TheKnot.com’s Popular Wedding Centerpiece Trends and Colors
Footed urns are elegant and classic for wedding centerpieces - Via TheKnot.com- Photo by Erich Camping
TheKnot.com just posted a link on Facebook about their new wedding centerpiece trends. I am not sure who decides these things, but the trend is really all about doing whatever you want. Here is a rundown of their 2010 trends and some options if they aren’t quite what you wanted.
And beware, as you click through the slide show the site keeps redirecting traffic to TheNest.com and leaving TheKnot.com’s site. What a weird way to get extra traffic. (thenest.com is a site that seems like its been shut down with no new content or articles in a while and nobody responds to the comments either) Anyway the new 2010 wedding centerpiece trends are:
1. Anemones are the flower of the moment.Well, Anemones are very vibrant and pretty but they are also temperamental. You can’t take them out of water so you can’t make a bouquet of them, so your bouquet would be very different from all the other flowers at the wedding. They are also seasonal, only available in spring. If you like the look of an open face flower and bright colors consider mini-Gerber daisies instead which are available year round in a wide range of colors and hold up better in bouquets.
2. Multiple Styles of arrangements- I have seen people alternate tables with tall and short arrangements or use clusters of 3-5 small arrangements in the centers of tables and both can work well. I am not a fan of tall arrangements on tables in any situation or style, but variation can be fun if you want the room to have some more personality and creativity. Keep the arrangements related, if they are each different flowers/colors, keep the color of the container consistent (even if the shape is not). If the flowers are all the same, vary the containers. It you are doing multiple arrangements on each table most people opt for cheaper flowers like carnations, mums or roses, yet these common flowers can be arranged in a very modern way and still look very elegant. Who doesn’t like roses?
A beautiful mix/gradient of colors next to eachother on the spectrum
3. Mokara orchids - These are tough orchids that take a lick and keep on ticking. They can be out of water for a while and do well in bouquets and centerpieces. Their main drawback is the limited colors available. Mostly Oranges and Pinks and a few shades of Red. They are expensive, (more than roses) but I think they give the look of elegance, exotic beauty and originality to a wedding. Some people use them in modern centerpieces and others use them in a more traditional one like I did. The style is up to you.
4. Bold Colors Pinks-Orange-Yellow - I think that the use of color can make an impact but I am not sure anyone is looking for draped hot pink or orange tablecloths, seat covers and flowers. I think a base color of white or ivory works well with splashes of color if you like bright intensity. All white tablecloths with gold, white or silver bamboo chairs can be a blank canvas for a bright bold centerpiece and some coordinating color napkins and favors. I do think that the black and white trend has completed its course and looks a bit garish for a wedding, especially if there is more black than white or the tablecloths are black. You can be bold with colors but use them in ways that don’t overpower the room making it look more like Disney World than a wedding reception.
5. Natural Shapes- I am not sure what they mean by this, the picture they show has a footed urn style centerpiece container, of which I like but the flowers are mixed pink & orange. I guess this means less of the uniform color and more variety. I am reluctant to say go wild with the colors in an arrangement and throw everything in, because the 80’s were a lot of that (plus greenery) and we have all seen that for too long. My recommendation is to go with a color and mix dark, light and mid-tones of that color in the arrangement with some interesting or trailing modern greens. Think Reds with Violet or Circus Roses with Golds. Multiple shades of pink also always work well but I prefer pinks mixed with a color next to it on the color spectrum, find a pink-multicolored rose or orchid and use that as a starting point. I went with purples, violets, raspberry and lavender colors together. White can mix well with light greens or pinks, pretty much any cymbidium orchid can be the color basis for building an arrangement or bouquet on with the centers varying in color by a few shades. The fall colors of rustic orange, rust and reds is still popular making fall weddings very hard to book with less than a year in advance.
Green can be elegant and modern at the same time
6. Clear - Um, maybe like ghost chairs? I am not sure clear is a trend we want to go with. Nothing is readily available for doing this at the reception, so if you want fancy Lucite chairs you will have to rent or buy them. Same for fancy clear chandeliers unless the ballroom has them, but I doubt its the modern kind. It seems logical to keep things minimalist and on a base of white tablecloths when you do this look, only punctuating a few points of color in the room. This looks very sleek and spacey but is not really practical. I don’t recommend it.
7. Standout Vases - yes, if I see one more clear glass cube vase I will throw up. Seriously, why can’t the container be interesting? Just because your florist loves that he can get these vases for $0.50 each doesn’t mean you have to have your wedding look cheap with them on every table. It doesn’t matter if they do the corporate thing and wrap a big palm leaf around the stems inside, it still looks like a million other weddings done since 2004. Get something original and buy and supply it to the florist yourself. I did and I loved the results. For really affordable arrangement containers (most $10 or less) go to http://www.jamaligarden.com/ That is where I got mine. You really have to seek out some new materials to look original these days since everyone gets the same stuff from the same places.
8. Lamps instead of centerpieces - with candles on the table. Um, no. Most of us can’t afford to buy 13 small matching lamps and figure out how to get cords out to the tables without tripping anyone. Plus how can you see over them? Interesting maybe for the entry way or the bar, but changing the decor of the hall like that gets expensive. This makes more sense if you have a tent or room with absolutely no decor, then adding lamps brings in a lot more warmth. Kind of like draping tiny white lights from the ceiling does.
9. Using an actual tree as the centerpiece. This could work if they were really small trees in small pots and you can add flowers/lights around them or you have an eco-green themed wedding. Some people in a tent might have really tall ceilings to use larger trees and create kind of a canopy feeling. But remember you have to buy all these trees and then what do you do with them 5 hours later?
10. Napkin Treatments -flowers on or in the napkin arrangement. Um, no. Too expensive for most of us and then you have an awkward moment when the person sits down and doesn’t know what to do with the flower that has no water. It seems like a waste unless you’re Martha Stewart. I like the color of something contrasting with the napkin, so why not wrap up the favor in some pretty wrapping/ribbon and use that in the napkin? Or place a menu in the folds of the napkin and have it printed on colored paper? Cheaper and more functional.
I think the most difficult thing to remember sometimes is to keep the wedding logical. Every florist wants to sell you something that looks amazing and costs a million dollars (their business depends on it) and you have to be the voice of reality. You can achieve a look of elegance and originality by changing things up in ways that don’t destroy the budget.