by Susan Hibberd

Created on: March 22, 2008

There are several different ways of creating a table centerpiece, and which one you choose will depend upon the type of wedding you are having.

Think about the type of guest you will be having at your wedding. Will they be mainly children, families, or older people? If your guests are older, you can opt for a more sophisticated theme. If there will be a lot of children attending, you can emphasize the lighter side of the celebration.

Where will the decoration go? If you have unlimited space, you centerpiece can be as large as you like. If it has to fit between the dishes on your table, you need to take this into consideration in your design. You also need to think about whether it will come between your guests. If you will all be sitting around a table, then a really high centerpiece won't be suitable, as guests opposite each other won't be able to talk easily.

Go for gold or silver with white and your main accent color as your color scheme, and start with a row of rich cream church candles in varying sizes. Wrap curling branches around them, and flowers and leaves to give height. Decorate with appropriate colored ribbon bows and curling ribbon runs. Sprinkle with gold or silver glitter.

Choose something that is dear to the hear of you or your partner. This can be taken on into many different areas of the wedding. See my other articles on non-traditional weddings.

If you don't have a particular hobby, choose flowers in your accent color. Pick out one or two matching colors and make everything match. Accent the arrangement with witty reminders of your hobby. Find some miniature golf clubs, tennis rackets or surf boards to add to the arrangements. Try a gardening theme and add in tiny flowerpots and child's gardening trowels. Pick a car theme and add in car polish, a chamois leather, and some driving gloves. For a sporty theme, just add things to do with the sport - try golf, with socks, gloves, balls, tees and a scorecard.Just one or two little things stuck in the arrangements will look funky, too many will just look odd, so hold back!

Use a fabulous flower arrangement, and arrange small items around the central block. Use other flowers, faux flowers, tiny cakes, small presents etc.

Take food as your theme and use a big basket of goodies, surrounded by oranges and nuts. These can form part of the buffet. Find a chef who can make you flowers out of vegetables and fruit for maximum effect. Your centrepiece could also be your cake. Add tiny cakes around it to make it really stand out.

Try a contemporary theme, and go for silver as your base color. Spray paint a branches of twigs in silver and add glitter. Pile them as the base for your centerpiece. Hang mini wedding presents and wedding favors and add twists of matching foil tape.

Whichever one you choose, don't forget the safety aspects. Don't use flammable materials if you are going to have candles. Don't pile heavy objects too high. Don't put attractive items too high in case children try to climb to reach them.

Making a centerpiece is really easy. The most difficult part is choosing your theme. Once you have done that, put the biggest things in the middle, and put smaller and smaller things to the outsides. Try to make the pile look a bit like a fish or a dinosaur - thin at one end, fat in the middle, and thin at the other end.

If you like a bit of 'bling', sprinkle the whole lot with sequins, or for an adult celebration, add indoor sparklers stuck in at random.

Decorate your room to match with ribbons and balloons. Have a lovely time!

Learn more about this author, Susan Hibberd.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.