Ask Abby
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve done a Dear Abby session, and I have some really great questions from readers that I know you guys will appreciate. So, let’s dive right in!
Q1 – I’ve been perusing your boards religiously for weeks, going back into the archives and waiting for your daily updates. But I’ve still not seen much addressing the problem I have: I’m looking for non-floral tablescapes. We’re getting married on the beach in Mexico, and because the prices there for decor are so outrageous, we’re looking to bring our own. But we’re also looking to decorate our tables without flowers, as the only ones available there are from non-organic, non-fair trade sources. Plus, as the reception will be outdoors, in the evening, bright flowers won’t add as much color as colored glass… (at least, that was my thinking!)
We need something that will shelter candles from the wind, but hurricanes are too large to bring down in a suitcase. So far, my attempts to create my own centerpieces (mason jars with water and floating candles and beach glass, aluminum vases with tropical leaves) have just felt…lackluster and underwhelming. In your vast web-travels, have you seen anything that you think might work?
A. First of all, I think that ALL of the ideas are great. I have to say, I am partial to lots of candle light, however you can get it. Whether it’s through paper luminaries (which I love), tea lights in mason jars, etc. I think that candles create an ambiance that is absolutely romantic and elegant. Enough candle light will make just about any space look absolutely beautiful.
With that said, I completely understand your dilemma. I think that the key here is being able to transport your decor easily, while still being able to dream about the look you are going for and plan out every detail. So, I found a little inspiration from my best friend, Katie. Katie chose to enhance her table decor by choosing rich, colored linens (she made them all herself), and layering different textures on top. She bought these AMAZING gold leaf placemats that she placed in the center of each table (top left)…
Left photos are from Z Gallerie, Right photos are from Crate and Barrel
I love these gold leaves and they would be just beautiful at the beach. Plus they would be incredibly easy to transport. The second idea (dare I say it) would be to bring dried or high end silk flowers and supplement them with rich, real banana leaves or other local greenery. I am usually NOT a fan of silk flowers, but after seeing an article in Domino Magazine about adding real greenery and florals to silk flowers, I have started to change my mind. Okay, moving on…shells. They are obvious yes, but will always be super chic. Buy a large handful of shells for each table, stacked in a cluster, then tuck tea lights throughout. So pretty, so simple. My last idea is to buy some sort of multi-sized decorative balls (I like these robe ones here, but there are tons of fun ones out there…mother of pearl would be beautiful) and on every other table, adorn the center with three of these balls.
I could honestly go on and on…clear bowls filled with crystals, shells or colored glass, local fruits and vegetables in interesting colors and textures, the options are endless. My advices is to think about your surroundings, think about what your “ideal” would be, then try to find a balance between these two elements and traveling. I can’t wait to hear what you decide!
I am having the SAME problem! I am thinking of sewing my own table runners to add pops of color and adding small lanterns with candles. I'd love some more ideas as well.
Candles will add lots of ambiance, but also lots of weight to your luggage, and as you've said, have to contest with wind. Check out saveoncrafts.com for some good deals on submersible lights that can go IN the mason jars or centerpieces.
This will give you great lighting without wind issues, and also helps with the - "i think thats a great centerpiece but its too dark to see."
Since you've been scouring the boards i'm sure you've seen that floating limes or oranges and things to that effect in the water filled centerpiece looks great (and floral free).
If you are putting lights in the water, and want to have color able to be seen, add a few drops of food coloring to the water. Just my couple 'o coppers!
adding food coloring to the water in the mason jars could provide pops of color...and the floating candles might help brighten the color
You could buy chinese lanterns that sit on the table, but also collapse, so they would be easy to travel with and then decorate the rest of the table with starfish, coloured glass or other shells, that would make a modern, yet beachy feel. The lanterns would just require tea lights, so they shouldn't be too heavy to travel with.
I think chinese lanterns are a really good idea because they are so light weight and colapsable. www.lunabazaar.com has a great selection - there are some really cool eyelet lanterns that remind me of sea urchins and would be totally appropriate for a wedding like yours. I'm sewing table runners for my wedding, which is another great way to add color and interest and they would be easy to transport. I ordered some great graphic fabric from etsy and plan on trimming it with ribbon. Good luck!
Check out a post from a few days ago on diybride.com's blog! She uses inexpensive placemats to wrap jars and such for texture and color.
What about using luminaries made from little colorful paper bags? I've seen some really beautiful things done with these -- and they are light and inexpensive as well! You can use the local sand to weight them, and will just need to bring a stack of bags and some candles with you.
Here is a link to some beautiful wedding luminaries on Martha Stuart.com . . http://www.marthastewart.com/article/lacy-luminarias " rel="nofollow">http://www.marthastewart.com/article/lacy-luminarias />
Well, I'm not sure where in Mexico the wedding will be, but I know plenty of areas have fabulous mercados that sell all kinds of vases and candleholders created by local artists. Most are really inexpensive, and it seems like keeping things eco-friendly is important. You can even find beautiful glass and metal work, sometimes. Granted, you don't have much control over the selection this way, but at least you're keeping it local.
Also, while the flowers you might find at the markets may not be "organic" and "fair-trade," depending on the vendors, they are most likely locally grown, and you would be supporting local small businesses rather than importing organic, fair-trade flowers from a larger company. Again with the control issue, though- you're at the mercy of the resources available, but if "green" really is an issue (as you mentioned with the flower selection), you may want to consider local resources as opposed to flying down alot of candles, glasses and papers for centerpieces. Just something to consider. :)
Instead of cramming everything into your luggage, you can check with the concierge at your resort or hotel to see if they will accept packages that you have shipped from home. That way you can buy what you want a head of time and not stress out about the table decorations days before your wedding. Though, I would check with the post office before hand to see how long it will take to ship and go through customs.
Thanks for all the ideas, everyone! (I was the one who asked the question.) I WISH we could just ship everything down there, but apparently it's pretty difficult: customs sends packages back, items get "lost", and sometimes it can take months to get there. And while I've considered LOTS of local resources, they actually seem to be much more expensive and quite hit-or-miss. Not to mention that we'll be sharing everything with a couple getting married at the same place the following week, so I want to make sure she likes whatever I come up with before it's too late to change it all!
We're definitely planning to use luminaries all over the grounds (white paper bags, soy-wax tea candles), but wanted something a bit different for the tables.
Thanks again for the ideas, and please keep them coming!!! I can use all the inspiration I can get.
I too got married on the beach (in the Caribbean) - being a wedding planner/designer, I didn't want to offend all the vendors I knew locally (you can only pick one each, after all) and I wanted to get away from all the hoopla..In any case, I did bring my linens with me, as well as some really light wire cages for centerpieces. I simply puddled the fabric down the middle of the table, stuck a wire cage (they were round, kind of sea-urchin like) and put local orchids and plumeria inside. I did ship a lot of flowers to the resort, as I LOVE flowers and wanted a lot of them...they arrived fine, even with 3 airplane trips and a boat ride later. However, eco-wise I probably would not do that again, especially since I ended up being able to use some local flowers (It was a tiny island without a flower shop, so I thought my options were more limited.)
I would bring a few linens (easy and light to pack), buy local glassware and candles, and surround them with a ton of bougainvilla petals! Bougainvilla's leaves (versus the actual flowers) are stunning, and have the same feel as rose petals - but the colors are breathtaking - oranges, fuchsia,s etc. My whole beach aisle was lined in them, and it was stunning (an they last longer!) You should be able to find those locally really easily.
Daniela
Bella Signature Design
You could also use smaller lanterns, such as these moroccan-style tea-light lanterns. You can find lots of them on ebay in both blue and amber colors(http://cgi.ebay.com/AMBER-GLASS-MOROCCAN-LANTERN-Candle-Tea-Light-Lantern_W0QQitemZ220145047365QQihZ012QQcategoryZ40144QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem )." rel="nofollow">http://cgi.ebay.com/AMBER-GLASS-MOROCCAN-LANTERN-Candle-Tea-Light-Lantern_W0QQitemZ220145047365QQihZ012QQcategoryZ40144QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem). > They're slightly more bulky than chinese paper lanterns, but should still be able to fit into a suitcase depending on how many you'd need. They'd look really nice in a single-file line down a long table or in clusters of three on a round table. Good luck!
I was wondering if you could do an inspiration board for me..I love rustic, natural elements...We are getting married outdoors, but an indoor reception in a lodge with all the doors wide open, with a big stone fireplace...My color scheme is dark grey, and pink...Id like all aspects of pink, but i really want hot pink accents...Our tables are the long rectangular tables, and Im looking at some (not all) dried floral arrangements for outdoor decorations...I have so many ideas swimming, and I just want to pull it all together without looking tacky...
My dress is a v-neck, floor length, ivory lacy one....
How about fruit for the centerpieces? It shouldn't be expensive and in mexico you should be able to lots of beautiful exotic fruit. Just bring bowls or serving dishes down with you and get the fruit there. Or you could use the table runner idea mentioned above and just artistically mound the fruit along the center of the tables with lots of tea lights.