Hello beautiful brides! If you’re wondering why a photographer {that’s me} is posting photos of centerpieces and not people, the short version is – I’m an event planner by day and photographer by night/weekend. I have some great contacts in the event industry and I’d like to think that I’m a pretty creative person, so my goal is to be a resource for you. But more than that, I love love love weddings – the romance, the story, the love, the creativity, the personal touch – I love everything about them. Any chance I get to explore wedding ideas, I’m in!
Today I want to share with you a little “how-to” tip on making simple centerpieces for your wedding or shower. Whether you’re on a budget and need to make your centerpieces yourself or you just want some centerpiece ideas to give to your florist, I hope this will be a great resource for you.
I teamed up with a wonderful San Diego florist, Kim Hurd, owner of Kim’s Concepts for all of these centerpieces. Together we created different looks using just a handful of the same materials and flowers.
Simple Tips:
1) Remember the rule of “3’s”. Most things look better when grouped together in 3’s, so take your glass jar of flowers and add a candle and a picture frame to complete the look.
2) Save money by reducing the amount of flowers you buy and will your centerpieces with non-perishable items. I LOVE using Scrabble game pieces and little gems to spell out words of romance, chalkboards of all sizes, and getting creative with coat hangers and burlap (you can make circles, hearts, and all kinds of things with this duo).
3) “Matchy-matchy” does not have to be your style. Feel free to get creative and collect glassware from thrift stores to save on money. Often times a florist will give you a discount if you provide your own containers, instead of paying a rental fee to use theirs.
4) Table numbers are a must at a wedding. Instead of boring numbers, get creative with table names or design the numbers in a way that fits your theme.
5) If you’re buying the flowers yourself and having a friend put your centerpieces together on the day of, do a dry-run to the flower shop to price everything out. Ask the shop if they expect prices to rise or drop depending on the season and ask ask which flowers will be available on the date of your wedding. It’s cheaper to buy what’s in season so be sure to ask so you don’t get any surprises with increased prices for out-of-season flowers or worse…find out the flowers you saw at the shop three months ago are no longer available because they aren’t in season.
6) If you’re going through a florist, don’t be afraid to ask to see a sample. If you aren’t a conceptual person it’s difficult to picture or describe an idea. To avoid confusion or surprises, ask to see a full mock-up so that both you and your florist are on the same page.
7) Trust your florist. If you’ve found someone whose work you find aesthetically pleasing, then trust that they will do a good job for you. Often times they will have an even better idea for your wedding if you just let them go with an idea as opposed to locking them in to creating an exact replica of something you saw on Pinterest. However, if you aren’t going with a florist, it may be very help to give your Aunt Susan some good photos of how you want your flowers to look.
-Lauren, Lauren Alisse Photography
