Friday, 15 January 2010

Advice for Your Wedding: Beach Centerpieces

By Sky Seuring

Of course you want your ceremony and reception to be every bit as perfect as the beach setting you selected. Your friends and family will be there to share your happiness, so you want your wedding to be as beautiful and memorable as you can possibly make it.

It is essential to choose the right centerpieces since these will serve as the focal point of tables at your wedding. Beach centerpieces should be striking and natural-looking. They should blend seamlessly with the beach theme.

You have four main materials to work with when you design your wedding centerpieces: sand, glass, sea shells and flowers. You can interchange them easily, allowing you to create a wide array of striking but practical wedding beach centerpieces.

Here are a few tips on how to create eye-catching centerpieces.

Vases and Candles: These easy centerpieces use the most basic design. Begin with a small transparent glass vase like the ones used to protect candles from the wind. Fill it about 1/3 full with white sand, then set a candle on top of the sand. After you light the candle and put flower leis and sea shells around the vase, you'll have a simple but classic centerpiece for the tables at your wedding. Beach centerpieces like this one are delicate and attractive, but they're also economical and fun to create.

Tropical Flowers in Vases: Centerpieces made with tropical flowers will perfectly complement your beach theme. Begin with a heavily textured larger vase which has a sandy or pebbly surface. Balance the subdued colors of the vase by filling it with vibrant red antherium, bird of paradise and hibiscus flowers. Surround the flowers with banana leaves or palm fronds. Add a few large sea shells and you will have an elegant centerpiece for your reception tables.

Beach Buckets: For a less formal, more playful centerpiece, find some small, brightly colored sand buckets of the kind that are designed for toddlers to play with. Arrange a small amount of sand on a table and place one of the buckets into the sand. Fill it about one-quarter of the way up with sand. Set a small votive candle into the sand in the bucket. Arrange starfish, sea shells, sand dollars and seahorses around the outside of the bucket. Light the candle and you will have a stunning beach wedding centerpiece that was easy to make. You can even add a further playful little touch by placing a few miniature rakes on the table. Your guests can then have their own serene little Zen garden.

Do's and Don'ts: For Beach Centerpieces Here are some additional tips to remember if your guests will remain outside during your reception in addition to the wedding. Beach sun on hot summer days can wilt flowers very quickly, and gentle offshore breezes can turn into gusts that might extinguish your candles at just the wrong time.

Luckily, these hazards can be easily avoided with a little forethought. If you decide to use candles as part of the centerpiece arrangements, make sure they are shielded well. Something as simple as a glass can serve this purpose capably.

Choose flowers that will stand up to direct sunlight and high temperatures. For example, antherium, calla lilies, ginger and bird of paradise all do this well. An experienced florist can help you achieve the ideal balance between beauty and longevity.

Don't buy any flowers until you tell your florist you plan to use them on an outdoor wedding beach. Ask your florist to give you one flower so you can test it. Put it in a vase and place it near the planned location of the reception. Keep an eye on it for several hours to see how well it does in the sun and heat.

Blend the best flowers with elements of sand, glass and sea shells to create inexpensive works of art for your wedding, beach centerpieces that express your unique style.

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