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.
You want to choose the right centerpieces because they will be the focal point of the tables at your wedding. Beach centerpieces should blend in seamlessly with your wedding theme and have a natural yet eye-catching appearance.
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.
Below are a few tips about creating striking centerpieces.
Playful Candles: This is the most basic and easiest design. Start with a small transparent glass vase – the kind sometimes used to shield candles from the wind. Fill the vase about 1/3 full with white sand. Place a lit candle on top of the sand, surround the vase with flower leis and sea shells and voila! You have classic table centerpieces for your wedding. Beach centerpieces like this one are delicate and pretty. They are also inexpensive and fun to make.
Tropical Flowers: To create a centerpiece that blends perfectly with beach surroundings, choose a larger vase heavily textured with a sandy, rocky surface. Balance the muted tone of the vase by filling it with zesty red antherium, hibiscus and birds of paradise flowers. Surround the flowers with palm or banana leaves. Add a few large shells and you have an elegant, “beachy” centerpiece to complement your reception.
Beach Buckets: For a more playful centerpiece, collect several small, brightly colored sand buckets (the kind designed for toddlers). Next, arrange a small pile of sand on the table. Place the bucket in the sand. Fill the bucket about one quarter full of sand. Place a small votive candle in the sand inside the bucket. Surround the bucket with small shells, starfish, seahorses and sand dollars. Light the candle and enjoy a gorgeous beach wedding centerpiece that only took you a few minutes to create! For an extra touch, add a few miniature rakes at each table so your guests can enjoy the serenity of their own tiny Zen garden.
Dos and Don’ts: Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind if guests will remain outdoors for the reception as well as the wedding: Beach sun can quickly wilt flowers on a hot summer day and gentle trade winds can sometimes become wild gusts that can extinguish your candles at the most inopportune moment.
A little forethought can prevent these potential problems. If your centerpiece design includes candles, make sure the candles are shielded from the wind. A small juice glass can do this quite well.
Pick flowers that are able to withstand direct sunlight and high heat. Antherium, ginger, bird of paradise and calla lilies are good choices. An experienced florist should be able to assist you in achieving the perfect balance between longevity and beauty.
Before you buy any flowers, inform your florist of your intention to use them for an outdoor beach wedding. Ask for one flower to test. Put it into a vase and place it near the reception’s location. Watch it for a few hours to predict how well it will do at your wedding.
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.
BeachWeddingMagic helps soon-to-be-married couples create their own magical on beach wedding. Visit BeachWeddingMagic.com for expert advice on wedding beach centerpieces, cakes, decorations, wedding planners and much more.