• The Theme. Jody wrote a post about this one. The theme of your wedding itself can become the centerpiece.
• The Location or Venue. These can really wow your guests and make the day particularly memorable. Many people even take the opportunity to go overseas to exotic locations.
• The Flowers – Always a winner, but in my book they’re not usually something that people talk about in the years to follow. That’s not to say that the flowers could be talked about though!
• An ice carving – Expensive to keep frozen as time goes on
• The Music or band – If you find something a little different you can definitely make it memorable. Saying that though, you always need those 80′s classics that have become wedding theme songs.
• The Bride and Groom! – Of course.
• The Decorations.
• The Cake – An oldie but a goody. A great cake can always wow ‘em.
• The Ceremony – Pick something that really speaks about you, your family and your friends.
• The Food – if you’re into food.
• The Cars – if you’re into cars.
• The Guests – This is a tough one, but we did this by putting out photo frames with individual or couple photos of everyone. In our book, the centerpiece to our wedding.

The list goes on and on. Find something that you really want to highlight and set to work creating something unique. I guess what I’m really trying to get at here is that if you think about it, you could make any part (or the whole part!) of your wedding a centerpiece. Something that people will remember along with the day itself. It can be something very simple. For example, we provided small picture frames with a black and white photo of all our guests on the tables. We saw someone do that at a wedding years ago. Funnily enough, this has actually turned into a centerpiece because people always mention it when we visit. Those little frames are sitting in houses all over the place now. A little creativity can go a long way and don’t be afraid to steal ideas.

Happy centerpiece creating!

Technorati Tags: centerpiece, creative, options

This post on BoingBoing shows some different cake toppers including some robots and hand painted zombies.  Different and distinctive but not necessarily to everyone’s tastes.  You can’t argue that they could definitely be part of a unique centerpiece.

Another Robot Cake Topper

I thought I’d do a quick search on flickr to see what other gems were out there.  Have a look at these:

A Slideshow of Robot wedding toppers

The Day of the Dead Wedding Cake Topper

And if any of those don’t take your slightly different fancy, check out the search for wedding cake toppers on flickr.

I also thought that while I was at it I would put my own wedding cake topper on here.

Our wedding cake topper was created by Weddings in the Mountains and the photo was taken by A Shot Above.  They’re both based in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.

Technorati Tags: alternative, cake, topper, unique, wedding

Now you can’t jump straight into choosing your favourite wedding centerpiece, which is kind of ironic as this is the title of this blog. You first have to choose a theme.

This can be as simple as a uniting colour scheme, but it can be so much more. It can become the very essence of your wedding day. The point from which everything else flows. The magic and spark. It’s easy to tick the boxes and create a stock-standard experience but using your imagination is a lot more fun, and doesn’t have to cost the earth.

In my research I have found that surprisingly there are really only four categories that wedding themes fit into. But inside these categories are a myriad of unique and different inspiring ideas that I plan to collect together in one easy place with loads of links to places to buy and more information and ideas from all the experts out there.

I’m starting with Old Style Romance, a category close to my heart. If it is for you too, then keep reading. This is really just to give you a flavour – I plan to build this up in the weeks to come with loads more ideas and variations. If this isn’t your style, then stay tuned for the other three categories – Relaxed Beach-side, Exotic Escape and Contemporary Cool.

Old Style Romance

I love this theme because there are so many different takes on it, but it ultimately comes back to the same fundamental insight which is romance never goes out of fashion. So get back to the 20s, 30s or even 40s with flappers, bowler or gangster hats, cotton club jazz bands, elaborate headpieces, white lace parasols, old love poems and feather bowers. Get your guests to dress up. Choose a glamorous old-style art deco hotel where everyone can stay. The best place to start to get you in the mood is the swing tune ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ by Benny Goodman. Download a copy from Amazon if you like:

Okay I admit this isn’t a wedding centerpiece, but it’s the starting point. Once you have the mood and feeling, you can begin searching for the images and materials that fit that mood and build one big collage. It may mean your wedding dress is vintage style with beautiful old lace. Or more grecian with a gorgeous antique broach. Wear a stunning headpiece as an alternative to a traditional veil. Check out Stephanie Browne for the most beautiful vintage inspired jewellery: http://www.stephaniebrowne.com.au/

You can’t go wrong with flower petals and tea-lights on the tables, but a lovely touch is to use an old crystal vase for your flower centre-piece. You can pick these up at markets or charity shops pretty cheaply. Three little vases on the tables with classic flowers like David Austin roses can create an intimate romantic feel. Theme your tables with the names of famous stars and celebrities from the era you choose – think Charlie Chaplin, Ella Fitzgerald or Al Capone. Use bold art deco shapes on your invites. In fact a great idea is to read (if you haven’t already) ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald to really get a sense of how to throw a proper soiree or party.  Get a copy here:

Take the theme even further by putting black & white or sepia photo’s of your friends and family into vintage or plain white frames to grace the table settings. A great alternative to name cards. People can simply find their table by looking for themselves! You can cheat by choosing photo’s of couples or friends sitting together, so it’s a frame per couple. Ikea is a good place to start:

Hopefully that has given you some initial inspiration. If it feels like your kind of theme, then start looking through magazines and cutting out pictures you like. Once you have that collage or scrapbook it becomes easy to make decisions about everything else, because now you have a criteria: Does it fit the theme? Is it truly unique and different? Will it interest and fascinate people? Goodluck finding your Dream Theme.

Technorati Tags: 1920s, centerpieces, inspiration, romance, theme, wedding

I ran across a great article the other day in DiY Life that gave some great ideas about how to create unique and personal centerpieces for weddings without costing the earth.  Particularly when times are tough. From finding centerpieces at thrifty dollar stores to garage sales and home improvement stores.

One interesting option was to to create sand buckets complete with candles, seashells and a toy shovel.  It’s amazing what you can do with a little creativity and lateral thinking.

Make sure you check out the article for yourself.

8 do it yourself wedding centerpieces

Technorati Tags: Centerpieces for Weddings, cheap, creative, Decorations for Weddings, unique, wedding