Creating A Wedding Table Centerpiece: A Step-By-Step Guide

Wedding centrepieces are a great way to express your personality and creativity on your big day. They can be expensive, but there are plenty of budget-friendly DIY options that will make your wedding day look spectacular. From simple and chic to opulent and luxurious, centrepieces come in all shapes and sizes. While they often consist of floral arrangements, they can also include everything from lanterns and candles to vintage books and rustic crates. You can even save money by using objects you already have around the home.

DIY floral centrepieces

Source Your Favourite Flowers

Instead of hiring a florist, consider sourcing and arranging the flowers yourself. Opt for your favourite blooms or a mix of up to four different types of flowers from a floral shop or grocery store. To save money, select in-season flowers like hydrangeas for a summer wedding.

Mix and Match Vases

For an elegant, monochromatic look, use vases in varying sizes and styles. For example, fill white vases with white blooms for a sophisticated look. Alternatively, for a bohemian feel, mix and match different styles and sizes of vases and fill them with your favourite flowers.

Create a Runner

Add texture and dimension to your tablescape by lining the centre of your table with a fabric runner. For a minimalist look, pair a linen runner with a few white candles and bud vases. For a rustic touch, use a burlap runner and embellish it with candles or sprigs of greenery.

Embrace Dried Foliage

Transform your tables with centrepieces featuring dried plants and foliage. You can find dehydrated foliage at your local craft store or shop online for preserved blooms that match your wedding aesthetic. Dried plants and flowers are a great way to add texture and colour to your tables.

Citrus Centrepieces

For a vibrant and boisterous celebration, consider using citrus fruits as centrepieces. Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons will add a bright and punchy touch to your tables. You can also cut the fruits in half to show off their texture and colour.

Using candles

Candles are a great way to create a romantic and elegant atmosphere at your wedding. They can be used as the main feature of a table centerpiece or as an accent to floral arrangements and other creative designs. Here are some ideas for using candles as part of your wedding table centerpieces:

Types of Candles

There are many different types of candles to choose from, each offering a unique look and feel. Pillar candles, for example, are thick and column-like, and can stand on their own. Tea lights are small and sit in a rounded dish, providing a cosy glow without overwhelming your other decorations. Votive candles are slightly larger than tea lights and sit in glass containers, often used in religious ceremonies but also perfect for wedding decor. Tapered candles are long and narrow, adding a touch of romance to your tablescape. For safety and practicality, you may opt for flameless candles, which use batteries and can be placed in areas where open flames are not allowed.

Displaying Candles on Tables

When it comes to displaying candles on tables, consider the shape of the table. For round wedding tables, candles are typically placed in the centre, while for rectangular tables, candles can be arranged across the length of the table. Play around with different arrangements and candle types to find what works best for your wedding theme and colour palette.

Creative Candle Centerpiece Ideas

• Greenery-draped lanterns with floral accents: Combine the ambient light of glass-encased lanterns with arching greenery and romantic roses for a stunning and romantic table centerpiece.
• Elegant tapers with repurposed stemware: Use delicate tapered candles in various colours, such as peach or dusty rose, paired with stemmed glassware for a simple yet elegant DIY centerpiece.
• Classic wreath and candle centerpiece: Combine a wreath made of eucalyptus and roses with pillar candles and lanterns for a timeless and elegant look.
• Floating candle centerpieces: Create a dreamy and romantic atmosphere by using floating candles resting in water, surrounded by wreaths of flowers or hanging from tall floral centerpieces.
• Lantern centerpieces: Adorn lanterns with flowers and candles to create a rustic and charming centerpiece.
• Candle-filled tablescape: Opt for a no-flower approach and fill your tables with candles of varying heights and styles for a stunning and cost-effective alternative to floral centerpieces.

Repurposing household items

Vintage Books

Stack vintage books to create a literary-themed centerpiece. Tie them together with a ribbon or lace for an elegant touch. You can also add a vase of flowers or candles on top of the book stack to enhance the visual appeal.

Wine Corks

Collect wine corks and use them to fill glass vases, jars, or bowls. This creates a whimsical and eco-friendly centerpiece. You can also attach corks to a foam wreath as a base for a wine-themed centerpiece.

Tin Cans

Clean and paint tin cans to create rustic vases. Use them to hold flowers, greenery, or small potted plants. Wrap twine or ribbon around the cans for added texture and style. Stack the cans in varying heights for an eclectic look.

Mason Jars

Mason jars are versatile and can be filled with flowers, candles, or fairy lights. For a personal touch, decorate the jars with paint, ribbon, lace, or glitter to match your wedding theme.

Recycled Glass Bottles

Look for unique glass bottles, such as soda or milk bottles, and repurpose them as centrepieces. Clean and remove the labels, then fill them with single stems or small bouquets. Cluster the bottles together for an eco-friendly display.

Wooden Pallets

Turn wooden pallets into rustic centerpiece platforms. Place flower-filled mason jars, lanterns, or candles on the pallets to create a visually appealing arrangement. You can also attach hooks and hang small vases or decorations for added dimension.

Fruit and foliage

Fruit is a beautiful, natural addition to any table, bringing colour, height and texture. Whether you're looking for a rustic, tropical or elegant feel, there are many ways to incorporate fruit into your wedding centrepiece.

Spring and Summer

For a spring or summer wedding, consider using fruits such as lemons, kumquats, peaches, avocados, grapes, papayas, pineapples, limes, bananas, starfruit, oranges and apricots. For a relaxed backyard wedding, a simple yet stylish option is a combination of peaches, roses and dahlias in a red and yellow palette. For a tropical aesthetic, showcase an assortment of greenery, like banana or bird of paradise leaves, in various vessels alongside sliced oranges or mangoes.

Autumn and Winter

For an autumn or winter wedding, consider using fruits such as persimmons, figs, apples, pomegranates, cranberries, plums, kiwis, pears, pumpkins and cherries. For a fall wedding, a combination of red and green apples will instantly bring some autumnal flair to your tablescapes. For a winter wedding, fill a glass vase with cheerful yellow lemons, or intersperse figs, pomegranates and unripe blueberries among larger floral arrangements to incorporate soft spring colours, as well as rusty orange tones and deep foliage.

Flowers and Foliage

When paired with lush flowers, fruit can enrich a wedding centrepiece's natural design and capture each blossom's beauty. Pomegranates, berries and cherries can complement red and fuchsia roses, while limes can fill a vase of sunflowers for a lively look. Succulent peaches in a bowl of gardenias can enhance the flower's Southern charm. Fruits can also add texture and amp up colour, whether by layering, contrasting, or blending with the hues of the petals.

Creative candle holders

Candles are a great way to add a romantic and elegant touch to your wedding decor. Here are some creative candle holder ideas for your wedding table centrepieces:

Lanterns

Lanterns are a beautiful way to showcase candles and create a soft, ambient glow. You can decorate lanterns with arching greenery and romantic roses to create a romantic and elegant atmosphere. For a unique twist, you could fill a lantern with fairy lights instead of a candle.

Glass Cylinder Vases

Cylinder vases are an elegant way to display pillar candles, especially if you opt for slim, tall candles. This look can be enhanced with floating candles or clear water beads.

Candelabras

Candelabras are a dramatic and elegant choice for a wedding table centrepiece, especially when paired with an abundance of flowers. For a more rustic look, opt for a wooden candelabra.

Tea Lights and Votives

Tea lights and votives are small candles that provide a cosy glow without overwhelming your other decorations. Gold votives, in particular, can add a touch of sparkle to your table. For a creative twist, place tea lights inside a glass bowl filled with water and floating flowers.

Tapered Candles

Tapered candles are the quintessential romantic table candle. For a creative display, try wrapping the candles in earthy materials like rattan or seagrass. Alternatively, paint the candles themselves in colours that match your wedding theme.

Frequently asked questions