpieces that could be associated with them. And even if you decide to have a floral bridal bouquet, you can still save money by going non-floral for your wedding decor and centerpieces.
Fruits and Veggies
Seasonable fruits and vegetables make great centerpieces and there are many different ways they can be displayed. One method is to submerge the fruit/veggies in water; try filling a large glass vase with apples, lemons, or any other type of produce that matches your color scheme then fill the vase with water. You can see an example of lemons in a vase that are not submerged in water here. This is a great eco-friendly option that can double as your wedding favors! Encourage your guests to take the fruit and vegetables home with them at the end of the night providing them with strawberry baskets or paper bags so that nothing has to go to waste.
Seasonal Items
When I say seasonal items I’m mainly talking about fall and winter weddings. Acorns, pinecones, Christmas ornaments, or miniature pumpkins can be assembled in large vases, baskets, or vintage soda crates on reception tables. Here are a couple of great examples of pumpkins used in centerpieces for Halloween weddings: pumpkins painted white with “till death do us part” on them and velvet pumpkin centerpieces.
Of course you can still use seasonal items in the spring and summer months by incorporating vintage Valentine’s Day cards or candy hearts. For an Easter wedding you could use dyed eggs in egg cups as seen here. For a New Year’s Eve wedding you could use disco balls, confetti, and mini champagne bottles to create a centerpiece.
Cotton
Cotton is a great centerpiece idea for an outdoor southern wedding (it also looks great in bridal bouquets and boutonniere’s for the men). In this example cotton is displayed in vases and an antique shadow box display case.
Kerosene Lamps
Kerosene lamps are another great centerpiece option for southern weddings. I especially love this example of a kerosene lamp centerpiece with a vintage hankie underneath.
Herbs and Grains
Bouquets of herbs and grains can be displayed similar to floral centerpieces. Gather up wheat and lavender if you want to use dried herbs. If one of you wedding colors is green, try making up centerpieces of live herbs such as lamb’s ear, mint, thyme, rosemary, and/or sage. You can the live herbs individually and assemble them into a crate encouraging your guests to take them home at the end of the reception as wedding favors. Live herb plants are always practical even if you live in an apartment you can keep them in your window so any leftover plants will not go to waste.
Cake
Providing a small cake or another type of food can help hold guests over until the actual reception starts and spruce up your reception tables. Mini bunt cakes were on display here with even smaller bunt cakes boxed up and ready to be taken along as wedding favors. You might also want to consider a cheese platter and baguettes, ice cream cone cupcakes, or French macarons. If you are going to be serving up sweet treats as your centerpieces it is also nice to serve up some milk, consider using vintage milk bottles if it matches the rest of your wedding decor.
Globes
Globes make a great centerpiece for school or travel themed weddings. A great example of globes being used as centerpieces can be found here.
Terrariums
Terrariums are gorgeous, always. You can see one of my favorite examples of terrariums being incorporated into wedding centerpieces here. I found an excellent tutorial for how to make tiny ones on Erin Ever After that don’t even require you to get dirt under your nails.
Succulents
In my eyes, succulents and terrariums will always go hand in hand because succulents are my favorite types of plants to put into terrariums. One of my favorite non-terrarium succulent displays can be seen here with succulents planted in long cylindrical vases with pebbles instead of soil. Another display idea is placing individual plants under bell jars.
Birdcages
Birdcages are becoming a popular trend in wedding decor. You can use them to hold just about anything imaginable - plants, food, fake birds or butterflies, or candles. An example of a birdcage used in a centerpiece can be seen here.
Candles
I know what you are thinking, “ho-hum, candles have been done to death”, but where there is a will, there is a way to make everything old new again. Go to flea markets, thrift stores, dollar stores, and yard sales to find a motley crew of containers. Find pieces that match your wedding style, but don’t have to be cookie cutter. Next you will need some beeswax and candle wicks from anywhere that carries candle making supplies and turn those trinkets into customized wedding decor treasures! Avoid the temptation of adding scents to your candles which can be off-putting when your guests start to enjoy their meal.
Books
Books are cheap and easy wedding decor. My local thrift store has a couple of bookshelves full of books that they are giving away for free. Of course you can choose options that you already own and are near and dear to your heart. A couple of examples of books as centerpieces can be seen here and here. If you are having a hard time finding books to match your wedding decor, try spray painting the covers of hardback books or go old school and make book covers from old paper grocery bags.
Collections
Your centerpieces are a great way to show off any items that you might collect such as doorknobs, vintage matchbooks, marbles, buttons, seashells, crayons (especially at the children’s table), skeleton keys, and photographs which could be displayed in mason jars or apothecary jars.
If you have any additional suggestions for non-floral wedding decor and centerpieces, please share in the comments section along with links to an example if you have one!
You Might Also Be Interested In:
-Going Non-Floral: Unique Wedding Bouquets
-New Year’s Eve Wedding Ideas
-Sweet Little Wedding Sweets - Ideas for a Wedding Dessert Bar
-Prop Ideas for Your Wedding Photo Booth
[header images via style me pretty; this article is also published here]
Other ideas I’d like to add to the list: picture frames, vases w/ sand/shells (beachy summer wedding), or small pieces of art.
![bride2be:
Going Non-Floral: Unique Wedding Centerpieces
Since I wrote Going Non-Floral: Unique Wedding Bouquets a couple months ago, I have been thinking about the non-floral centerpieces that could be associated with them. And even if you decide to have a floral bridal bouquet, you can still save money by going non-floral for your wedding decor and centerpieces.
Fruits and Veggies
Seasonable fruits and vegetables make great centerpieces and there are many different ways they can be displayed. One method is to submerge the fruit/veggies in water; try filling a large glass vase with apples, lemons, or any other type of produce that matches your color scheme then fill the vase with water. You can see an example of lemons in a vase that are not submerged in water here. This is a great eco-friendly option that can double as your wedding favors! Encourage your guests to take the fruit and vegetables home with them at the end of the night providing them with strawberry baskets or paper bags so that nothing has to go to waste.
Seasonal Items
When I say seasonal items I’m mainly talking about fall and winter weddings. Acorns, pinecones, Christmas ornaments, or miniature pumpkins can be assembled in large vases, baskets, or vintage soda crates on reception tables. Here are a couple of great examples of pumpkins used in centerpieces for Halloween weddings: pumpkins painted white with “till death do us part” on them and velvet pumpkin centerpieces.
Of course you can still use seasonal items in the spring and summer months by incorporating vintage Valentine’s Day cards or candy hearts. For an Easter wedding you could use dyed eggs in egg cups as seen here. For a New Year’s Eve wedding you could use disco balls, confetti, and mini champagne bottles to create a centerpiece.
Cotton
Cotton is a great centerpiece idea for an outdoor southern wedding (it also looks great in bridal bouquets and boutonniere’s for the men). In this example cotton is displayed in vases and an antique shadow box display case.
Kerosene Lamps
Kerosene lamps are another great centerpiece option for southern weddings. I especially love this example of a kerosene lamp centerpiece with a vintage hankie underneath.
Herbs and Grains
Bouquets of herbs and grains can be displayed similar to floral centerpieces. Gather up wheat and lavender if you want to use dried herbs. If one of you wedding colors is green, try making up centerpieces of live herbs such as lamb’s ear, mint, thyme, rosemary, and/or sage. You can the live herbs individually and assemble them into a crate encouraging your guests to take them home at the end of the reception as wedding favors. Live herb plants are always practical even if you live in an apartment you can keep them in your window so any leftover plants will not go to waste.
Cake
Providing a small cake or another type of food can help hold guests over until the actual reception starts and spruce up your reception tables. Mini bunt cakes were on display here with even smaller bunt cakes boxed up and ready to be taken along as wedding favors. You might also want to consider a cheese platter and baguettes, ice cream cone cupcakes, or French macarons. If you are going to be serving up sweet treats as your centerpieces it is also nice to serve up some milk, consider using vintage milk bottles if it matches the rest of your wedding decor.
Globes
Globes make a great centerpiece for school or travel themed weddings. A great example of globes being used as centerpieces can be found here.
Terrariums
Terrariums are gorgeous, always. You can see one of my favorite examples of terrariums being incorporated into wedding centerpieces here. I found an excellent tutorial for how to make tiny ones on Erin Ever After that don’t even require you to get dirt under your nails.
Succulents
In my eyes, succulents and terrariums will always go hand in hand because succulents are my favorite types of plants to put into terrariums. One of my favorite non-terrarium succulent displays can be seen here with succulents planted in long cylindrical vases with pebbles instead of soil. Another display idea is placing individual plants under bell jars.
Birdcages
Birdcages are becoming a popular trend in wedding decor. You can use them to hold just about anything imaginable - plants, food, fake birds or butterflies, or candles. An example of a birdcage used in a centerpiece can be seen here.
Candles
I know what you are thinking, “ho-hum, candles have been done to death”, but where there is a will, there is a way to make everything old new again. Go to flea markets, thrift stores, dollar stores, and yard sales to find a motley crew of containers. Find pieces that match your wedding style, but don’t have to be cookie cutter. Next you will need some beeswax and candle wicks from anywhere that carries candle making supplies and turn those trinkets into customized wedding decor treasures! Avoid the temptation of adding scents to your candles which can be off-putting when your guests start to enjoy their meal.
Books
Books are cheap and easy wedding decor. My local thrift store has a couple of bookshelves full of books that they are giving away for free. Of course you can choose options that you already own and are near and dear to your heart. A couple of examples of books as centerpieces can be seen here and here. If you are having a hard time finding books to match your wedding decor, try spray painting the covers of hardback books or go old school and make book covers from old paper grocery bags.
Collections
Your centerpieces are a great way to show off any items that you might collect such as doorknobs, vintage matchbooks, marbles, buttons, seashells, crayons (especially at the children’s table), skeleton keys, and photographs which could be displayed in mason jars or apothecary jars.
If you have any additional suggestions for non-floral wedding decor and centerpieces, please share in the comments section along with links to an example if you have one!
You Might Also Be Interested In:
-Going Non-Floral: Unique Wedding Bouquets
-New Year’s Eve Wedding Ideas
-Sweet Little Wedding Sweets - Ideas for a Wedding Dessert Bar
-Prop Ideas for Your Wedding Photo Booth
[header images via style me pretty; this article is also published here]
Other ideas I’d like to add to the list: picture frames, vases w/ sand/shells (beachy summer wedding), or small pieces of art.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk0961OIuk1qzapjzo1_1280.jpg)
