No Flowers, No Problem

Centerpieces set the mood, tone an atmosphere of your wedding reception. While flowers are a traditional choice for centerpiece, you can use anything, from long stemmed roses to books and stones! Flowers can be expensive and don’t always reflect your personality as a couple. In this post, we share four ideas for centerpieces that are flower free. Do not be afraid to be creative, pair and group items, or let them stand alone. Many of the materials listed below can be purchased new or found in your local thrift shop. For every day items that are repurposed into centerpieces, such as mason jars, ask friends and family to check their closets and garages for items you can use.

Flower free centerpieces

• Are creative
• Simple = Elegant
• Can cost much less

Feathers

Faux or real feathers can be displayed in vases individually, in pairs, or arranged bunches. Faux peacock, pheasant and ostrich feathers are good options because they are long enough to easily stand up in a vase. These types of feathers are exotic and add a richness to arrangements. Smaller feathers can be floated on water in clear vases with floating candles, faux pearls or stones.

Peacock feathers look sophisticated and glamorous. They add height to centerpieces.

Stemware & Teacups

Vintage stemware, such as martini glasses, sorbet glasses, cordial glasses, can be filled with faux pearls, glass marbles, Jordan almonds, fairy lights, and so much more! You can fill vintage teacups the same way for a more casual look. In groups, stemware and teacups make delightful centerpieces. Fill with water and add a small floating candle. Or, pair a martini glass filled with pearls, a bookstack and a lantern. The options are endless! Vintage stemware can be found at thrift shops such as Goodwill and Arc. Vintage looking new stemware can be purchased online or in kitchen supply stores.

Wine & Beverages

Rather than a decorative piece, fill the center of your tables with a bottle or two of wine or other beverages. Water decanted into glass bottles with lemon or cranberries. Custom seltzers or sodas. Bubbly for tables to self serve at toasting time. White or red wines that are from your region, are particular favorites, or were a good deal by the case. For a little bit more of a glam look, chill wine in the center of the table in a wine polished silver wine bucket with ice. If it is not obvious by the bottle, create labels for each bottle and note whether the contents contains alcohol.

White gift tags are a simple way to lable beverages in the center of the table. 

Dessert

As an alternative to a centerpiece and an alternative to a dessert table or passed cake, put the dessert in the center of each table! This is perfect for individual desserts like cupcakes, petit fours, mini pies, pot de creme, tartlets, macarons. Sweets, such as M&Ms, jellies, and drops look fantastic in vintage cut glass with miniature silver serving spoons. Cakes that serve the number of seats at each table also make a great centerpiece. Place each on a cake stand in the center of the table and you are done!

Our Pick: Nothing!

A well set table needs no centerpiece. Well set, of course, can mean many things. White linen with silver and bone china. A scrubbed farm table with vintage glassware in a variety of colors. No matter your location, you can pull off a table without a centerpiece. Go for it. Do it.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Before purchasing 20 lanterns or 100 vintage books, create a sample centerpiece. Look at the centerpiece from all angles, including from the top down. Rearrange items until you find the right setting. When you do, take a picture of the arrangement that you can refer to later. If, after creating a sample, the centerpiece is not quite the way you want, start over with a new design. By creating a sample, you can find the right centerpiece without getting stuck with an overabundance of pinecones you decide are not quite right.