Floral Cluster Wedding Centerpieces - Prepping How To

Recently, I had the great joy and privilege of helping a bit with our daughter’s best friend’s wedding. Here is what I did for a mantel by the dance floor.

But today, let’s talk centerpieces!

Aren’t these tables, the sweetest, most charming tables, and still very beautiful?

That photo is from their wedding photographer, Justin Kunimonto. Stunning right?

This is what is being termed a Cluster Wedding Centerpiece!

Looks like one of those “things” that appears so simple but actually takes quite a bit to pull off, right? Well, I’m here to testify that with plenty of planning, you too can pull this off.

And Martha’s team is right with the versatility!!!

Our bride knew she wanted lots of color in clear vases.However, you can create a monotone look just as easily.

She ordered 12 – 15 different blooms from a wholesale florist. You can limit the variety. of blooms if that’s more your style.

Her parents and sister collected small clear vases. I brought my collection of brass candleholders and the girls stained wood candle holders ordered online.

The planning by Christie, the MOB, was amazing! Follow along and take notes for your own wedding or event you will be planning.

The caterers warned us we'd have 20 minutes for all the centerpieces! Now that's incentive to be organized!!!

The Preparation & Organization For Cluster Wedding Centerpieces:

Four Days Out:

Several days prior to the wedding, the incredibly organized mother and father of the bride, MOB and FOB, arrived from their three day drive loaded with a mountain of supplies.

The roughly 150 assorted, intentionally mis-matched bud vases were unpacked and arranged by height.

These were supplemented with tiny bottles ordered on line. For a total of 250 vases.

Two Days Out:

The flowers that had been ordered from a wholesale source arrived!

Prepping the Cluster Wedding Centerpieces-

We started by grouping the vases. Each table received one of the tallest, then three or four from the next two tallest groups, then four or five from the group of “squatty” vases and then four or five from the tiny vases. For a total of fourteen or fifteen per table.

We made sure each cluster of vases included an assortment of fluted, square-based, cylindrical, etc. The goal was variety within each cluster.

The dads were charged with filling each cluster assortment of vases with water.

The girls selected the blooms, prepped and clipped them for each vase.

Once each cluster was finalized and checked, it was packed neatly into boxes that had hand-cut corrugated cardboard dividers. Pieces of styrofoam were also used to keep everything upright and safe.

The micro, teeny tiny vases rode in sections of egg cartons.

And that little egg carton section tucked securely into one of the dividers.

I tell you, this MOB thought of everything!!! And even fully tested it out ahead of time.

Special Bridal Table Floral Cluster Arrangement-

The bride and groom sat at a special bridal table for the reception (and roasting).

We all know, a special bridal table needs a special bridal arrangement!

A long and low assortment.

So our super organized MOB came up with a plan to make sure our rushed setup did not have rushed looking results.

This is Christie holding her Bridal Centerpiece Map. On this long length of paper, she laid out the desired arrangement. Yes, every vase, every votive candle and every flower or appropriate proxy.

Once she and the bride (via FaceTime) were satisfied, she drew around each and noted a description of each. Most of us would have stopped there. But not this MOB!

Jump. over to the full post for the final trick that made this work so amazingly well!

Happy to report it worked perfectly!

Now For the Candles-

There was also a bucket for each table. The buckets held the three flameless taper candles, three different height candlesticks in a combination of brass and wood and the candle remote control.

The tapers are actually wax, so we wanted to handle them delicately. Two tapers fit perfectly in a paper towel tube and the third taper was taped to the outside.

This too, this worked just as planned!

Cluster Wedding Centerpieces: The Setup-

Friends of the couple who were coming early for a special photo shoot were asked to help with table setup. Each picked up a box and a bucket and headed to a table.

Remember the MOB who thinks of everything?

Well, each tables’ box contained the vases and flowers, along with five flameless votives, AND ALSO a piece of ribbon and a sheet of instructions.

Ribbons and instructions? I know! But this worked better than I could have dreamt.

Jump over to the full post for a complete copy of the actual instructions that worked so well.

I wish I had a picture of one of the tables that two “dudes” were to setup. They were a bit confused, and then a bit distraught, when the realization hit that it wasn’t a table setup but a centerpiece setup!

But they quickly rallied, one reading the instructions aloud to the other. (With running commentary between them) Before long they were making adjustments; i. e. so that the two vases with purple flowers weren’t next to each other,

They were quite proud, deservedly so, of their final arrangement. It took about ten minutes and was quite beautiful!

It turned out lovely and all the preparation made for a very relaxed, enjoyable wedding!!!

There are a lot more details, including how we dismantled it in a flash --- so sneeky!

If You have a special event on the horizon, or know someone who does, I hope this helps you enjoy a relaxed and beautiful day also.

And please share this with a friend who may be planning a special day.

Happy Day,

Diane

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