Budget Brides - Alternative Wedding Centerpieces
Affordable and Original Centerpiece Ideas
Sep 24, 2009
It's the recession. Recently engaged couples may not have job stability or the millions of dollars necessary to duplicate the orchid-filled Eva Longoria and Tony Parker wedding. All is not lost. There are cheap and beautiful alternatives to flower centerpieces that won't break the bank.
Incredible Edible Wedding Centerpieces
The centerpiece is usually given away, so why not make it something everyone will love? A cupcake tree is an affordable and delicious table topper and due to the popularity of this idea, suitable stands can be purchased at most major discount stores. Baking the cupcakes at home is another great money-saver. Often, the right icing or fondant cover is all it takes to turn this child-favorite snack into an elegant, gourmet dessert. Bows, natural flower heads, and candy are just some of the fun accents that can go on top. Best of all, at the end of the night, every guest can take one home with them.
Fabulous Ostrich Feather Vases
Modern brides trying to channel the charm of old world balls are turning to ostrich feather centerpieces. The fluffy plumes are placed in an Eiffel tower vase (think 30") and illuminated with LED lights from the bottom. Tall and regal, these centerpieces are a show-stealer! Using drab feathers instead of plumes also greatly reduces their cost, and using colours other than traditional white can also increase savings. The advantages to this centerpiece idea are endless. They can be reused, or sold once the wedding is over, they do not perish, they can be a DIY project or rented for the right price.
Faux Chandelier-Lamp Table Toppers
Any photographer will tell a bride-to-be not to underestimate the power of proper lighting. Bland ceiling lights in banquet halls are often not enough to set the mood. DJ lighting can be expensive and tacky. Chandeliers and fancy lamps, on the other hand, accompanied by the right accessories, can make dramatic centerpieces that literally light up the room. Antique shops and home decorating stores have classic or funky styles to choose from, depending on a bride's personal taste. Why not put them to use in a future home after the wedding?
But buyer beware. Brides are encouraged to ask their banquet hall about extension cords and watt capacities before they purchase anything. One bride discovered, a week before her wedding, that the lamps she had purchased as centerpieces could not all be plugged in at once, and had to settle for them as decorative pieces.
New Age Floating Candle Centerpieces
By far one of the trendiest centerpieces for avant-garde couples are water filled vases with floating candles. Clear bowl-like containers that can hold multiple floating candles at once are ideal, but brides can opt for tall cylinders or even narrow fish tanks. Inside: glitter, food colouring and submerged crystals, silk flowers or rocks can add character to these minimal, modern centerpieces. Mirrors can enhance the effect of candlelight and water, and the right placement of mirrors can turn this simple concept into a work of art.
Regardless of budget, an imaginative bride will create a memorable ambiance at her wedding. It can start with the centerpieces.
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