Centerpiece Size Help!!!

ceglare4

I'm having a really hard time figuring out what size centerpieces would look good on our reception tables (and what to do for centerpieces). They're 72" round tables, and there will be about 16 or so. I really want to do low floral arrangements, but I'm thinking they would have to be pretty large to take up enough space on the table and not look too small for the space. I also want to do votive candles around each centerpiece, possibly rose petals depending on what the end result is. I've met with one florist and the total quote for everything was way too much! The centerpieces would be about $150 each. They would incorporate roses and lillies I believe, among other things. I want roses, calla lillies, and cymbodium orchids in my bouquet, and the florist incorporated those flowers (not the orchids though) into the centerpieces. She knows the table size, so I'm thinking they will be bigger arrangements.

She's said that we can do a lot of things to get the cost down, but I'm also looking for suggestions. The color for the wedding is shades of purple, but not really dark. We're getting married in July in gardens on a farm, the reception will be under a tent on the farm. We're not going for rustic, though. If I go with flowers, I need to get the cost down, but still have larger centerpieces, I think. Suggestions for flowers to take up space but aren't crazy expensive? Other non-floral ideas? I've got a million partial ideas in my head but need some help putting some things together!!

Maggie0829

Did you consider having the floral centerpieces on half the tables and then doing a centerpiece of different size candles in your color scheme on the other half?  You can scatter petals around the base of these candles to add a touch of floral so that the tables coordinate.  Instead of purple candles you can get purple gems or stones to place in the bottom of the candle holders or you can buy different shades of purple vellum or sheer ribbon to wrap around the candle holders as well.  Not only are candles in expensive but they will add a nice glow to your tent if your wedding goes from day to evening.

Also just because your tables are 72" doesn't mean that your centerpieces have to be huge.  You have to remember that your guests will need room for their drinks and plates and silverware...putting too much on a table may make it cramped.

fallbride1109

I had 60" rounds but my head table was 72".  I did do a bigger arrangement since it was my head table and it ran $95 for roses, lillies and hydrangea, with floating roses around it.  (Don't worry about votives and petals from the florist, you can just get those yourself.)  My regular centerpieces were in a 6" cubed vase and on my contract, it just says my head table was in a "large square vase."  My regular centerpieces were $75 each.  And in all honesty, my head table was so gorgeous, I ended up wishing I had done it on all the tables.

I guess this doesn't help much except to say that you could probably scale it down and get the cost down some.  Also shop around with other florists and see what they can offer you.  A good florist should be able to work with any budget.

Here is my head table centerpiece:

Magdala9

To get the cost down, change out your flowers.  Orchids and Roses are expensive.   There are very pretty filler flowers and low cost alternatives.  Discuss different types of flowers with the florist to bring the budget down.  If you have a defined budget, give her that number.  A good florist will tell you outright if your budget is impractical or suggest alternatives that can work within your budget.  Flowers are not cheap. 

ceglare4

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I had thought about doing half the tables with a floral arrangement and the other half with probably three candles of different heights. And I love the idea of wraping the vases with some sort of fabric, I might try to incorporate some lace into them. I've also thought of trying to get some sort of greenery that extends out of the vase onto the table top. It would take up some space, keep with my goal of having low centerpieces, and would be less expensive.

Stephie, I love your head table centerpiece! Especially the floating rose. That might be a good idea on the tables with candles.

My last question would be about what flowers I could go with that would be less expensive but would still look like they were part of the same wedding! Here are my bouquet inspirations:

http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/39981/detailview.aspx?type=3&id=39981

http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/29339/detailview.aspx?type=3&id=29339

The colors are a little off in both of them, I want something more lavendar, but these are what I want my bouquets to look like. So what flowers could I go with that would complement these but be less expensive? I'd like to have some roses, maybe lillies, absolutely no orchids! Way too expensive I know. I've also thought about doing centerpieces like this. It would cut down on the amount of flowers needed.

http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/61317/detailview.aspx?type=3&id=61317

This was my original inspiration for centerpieces:

http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/67125/detailview.aspx?type=3&id=67125

Thanks for all the help girls!

fallbride1109

I love your original centerpiece inspiration--but honestly it looks expensive!  You could definitely scale that down and maybe use roses and lillies with some filler.  Again, a good florist can help you with this.  And once you add some petals and candles, you will definitely have a nice sized arrangement.  And I love the idea of candle centerpieces--maybe even do submerged purple flowers with a candle on top.  HTH!

midgemoto

well orchids and calla lilies are the two most expensive flowers around... so if full arrangements out of those are all you want that price is on you....

You could get a lot of mileage out of some hydrangea and using more roses and spray roses and maybe some greens too. winging a somewhat smaller arrangement out with a few dendrobium orchid sprays would give you more size with less mass also. 

If you are having a fully set plated dinner you might also get away with a smaller arrangement than with a buffett and less set table

doeie04

You could do those tree branches with the jewels streaming down. They take up a bit of space and woudn't cost you an arm and a leg.

Kind of like these:
http://diy.weddingbee.com/topic/diy-manzanita-branchcurly-willow-branch-centerpieces

cac7777

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_flowers_centerpiece-size?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:28Discussion:5c1caa68-3760-4081-a257-2ba51fd229f1Post:63341fd3-59bc-4a36-8bfa-f39a04b73e14">Re: Centerpiece Size Help!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]To get the cost down, change out your flowers.  Orchids and Roses are expensive.   There are very pretty filler flowers and low cost alternatives.  Discuss different types of flowers with the florist to bring the budget down.  If you have a defined budget, give her that number.  A good florist will tell you outright if your budget is impractical or suggest alternatives that can work within your budget.  Flowers are not cheap. 
Posted by Magdala9[/QUOTE]

<div>Yep, you've got expensive taste. Don't we all, right? :) Ah, to have truckloads of Preston Bailey orchid and lily arrangements gracing our weddings...</div><div>
</div><div>I ended up deciding on dramatic topiaries made out of all baby's breath. Normally I think it's kind-of a fugly little flower, but saw some really elegant arrangements online that changed my mind. I'm getting the same dramatic effect, but they're about 40 apiece instead of 150 or 200 each. If you're on any kind of a budget, you'll probably have to make a choice between having fewer flowers or different flowers. </div>

michellep1

I'm having the same problem!  My tastes are very similar to yours (OP) and your original centerpiece inspiration is actually in my file of pictures!  I'm also quickly realizing that it may be less than affordable as I talk to florists.  I plan on researching lots of flowers that are also fluffy and romantic looking, but cheaper.  I like hydrangeas, and they take up a lot of room so I plan to use some!  I also like ranunculus because they look like peonies, although I have no idea how much they will bring down/increase the cost of my centerpieces.  I really love peonies but they're just out of control expensive.  Dahlia's also have a nice look to them, although again, I don't know about their price point.  There's soooo many flowers out there, hopefully your florist can suggest similar looking but less expensive alternatives!

ceglare4

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_flowers_centerpiece-size?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:28Discussion:5c1caa68-3760-4081-a257-2ba51fd229f1Post:ca55a481-8684-4789-8745-c0745915bdd9">Re: Centerpiece Size Help!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Centerpiece Size Help!!! : Yep, you've got expensive taste. Don't we all, right? :) Ah, to have truckloads of Preston Bailey orchid and lily arrangements gracing our weddings... I ended up deciding on dramatic topiaries made out of all baby's breath. Normally I think it's kind-of a fugly little flower, but saw some really elegant arrangements online that changed my mind. I'm getting the same dramatic effect, but they're about 40 apiece instead of 150 or 200 each. If you're on any kind of a budget, you'll probably have to make a choice between having fewer flowers or different flowers . 
Posted by cac7777[/QUOTE]

I know I do have expensive tastes! And I just can't bring myself to spend thousands more on flowers than I do on a dress. Even if I had an unlimited budget, it's just crazy to think about that, since flowers just die in the end. I actually have thought about using baby's breath as well. Since we're getting married in gardens in a farm, I thought it might look okay and make some sort of sense to use them. And they do take up a lot of space. I'm also going to use more hydrangeas, as everyone has suggested. I love them and they are a great filler. And I really had no idea that calla lillies were so expensive... I will be rethinking using those in anything but my bouquet :] I definitely didn't have my heart set on using strictly roses and lillies in my centerpieces, so all of these suggestions have given me much more to think about. Thanks for all the help!