The first step to creating beautiful centerpieces is to visualize your venue space and overall table views. The most important thing to consider when creating centerpieces is what shape and size your tables will be. Are the tables rectangular or round? Are they long rectangles or short? Narrow or wide?
If your tables are very narrow, you won’t have room for a large round centerpiece and still be able to accommodate all the necessary plates and glasses and table settings. Narrow tables mean you want a small group of bud vases or a tall, narrow vase that doesn’t take up a lot of real estate on the surface of your tables.
If you are using round tables, you need to know the diameter so we can create the right size center. A small trio of bud vases looks woefully out of place on a 12 foot table! You want to create centerpieces that properly fill the empty space in the center of each table without overwhelming the space each guest needs.
Given all table elements
Are you doing a traditional catered dinner or are you having a family meal, which means the food must be placed centrally on each table? Do you only use dinner plates or chargers and tabletops? How decorated will the tables be? Do you incorporate table numbers or name cards? If you are considering real candles, you should check with the venue to make sure they are allowed and then we will carefully create enough space between the candles and the center to ensure no accidents!
Every single thing you plan to put on your tables needs to be accounted for and included in the overall space you have available – and your floral centerpieces need to balance and blend perfectly with them all.
Once all the details have been taken into account and you have a rough vision in your mind, it’s time for the fun part of choosing the perfect containers to hold your flowers. Your centerpiece containers dictate the size and shape and overall ambiance of your arrangements. Think of them as the frame that will hold a beautiful photograph: you want them to enhance the design without overpowering or distracting from the main event. If your wedding is rustic or natural, consider using birch or ceramics. Ceramic, metal and glass (either clear or brown) are very versatile and can blend well with clean, classic, edgy or modern weddings depending on the setting and your other decor elements.
The overall atmosphere
Once you’ve considered every detail of your tablescapes, it’s important to visualize the room as a whole because we also need to balance the centerpiece and floral elements with the overall space and ambiance. How empty is your reception? High ceilings in the premises may mean that we need higher arrangements or things taken from the ceiling to bring the space together. Do you have a small number of tables in a large reception area? This may mean that we need larger or higher arrangements to create a more cohesive feeling in the room. At every turn, it’s important to consider the overall atmosphere and minuet logistics to realize your vision.