Choosing centerpieces is not always a top priority for brides and grooms, and it can be a bit of a surprise when they discover the price that comes along with getting professionally arranged centerpieces. Whether you’re on a budget, or just looking for something simple and trendy and elegant, we have compiled a list of inexpensive ideas along with YouTube DIY’s that won’t give away your budget. 

Sweetheart, Banquet, and Round Style Reception Tables 

When thinking of how to design your centerpieces, its important to think of what kind of table you are going to be using for your big day. Round tables will usually require one centerpiece per table, and is something to keep in mind when budgeting the cost of each centerpiece, whereas banquet tables can make use of table runners, candles, or greenery instead of large centerpieces. This also applies to your sweetheart table, as this is the table that will be photographed the most. Prioritize how you will decorate this area over the reception tables that your guests will sit at when designing the overall theme of your centerpieces.  

Here is a beautiful example of a simple way that you can decorate a banquet table using a floral table runner. This video goes over cost and how to assemble. 

Saving on Glassware

To avoid the high costs of name brand vases and centerpiece sets, scope out your local thrift store for unique vases and glassware. Local craft stores often have sales on glassware, and you can also repurpose old beer and liquor bottles to incorporate size and shape variety. You can either leave your glassware its original color, or paint them to fit in with the color theme of your wedding. If you know a friend or family member who loves collecting mason jars, ask them if you can borrow some for your big day, as they are versatile for any wedding theme. Not all of your tables need to be uniform, and variety can add a flare of individuality to each table. 

Simply Handmade has a great DIY video on how to repurpose old bottles, how to decorate them to create a stunning variety of shapes and textures, that only require a few florals, and make the table look full and elegant. 

How to Save on Florals

If you’re wanting to incorporate flowers into your centerpiece, you can reuse your bridesmaids bouquets after the ceremony to take advantage of the beautiful floral arrangements of the bouquets. Large flowers like hydrangeas take up the same amount of space as a collection of smaller flowers, and can help lower the cost by only using one flower per bottle or vase. 

If you’ve found the perfect bases but don’t know what to put on them, you can use floral foam to attach real or fake flowers alongside leaves, berry branches, and other accessories to create a beautiful and full arrangement for each of your tables. 

Here’s a video on how to assemble floral arrangements for tall centerpieces using floral foam. 

Lights and Candles 

Depending on where and when your wedding is taking place, it might be a good idea to provide some ambient light for your guests as they’re eating dinner and listening to toasts. Candles are a classic, varying from pillar, tea-light, or floating candles. To avoid the spillage of wax on your table linens, votives or some type of glassware to house you candles may be required. To save on these, you can clean out and repurpose old scented candle jars that you’ve used to house new candles. If your venue does not allow open flame candles, fairy lights inside jars and glassware is extremely popular and adds a fun and whimsical atmosphere to the tables. Battery operated flicker candles are also a good alternative, but can get pricey in larger sizes. We recommend sticking to smaller flicker candles and dispersing them throughout the table. 

Food as a Centerpiece 

Almost always, appetizers will be served to keep guests from getting too hungry while they wait for dinner to begin, and can be a good mingling activity while the couple is taking post ceremony pictures. This would require for there to be a table dedicated to appetizers, and usually a person or staff member in charge of keeping it full. As an alternative to the traditional apps table, you can make a multipurpose charcuterie board to serve as a centerpiece and cocktail hour snack. Pick meats and cheeses that have a long shelf life that will survive being put into a fridge overnight, and gather some of your close friends and family members to assemble each board. Either you or the catering staff can then add any additional fruits, crackers and breads the day of for the best results. 

Here’s an idea on how to assemble a beautiful food arrangement. 

How to cut down on waste

If you’re wondering what you’re going to do with all of your centerpieces and decor after your big day, not to worry, there are a variety of options for this concern, many brides give their centerpieces away as party favors, and you can even reuse them to decorate your home after the fact. If you’re blessed with a green thumb, you can use potted plant arrangements to help ensure that your centerpieces will be reused. 

Here are a variety of DIY floral arrangements that can be used for your wedding centerpieces, and to decorate your home or gift to friends and family. 

A popular party favor for guests is making little goodie bags with candies and memorabilia with the date of your wedding date. If giving favors to your guests is an important thing you want to do, you can consider utilizing the party favors as centerpieces, arranging them in the center of the table with some signage telling guests to take one per table. It will cut down on waste and clean up by the end of the night. 

Creative Decor Alternatives 

Disposable film cameras have become popular centerpiece additions, and are a great idea for a more vintage theme wedding as it gives guests the opportunity to take pictures of your wedding from their point of view, and can serve as precious memorabilia years down the line. 

Here is a DIY video that shows how you can custom your disposable cameras to fit the theme of your wedding. 

For a vintage and moody vibe, books can serve as a great base to hold table numbers, candles, lights or other types of decorations. Peruse thrift stores and antique malls for books with interesting and unique covers and spines that fit with the colors of your linens, and stack up to three books to create a tiered display. These books can serve as decoration in your home after the wedding, or offered to guests as a piece of memorabilia. 

Displaying photos of you and your partner from your engagement, or the adventures you have gone on, can be a fun way to show the progression of your relationship, and give your wedding guests a peek into what life was like for the young lovebirds. You can take advantage of all those printed photos, and create a collage for each table that represents an era of the couple’s life, and can be used as an interesting way to assign seats to guests. 

Centerpieces don’t have to be the most stressful part of your big day, and they should be a fun and creative addition to your decor. Make an excuse to spend some quality time with your partner before the big day, and involve your friends and family in the creation process. Be mindful of the way your tables will be set up, and remember that less can be more. Your guests will be much more focused on you and your partner than your table decorations, so have fun decorating your centerpieces the way that makes you happy.