Centerpieces

MISSCOURTNEY20 · March 2010

My FI and I had our first date at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. So I am thinking about doing fish for our centerpieces. Just having a single goldfish in a fishbowl with sparkly rocks at the botttom. Whatcha think ladies???

tracy_k · March 2010

Not a good plan. Living creatures should not be used as decorations, IMO. Also, the poor fish could end up dead or dying, and nobody wants to eat dinner while staring at fish poop. And then what happens afterwards? Nobody wants to take a goldfish home.

You could accomplish a fish-themed centerpiece using non-living items and it would still have just as much of an impact... containers with submerged coral, seashells, etc.

Good luck!

Edited to add: These glass fish are adorable and could be really cute in a wedding centerpiece: http://www.gelstuff.com/art-glass-fish-2.html

SuMmErKuTiE · March 2010

It's a cute thought because of what it symbolizes for you and your FI, but it's a really bad idea. Gold fish are known to just go belly up at any time, and they don't do well under stress. The temperature of each bowl would have to be just right and they'd have to be acclimated to it to ensure they'd stay alive. Nevermind kids or drunk idiots who will think it's funny to stick their hands in the bowls. It would make for a very unappetizing dinner to look ahead and see a poor fish bellyup.

I would suggest maybe keeping the fish bowls as centerpieces but incorporating non-living things inside them to keep with your theme. HTH!

ExpatPumpkin · March 2010

No. Not cute

schadbourne · March 2010

i have seen this in pictures for centerpieces but it would be hard to 'pull it off' i may consier those 'floating' glass fish. Im sure there is something creative out there---if i see/think of something i will repost, good luck!

Jamilynn627 · March 2010

Ditto pp. Fish centerpieces are a terrible idea. The water needs to be treated or the fish may die, so setup is a logistical nightmare. You can't just fill a vase an hour before an expect the water content and temperature to be correct. Lights and loud music can be tramautizing for fish, so they may die anyway. No one wants to stare at dead fish while they eat. Even if the fish don't die, I'd be quite grossed out (as a guest) if I had to eat while looking at fish poop in a vase. There is also the issue of what will be done with the fish after the wedding. Guests may not want to bring home a new pet. Finally, during another thread like this, a knottie mentioned that some guests got drunk at a wedding she attended and ate the fish. Not romantic or cute.

Catwoman708 · March 2010

Oh dear. I've seen this type of questioned asked several times on theKnot and other boards, and each time the bride got flamed badly for it. The general concensus is that fish for centerpieces is insensitive and a bad idea.

If you want reasons, because it is inhumane, and difficult to treat all the fishbowls and keep the temp constant and transport them to the receptionit without some of them dying. There will be many left over and then there is the problem of how to dispose of them. Plus it is unappetizing for some guests, as they don't want to see a floater or a fish pooping right in front of them while they are eating.

There are many other ways to incorporate an aquarium/fish theme into your reception without having live fish. Aquatic colors, themes, pictures, or using fake fish in fishbowls would be a better idea and use of your money.

Sue-n-Kevin · March 2010

Yes, real fish in a bowl don't go over well.

I googled and found these though, floating fish candles:

http://www.craftedcandles.com/fish_floating_candles.html?gclid=CNm0lJC90qACFQfyDAodU2fSyw

http://www.candle-boutique.com/store/fish-frogs-turtles.html

You can keep the aquarium feeling, without the real fish

Good luck.

Skie2blu · March 2010

   Ok, I can understand why some people are completely against this - but I think there's more to it than yes and no.
   Do you have an understanding of fish? I keep multiple aquariums at once, and enjoy breeding and trading them amongst other aquarium hobbiest. I would definitely feel comfortable with fish as centerpieces (although that is not what I'm doing). Possibly the best alternative would be betta fish, since they do not require aeration and can live in small bowls (they are native to mud puddles...).
If I were to do this with something other than bettas, I would purchase the fish in advance and condition them (as one would for shipping). This would require a few weeks of high quality food and frequent water changes. In order to set up the centerpieces, I would treat multiple gallons of water a few days prior to the reception. You could then transport this water, with the fish in baggies, and combine them there without any negative side effects.   To eliminate the "pooping" issue - skip feeding them for a few days. They'd be fine.
   If you do decide to do this, I think it could be a great display and certainly turn a lot of heads - but I would recommend you research shipping these animals and use a similar technique. Good luck to you. Oh, and I love the Shedd Aquarium.

felkels · March 2010

The problem if you use betas even though they are beautiful, is that you can't combine the fish in one tank...you WILL be stuck with the fish after the wedding. My Aunt did this and wound up with all of the fish at the end (the intention was for guests to take them home). You cannot combine the tanks and wind up with a bunch of little fish bowls everywhere. Gold fish really isn't a good idea. Look at reasons above...If you infact decide to do this, just make sure you have a plan for the fish after the wedding. They are living things and need to be taken care of before and after the wedding. Good luck with your centerpieces! I saw this on the food network the other day...maybe have a groomscake as a fish instead??

beamer84 · March 2010

My friend went to a wedding where the centerpieces were fishbowls with one beta fish in each bowl. He loved the set-up, and he took his table's fish home and enjoyed having it for a pet until it died.

I think this is a good idea as long as you do your homework, as Skie2blu suggested. If you have the right conditions to keep the fish healthy, and the right fish for those conditions, it sounds like a fun and novel idea.

I would also make sure you have a back-up plan for what to do with any fish the guests don't want to take home.

mwhitson14 · March 2010

Some of you are still not getting that it'd be incredibly cruel to subject a fish to a drunken guest dropping hot candle wax in it or poking a fork at the fish (true story, a guy friend of mine did the fish CPs, and I tried desperately to talk him out of it, but he did it anyway and I was quite horrified at the reception).

schadbourne · March 2010

^ the cakes are hilarious!
    how about this: the fish vase or the floating glass fish
http://www.globaltrends.com.au/glassware.html

What about using a glass vase and printing different fish and aquatic life on frosted vellum (in black and white)then attatching the vellum on the glass. If you have rectangle tables i would suggest something like this
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/squarevase5.html
and if you have circle tables i would suggest soemthing like this
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/largevase.html or wider depending on look and budget
   You could put a candle inside to light up the fish designs printed on the velum or put water inside the vase and use a flora lite or a light underneath

Another similar look:
   if your reception is during the day you could use a vase and print fish and aquatic designs (in color or black and white i really like the black and white look mostly lines like drawings or prints even stamps would work) on to transparencies you can do it at home or have it done at most printing places like staples. Attatch the fish transparencies to the vase and put a floor of fish tank rocks at the bottom. You could then attatch some live aquarium plans in the rocks or you could use food coloring to color the water.

   i love diy projects and my ideas are often bursting out of my head so i hope i helped get your ideas going even if you dont like mine. Let me know if you have questions my ideas are a little scattered and good luck with your wedding planning

stardreamer1223 · March 2010

I liked tracey_k's idea for the glass fish. Especially since you mentioned the aquarium, the glass fish would give you a lot more choices on your sea creatures for different tables!

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