I imagine that in this spectacular community more than one of you have children who’ve gotten married. Or have planned parties.
Hint.
My job for my daughter’s wedding is to sort out the centerpieces for dinner. I’m thinking you know from tabletops and you might tell me about any great ideas you’ve implemented or come across in your beautiful lives.
Here’s what we’re thinking:
- The venue is right on the water, on a the outskirts of a working harbor, in a very quiet bay. So, neither beachy nor wild coastal cliffs, more like the Wianno Yacht club in the 1960s-but California. Dinner is on a lawn near very green trees. In other words, for the most part, the surroundings are the decor and nothing fussy, fancy, or produced for social media required. Humor and/or warmth a plus.
- Now consider round tables seating 10 people, with small centerpieces to allow for family style service
- We do want a little table embellishment, and for people to be able to find their seats.
- Our other aesthetic/practical stakes in the ground:
- The chairs are classic white folding chairs. Tablecloths and china are also white (although tablecloths could possibly be ivory or beige-sh, might have a texture to them i.e. what they call “Panama” fabric. I considered buying hotel linens but realized that was ridiculous. As my daughter said, “Nobody remembers their napkins.”
- Tables will mostly likely be candle-less, as any candles would have to be in glass hurricanes, and in any case it won’t get dark until dinner’s over. Market lights will be strung overhead, to light dusk as it falls, or twinkle through the fog, depending.
- We’ll use 12-inch circle mirrors to anchor the flowers and table numbers. LITERALLY anchor; it can get quite breezy and nobody wants a vase emptying into their laps, no matter how beautiful its contents. Nor should the table numbers launch themselves into the air only to conk a beloved friend or family member in the noggin. My mother said “noggin” a lot. Weddings bring the ancestors to mind, do they not?
- We’ll reuse the collection of 20 various florist vases I’ve received over the past decades and never recycled. Might also include an etched glass vase from my father’s family’s Park Avenue apartment, or one in cut crystal I got as a wedding present in the 1980s, for fun and a little insouciance because it’s hard to abandon one’s culture altogether.
- We’re thinking a single variety of flower for centerpieces. All white, or maybe with yellow or orange centers. Maybe even no greenery. Chamomile? Stock? Probably not roses? This is a mid-September wedding, which counts as Golden Summer, But Also Maybe Totally Fogged In And Using Heaters Summer in Northern California.
Here are some related images (if you think I’m going to call them “inspo” we haven’t met:
I am all ears. All wedding-soaked, joyful anticipation, lying awake at night imagining tablecloths ears. Any thoughts or links welcome.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. May we all get to plan some kind of celebration for those we love deeply. I am very aware of this good fortune.
25 Responses
I like all the photos you posted here. I know you mentioned using just one type of flower. You might experiment beforehand using several types of white flowers for more interest. I would not rule out the use of some greenery–just a touch. Set up some mock tables at home and decide which you like best–white tablecloths or the beige that you mention. What a wonderful dinner this is going to be! Any menu ideas yet?
I will definitely need to experiment with actual flowers! And mock tablecloths. The menu is chosen from a few options provided by the venue, so, all of that is taken care of! Thank you:)
I agree with Susan D. both in the idea of using several types of white flowers and some greenery. It’ll add interest and some texture. I also like the “vases” low, like the above photos, and I do love the square white one in the first photo. Looks beach-y and adds interest.
I am just going to have to get some flowers in my hot little hands. What do you think about table numbers? Anything great you’ve ever run into?
For a few weddings I did, I had a visual seating plan (from above) done, and numbers on the plan, so that there were no numbers on the table, as I felt that was a bit “corporate”. I had the seating plan on a small easel by the table cards or whatever they’re called. If you want numbers on the table, I’d maybe gather some decent sized beach rocks (not huge) and paint the number in white on it and lean it against the centerpiece.
What are the bride/groom’s preferences for color and style/mood? I’ve seen a range of flowers used, from formal to native/natural, it depends on the feeling you/they want to convey. But I like what you showed…
The bride and I are both thinking white, or white with colored centers. The ceremony decorations will be lots of greenery, and very native/natural in style. For the tables, thinking a little more structured. Thank you!
In my home I prefer all-white flowers, or all-greenery (silver dollar eucalyptus) arrangements, with a white Phalaenopsis usually in the mix somewhere. White and green are beautiful, calming, serene. The green gives the white something to shine against. I am thirding what Susan D. and KSL said above. I love the idea of understated, low white and green centerpieces, which maybe look as though they are spilling onto the center of the table, with their containers hidden underneath. I think the setting, with the twinkle lights moving and glowing as the evening comes on, will be at the center of everyone’s attention.
I agree with everything you’ve said! Some of the centerpieces will be in tallish vases though, so I’ll have to see how that works with what flowers. Simple, but a little fun I’m thinking.
Before chiming in, I need the answer to this question: what does “sort out the centerpieces” mean? That you will source the flowers, you will make the centerpieces, you will deliver them, you will re-adjust them from wobbling askew on the way over to venue, then place them on the tables, yourself?
Excellent questions! I will source the flowers, and put the arrangements together in their vases at the flower wholesale two nights before the wedding. Planning to use clear glass marbles in the base to weight the vases and add a little texture, and I hope keep the flowers generally in place? Maybe I’ll need chicken wire? They will stay one night at the wholesaler. I am also sourcing the mirrors and the table numbers. The afternoon before the wedding we will drop off the vases, the mirrors, and the table numbers (which we may have to affix to the mirrors) and leave them at the venue. I haven’t quite figured out how the flowers in vases will be transported to the venue, but I’m guessing I’ll ask a family member with a big car/truck/SUV. Then the venue staff will assemble the centerpieces and put them on the tables when the time comes. Am I nuts?
No, you’re not nuts, crazy, mad or bonkers – you’re in love. But if you do feel overcome by anxiety as the event draws near, here’s a Plan B for your Panic File. Now don’t throw up when I say it’s a lovely FTD offering that comes in three sizes. Think of it: all done and delivered at the end of one phone call. I like the middle size “Deluxe” for your event. Am I nuts?
https://www.ftd.com/product/alluring-elegance-bouquet-prd-nae?cid=ftdseo&prid=ftdseo
I love this. In my back pocket. No throwing up, applauding. I’d even do the basic one, because it’s so low and simple. And inexpensive!
My daughter-in-law used an ikebana style of flower arrangements as centerpieces. She chose bright colors but you can use all white too. The arrangements had a minimalist feeling, which made them absolutely breathtaking.
That sounds amazing!
Daughter got married last July, on a budget. I was also in charge of centerpieces, with a green & white theme, for 10 round tables in a mountain setting surrounded by aspen trees. Flowers ended up what we found at Trader Joe’s the day before: eucalyptus branches, small cream roses, other whit-ish flowers, for a grand total budget of $80.00 (we used small vases). I made the small arrangements the evening before with a couple of friends, in our airbnb, with some additional ornamental grass clippings from the backyard. The bride was happy and we all have fun memories :) Nearly everything turned perfect and the things that were not… no-one cared!
This is probably the vibe I’m aiming for. Not the same flowers, but with the same flowers aren’t the important thing here feeling?
My younger daughter’s wedding was on the beach but the reception was at a distance (Chatham Bars Inn) but outside under cover. Table decor was casual, utilizing air plants in glass vases and simple blooms in small individual vases. She didn’t use a florist, instead a friend arranged it and the vases were small bottles we already had. Have fun with it!
That looks like wonderful place for a wedding. The ultimate beach wedding, and there really is something about friends doing the flowers on the tables, where friends sit in circles and share food, that I really like.
Our Trader Joe’s always has empty wine boxes by the exit door. With their cardboard separators, they are great for transporting vases and flowers and other fragile things.
I love the greenery spilling out onto the tablecloths in the 2nd picture. ~ skye
Excellent tip on the wine boxes! I am mulling over what greenery if any…maybe spilling over ivy
I think a bit of greenery and a variety of white flowers are simple and can elevate the tablescape…lots of options are available in September. Weddings are such fun to plan…
XO
I look forward to finding out what September brings!
This past fall at my nephew’s wedding the centerpieces were removed by the caterers for the family style service. I did the flowers are was surprised by this. They did replace the centerpieces once dinner was over. Just a tip to be aware of.
Your ideas are beautiful.
Oh, yes, good point! They did talk about taking the centerpieces away, which adds to the need for compactness, but are also looking at larger tables. It’ll depend on the final guest count. I’m glad I’ve got you to bounce things off in advance!