Ideas for Inexpensive Wedding Centerpieces

Description: Creative, inexpensive ideas for making beautiful wedding centerpieces.

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Your wedding centerpieces don't have to look cheap, even if you can't spend a fortune on them.

Small herb plants, such as parsley, thyme, basil, marjoram and lavender, can be planted in small pots, one herb per pot. You can use plain terra cotta pots to very nice effect, or you can paint the exterior of the pots or decorate them with fabric and ribbons. Use groupings of the potted herbs as your wedding centerpieces, and they can double as wedding favors for your guests to take home.

Shop in advance for a variety of inexpensive picture frames - check out flea markets, tag sales, e-bay, discount stores and sales at retail stores. Don't worry about consistency - the variety will add to the charm.

If you can't do it yourself, find a friend or family member who can scan the photos and resize them for you. Then print them out on photo- quality computer paper and start framing them.

Place groupings of a variety of framed photos on your tables as centerpieces - different sizes are best to create visual interest. Let them do double duty by serving as wedding favors you guests can take home.

Alteration on the idea: include framed wedding pictures of your loved ones for their tables when available. The joy of their special day can contribute to the joy of yours!

Do you have a knack for growing potted plants? Are you having a late summer or fall wedding? If yes is the answer to both these questions, here's a great wedding centerpiece idea for you.

Plan in advance and stock up on a variety of planters and cache pots. Make sure they're wide-mouthed and large enough to accommodate multiple mature annuals. Scour flea markets, tag sales, discount outlets and end of season sales at garden centers for a nice supply, at least one for each table.

The winter before you wedding is a great time to plan the plant groupings you'll use in your centerpieces. Include some foliage plants, like coleus and dusty miller, some trailing plants and plants of various heights and textures. Don't choose anything that grows too tall, so you don't block your guests views with your centerpieces. In the spring, purchase inexpensive six-packs of annuals that you want to use in your centerpieces. Pot them up into your centerpiece planters, and tend them carefully. Pinch them back to keep them bushy and healthy for the wedding.

After the wedding, you can have someone collect them so they'll be waiting for you when you get back from your honeymoon (make sure they know how to care for them, regarding sun/shade and watering). Or, let each centerpiece go home with a guest.

Baskets of nature's beauty can make beautiful and inexpensive centerpieces. Collect a variety of baskets to hold collections of dried flowers, pine cones, nuts, evergreen branches, seed heads, small potted plants and other natural items.

You can find inexpensive baskets at craft supply stores. They'll also have raffia, ribbons, and other supplies to pull your baskets together. Don't hesitate to ask a salesperson for ideas if you get stuck!

If you're planning a fall wedding, let the bounty of the season fill your centerpieces. Use baskets, bowls, terra cotta pots, straw cornucopias or anything else that strikes your fancy. Fill them with gourds, Indian corn, tiny pumpkins, apples, nuts and other symbols of the season. If you use a collection of small containers instead of one large one, each guest can take part of your wedding centerpiece home as a favor.

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