DIY Project: Mediteranean Centerpieces
A couple of weeks ago, I put out a request to my Little Black Book florist and event planners for some really great, easy DIY centerpieces. I know that there are brides who are trying so hard to reconcile their love of chic, beautiful details with their thinning budgets. So I thought this would be a great idea!
Well, we got a couple of really beautiful ideas for DIY centerpieces that I had to share with you! This one, by the amazingly talented Natasha of Waterlily Pond in San Francisco. I should probably tell you that Natasha is considered one of the best florist there is, so to get DIY tips from her is, well…pretty great!
the gorgeous photographs were taken by Rosemarie Lion…whose work will make you swoon!
The location of this wedding was a beautiful Mediterranean style courtyard with a cobblestone patio and a fountain. The bride wanted the style of her centerpieces to reflect the style of the location – old world, Tuscan villa feel. However she had 22 tables and a very limited budget. So my challenge was to design $60 centerpieces to look gorgeous and rich.
To meet the challenge, I decided to allocate most of my cost into renting beautiful wrought-iron urns, which instantly gave me great basis for the look. Instead of filling the urns with loads of flowers the way they are usually used, I just placed 3 tiny pots of trailing ivy inside the urn, and added only three huge dahlia flowers in each centerpiece, which made them look overflowing and lush. These centerpieces turned out looking exactly the style the bride wanted at a low price, and she was also able to give away lots of cute ivy plants to her guests to take home.
Flowers and General Retail Pricing:
1. three 1″ potted ivy – mix of varieties, preferably with longer trailing vines - $3 per pot at Home Depot or local nursery
2. three dinner-plate size or just very large bloom dahlias (or other large bloom such as peonies) – $2-3 per stem ($5 each for peony)
Materials
wrought-iron urn ($20 rent or flee market find), can be replaced with rusted iron urn or “antique”- looking ceramic urn.
floral water tubes ($3 per bag of 100 at floral supply or craft store)
Instructions
1. Place pots with ivy in the urn so that the greens cluster in the center. And the vines trail down in different directions so the centerpiece is equally pretty when viewed from every side
2. Cut stems of dahlias shorter with sharp sheers at an angle, and place in water tubes filled with water.
3. Place dahlias amongst the ivy so that the tubes are hidden and secured between the pots of ivy.
4. If any dahlias left over (you should always buy extra just in case), you can place single stem of dahlia in a small glass vase of nice shape for a great cocktail table centerpiece.
5. Enjoy!
Thank you so much to Natasha of Waterlily Pond! Definitely check out Natasha’s site when you are in need of a little eye candy and inspiration!
I could never tell these are centerpieces on a budget, they look so luxurious. Wow
dinner plate dahlias are truly gorgoues, as is this whole centerpiece! thank you so much sharing it!
This was my wedding and I'm so excited to see these fabulous photos up on SMP, my pre-wedding bible! Before I found Natasha I explored the DIY route but nothing replaces the trained eye and experience of a professional to save you time and headache (aka crying fits). Natasha's work was exceptional; I wanted a very lush look (on a budget)and she really worked thoughtfully with me to make it happen. I still get the most flattering complements about her styling. My wedding was also featured in Marin Magazine because the editors loved the flowers and photography. http://www.marinmagazine.com/Marin-Magazine/January-2009/Unforgettable-In-Every-Way/ Good luck to all the newbies out there!
WHERE ON EARTH DID YOU FIND THOSE "WISH" TICKETS?? I must copy that!!!!
Thanks! :)
Ally in Omaha, NE
Beautiful! What a lovely and chic DIY!
Beautiful! Yes--where DID you get the wish tickets?
I love this centerpiece idea, it is exactly what I was looking for! Can you tell me what size urns you used? I'm having a hard time finding some online. Thank you.
I wanted to second Jen's comment -- I'm also having trouble finding urns that are the right size, that aren't plastic or styrofoam. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Sarah, About the urns, I found something very similar at Hobby Lobby in their plant/pot section. They go 40 % off often and watch the web for their coupons the prices/quality and beauty are unbeatable! They are ceramic/stone not styrofoam.
I just found very similar urns at Hobby Lobby and they are 50% off right now (6/1)!