When it comes to having a smaller budget for flowers, almost everyone tells you to DIY. However if you’re not the crafty kind, you might be overwhelmed with all the flower options and design choice. And if you’ve never even attempted to arranging your own flowers, you might not even know where to start!
But that’s why we’re here - to give you a step-by-step guide to making your own wedding reception table centrepieces!
Why should you DIY wedding table centrepieces?
Centerpieces are easy like 1,2,3
It is more forgiving and easier to work on doing up your own centerpieces compared to more structured floral pieces such as your bouquet, aisle hedges or floral arch installation.
It is more sustainable and it makes your guests happy!
Sadly, we’ve seen way too many flowers get thrown out at the end of the day. By doing your own centerpieces, you buy only what you need in minimal amounts and at the end of the wedding, your guests can also take them home - making it a great wedding favor and ensuring nothing goes to waste!
Save money
The money saved from decor can be put to getting your wedding bouquet and boutonnieres from a florist as these are more difficult to create and also frequently photographed during your wedding! It then makes sense to put your money into something that will be shown more in your photos and videos.
To start: Pinterest is your best friend!
Start by looking on Pinterest for decor photos that you love and fit your theme, and that you can confidently do with ease within your budget! We recommend going for a minimalism design.
Here are some curated ideas to get you started!
Once you’ve chosen your inspiration pictures, let’s break them down to see what you love about them!
Some points to think about:
Vases or Glass Jars?
Minimalist or Rustic?
Candles or Fairylights?
Are you a flower or foliage person? Covid had us starting tiny gardens in our homes and if you’ve grown to love foliage or even fruits such as lemons, oranges or pineapples, you can include them as part of your decor!
Table Runners: Yes or No? Adding table runners is an easy way to create a cohesive look while adding a touch of texture.
Colours: Do you love bright garden summer wildflowers in citrusy hues of yellow, orange, and pink? Or an all white palette of fluffy baby’s breath and roses makes your heart sing?
What’s next? It’s time to take out your gloves and scissors and get your hands dirty!
Tools you’ll need:
Gardening shears - you can get a cheap one from Daiso at $2!
Glass jars, bottles, vases or clay plant pots - You can get them for relatively cheap from online retailers such as taobao, aliexpress or shopee. Also visit your gardening supplies shop to look for alternate options such as small clay plant pots. If you have plenty of time before your wedding, you can even start collecting used glass jars or bottles from family, friends and even your neighbours! A soak and scrub will make them good for use again - recycling and sustainability FTW!
Flowers & Foliage - You can get flowers for decent prices from wholesalers such as GG Fresh Flower, Direct Wholesale Flower (You can order online for same-day click-and-collect service). For any last minute filler flowers such as baby’s breath or caspia, you can always visit your nearby Cold Storage or NTUC as they get their supply from the wholesalers listed too!
Optional:
Ribbons or Twine - Our personal favourite shop is at Kin Soon (36 Arab St) for their wide variety of ribbons and it isn’t too expensive too!
Candles - Ikea has such a wide range of candles, from tealights to block and chandelier candles.
Fairy Lights - We’ve found that online retailers such as shopee are the cheapest and they range from 1m to 5m, sometimes up to 10m long!
Table Runners - Spotlight is usually the go-to place for their wide variety of fabrics. However, if they do not stock your choice of fabric, you can also consider these places: LeeAnn Textiles at People’s Park, Fabricity at People’s Park Complex and Textile Centre at Jalan Sultan.
Preparing Your Flowers - Making them look great!
After you’ve gone and bought your flowers, we need to prepare them. We want your flowers and foliage to be in the best possible shape, thus making it an essential step for longer lasting flowers.
You will need these:
Scissors - Both your regular scissors and gardening shears.
Garbage Bags - And double bag them please. Flower stems tend to break through the bags and might hurt you.
Pails of water - Depending on how many plants you have, prepare at least 1 or 2 large pails
Flower food - Some flowers take a few days to bloom, thus flower food is an essential nutrient to help that process along!
Essential Steps
Remove the leaves for all the flower stalks as they take away energy needed to bloom flowers! Also when the leaves start to rot and drop into the pails of water, it will spoil your flowers quicker! Change the water everyday or if you’re lazy, every 2 days.
Make a fresh cut for all the flowers & foliage at a 45-degree angle for the biggest possible surface for the flowers to absorb water (this is also where your primary school science comes in!). Pop them in clean water with flower food if necessary. Trim them every 2-3 days when you see the stem turning brown at the bottom.
Our friend, Joan from Fleuriste, has launched a free e-book on the different types of flowers, filler flowers and foliage and how to condition them! It is packed full of information, yet kept simple and in a easy-to-understand format.
Let’s get to the final step: Arranging!
Take your inspo pics or mood board, and arrange the vases/glasses as similar as you can! Depending on the style you’re going for, a wedding table centerpiece may include a few vases/glassware of different heights.
Play around with different heights of flowers or foliage until you feel that it looks good. Add your candles to your design if you like to!
There is no hard rule to it - most importantly, enjoy the process and before you know it, you’ve just created your own table centrepiece!
Pro-tip! To keep your expenditure lower, keep your options to one or two different flowers or foliage. Opt for filler flowers such as Eustoma, cheap spray roses (which looks like roses and is also a fraction of the price of a rose) or even a single monstera leaf. This also helps to bring cohesiveness to your look.
Once you’re happy with your arrangement, take a photo so your bridesmaid and groomsmen can refer to them easily on the day of the wedding. You can opt to brief them the week of your wedding so you don’t feel like you have a billion things to do on your wedding day!
Pro-tip! Generally, one wedding table centrepiece for each circular table is enough. If you’re intending on long tables, one wedding table centrepiece every 4-6 seating looks good.
Think beyond floral for wedding centrepieces
If you cannot deal with spending 4-5 hours on flowers, opt for different candle heights and arrange them together! Add a sprig of foliage amongst them. It is a very classy and timeless look. Check with your venue if they allow open fire, otherwise, get an LED candle.
Consider bundling a bunch of herbs such as lavender and thyme in glass jars - a rustic (and nice smelling) wedding table decor!
Fairy lights got your heart? Ours too! Instead of florals, stuff a bunch of fairy lights in beautiful empty glassware, lanterns or jars. They are cost-effective and bring a magical touch to any wedding table.
Pro-tip! Reuse your decors at each point of your day. For example, the decor used for your solemnization table can be repurposed to decorate your reception table.
Breaking down the steps just made your head explode? We understand that not everyone has the time or patience to commit to such a project. That’s where engaging a florist comes in handy!
The Promo
Founded in 2015, Fleuriste is a trusted partner vendor that specializes in all things weddings and flowers. With years of experience in the industry, they have honed their craft and perfected their skills to create stunning bouquets, boutonnieres, and arrangements that are tailored to your unique style and preferences.
From the classic to the modern, from the simple to the elaborate, Fleuriste can create bespoke designs that are perfect for any occasion. They offer a range of options at all price points - whether you're on a tight budget or looking to splurge, they can create something beautiful that fits your needs and your budget.
From now till December 2023, enjoy $100 off with a minimum spend of $1,500 when you quote “KnotzFleuriste2023” in your bookings!
For more information, please visit our website!
