Come pretend centerpieces with me

Well, it's all coming together . . . but you'll have to trust me on that. As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been gathering vintage vases and pedestal candy dishes for my centerpieces for months now--and these are the only elements of my centerpieces that I actually have in my possession right now. 

To help me visualize what our tables will look like at the wedding reception, I decided to make a centerpiece mock-up in my basement. Want to see? Well, let me walk you through my vision. 

First off, you'll need to suspend your disbelief and pretend a bit with me: 

• See the blue square of tissue paper in the pics below? Imagine that is a 12"x12"square mirror.

• Those white cones are the exact size of glass votive holders with long-burning ivory candles. See them twinkling in the mirror's reflection? (I should get them in the mail Tuesday!)

• The flowers in the vases won't be fakes from Michael's; they're fresh tulips 2 dark purple and 1 ivory.

• And the flowers in the candy dishes aren't really popped off heads of fake tulips; each dish holds one big white peony.

• Oh, and the table isn't covered in a wrinkly plastic table cloth; it's a light gold/brown "cafe"-colored linen table cloth I've rented.

So, you see, it's all coming together (in my head). I can't wait to see it all "in the flesh." Bridesmaids and wedding party, these are the centerpieces we'll be putting together Friday and Saturday before the wedding. How many? Depends on my RSVPs, but I'm guess about 20 tables. Fun, right?

Your thoughts? Anything you'd change?

Rice? Birdseed? Not us.

If you've been following along with my posts, you'll remember that our ceremony and our reception are all in the same place. Since our guest are staying put, they won't be positioned outside the church steps for the traditional birdseed toss at the bride and groom. This is one of many wedding rituals we're doing "our way." (Okay, really my way, though Erik does pop in for a decision now and then.)

When you think about it, birdseed isn't really the tradition anyway. Before the myth that rice is harmful to birds (I looked it up. It's baloney.), rice was the seed of choice. Depending on what culture you're looking at, it was a symbol of good wishes, fruitfulness, fertility, warding off evil, etc. Today, the "toss" has turned into more of a celebratory gesture like throwing a graduation cap into the air. I've seen wheat, those champagne-bottle firework poppers, bubbles, pennants (to wave not throw) and bio-degradable confetti.

So back to what WE'RE doing. Without the change of location, our guests will likely perform the toss as we walk back down the aisle as husband and wife. This means whatever they toss will bounce off of us and land on the newly refinished wood floor in the historical landmark that is our venue--and of course will need to be picked up before our dancing begins. So, confetti was out (scratches the floor), petals would have worked, but they'd likely get crushed under foot and be a little difficult to clean up. 

My solution? Yarn pom-poms! Think I'm nuts? I think it's perfect, myself. It allows me to incorporate my love of knitting, will be much nicer than being pelted by hard seeds ( I can just imagine them going down the front and back of my dress.) and will just look really cool. Don't believe me. Here, let me help you picture it. Look at my inspiration for the whole thing:

How sweet is that! Source

I've started making my own with yarn I had in my stash and have solicited some local friends to help me amass the large amount I need. We're going to get started on this in early March. That gives us almost three months before the big day.

I'm thinking everyone needs at least three (a nice little handful). Multiply that by 150 guest . . . .150 x 3 = 450 little fluffy pom-poms. I think we'll stick to purples, blacks and golds. Wish us luck!

Did you (or are you planning to) incorporate your crafty talents into your wedding planning? Did you start early enough to avoid a rush of DIY projects the week of your wedding?