Eight Incredible Centerpieces for Your Wedding
Are you tired of the traditional and terribly expensive floral arrangements at weddings? Why not get a little creative with your centerpieces and give your guests something to talk about (literally!) for years to come? It's a great way to break out of the decoration doldrums and make your wedding truly memorable.1. Don't get Bored, get Board!
In just about every wedding, there's a group of people who prefer just to sit around their tables and talk, often catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Sometimes, these conversations can lull, leaving the people at the wedding who don't dance with little to do. This won't be a problem with a small collection of board games in the center of the table. This not only gives the guests something an activity, but provides an excellent opportunity for people to mingle at a table where guests might not already know each other. 
2. Get Fishy Wid' It
Tired of that bowl of traditional flowers or shiny multi-colored balls? Why not fill it with live fish? Just fill simple glass bowls with a few small decorations (marbles add a nice touch to the bottom) some water and, of course, a few exotic goldfish. You could even include a small packet of fish food. If you've got kids at the table, the goldfish is sure to be a big hit, especially if you let them feed the fish. It's unique, cheap, and keeps both kids and adults entertained.3. Write makes Right
If you've got a lot of literate friends, another unique centerpiece idea is an attractive journal that matches the theme of the wedding. It looks lovely on the table, and if you include a few pens (how about getting your names and the wedding date on them?) your guests can leave messages, congratulations, best wishes, fondest memories of the bride and groom, embarrassing stories, or anything they feel the bride and groom would enjoy reading as they reflect on their wedding day. 
4. Bring it On, Cupcake
Never underestimate the power of a good cupcake. Small cakes or cupcakes artfully arranged on an attractive serving tray and decorated with small fresh or artificial flowers make a truly unique centerpiece. If you like, you can even use these as an alternative to the traditional wedding cake. This allows for more variety in decoration and flavors. Also, your guests can relive wedding memories by cutting the cakes at their table after the bride and groom.5. Smoke and Mirrors
The combination of candles and mirrors can make for some dazzling effects as centerpieces. Place an attractive round mirror in the center of the table, and have several lit candles of different heights and shapes on the glass. If the light in the reception venue is dim, the light of the candles on the mirrors can produce an awesome effect. Make this tried motif more modern by placing square mirrors under square glass vases, delightfully filled with floating candles and/or submerged flowers.6. Gift and Grab Boxes
If you've got bigger tables, different-sized gift boxes can add a unique touch as centerpieces. Take three different sized boxes and wrap them in unique but complimentary wrapping papers, then glue them together at odd angles to make them unique. For a little extra fun, get some grab bags at a local dollar store and put them inside the boxes for children, or the children at heart.7. A Puzzling Venture
One idea that's growing in popularity is to have a jigsaw puzzle made from a picture of the couple as a centerpiece. It encourages the people at the table to work together to assemble the puzzle, and this serves as a great icebreaker.8. Champagne Anyone?
Another great and useful idea for a centerpiece is a collection of unique champagne glasses. Thrift stores and garage sales often have a lot of these at very reasonable prices, and with a little cleaning they can look as good as new. Arrange the flutes on the tables in random patterns as a centerpiece. They don't have to match — they just have to play well together. The unifying touch? Fill each one with wedding-friendly candy, such as translucent vanilla Jelly Bellies, champagne candies, or pastel M&Ms. The guests can then use the flutes for toasting — and munching.
Don't be stifled by traditional centerpiece choices. These unique ideas can not only give your guests a way to break the ice the wedding, but something to marvel over later for years to come. Break the mold, but not your budget!
nicely worded, Hannah!
I AGREE!!!
I’m pretty sure it’s up to the bride and not the guests so ya’ll can shuve it
i had it at my wedding and i don’t care what people thought…the days about the bride and groom anyways….NOT to please the GUESTS with getting the approval…
did you guys pay for the centerpiece? Umm doubt it…so why do you all care anyways…
did you get free food? I’m sure you did…so SHUT UP!
ya’ll are killing me
Okay, I have no moral issues with the fish idea whatsoever, i think it is kinda funky. I entertained it myself until I ended up picking tree branches, spraying them gold, and putting fake birds on them.
However, keep in mind that maybe your guests WILL oppose to the fish. Also, don’t go the goldfish route. You are going to be so busy on your day, you won’t notice if one dies. How gross would that centerpiece be? I’m not saying it would be your fault if it died, but goldfish carry diseases. Also, one might get knocked over (although highly unlikely). The idea is cute it just carries some risks.
My daughter will be using Beta fish in fishbowls for centerpieces. We thought of topping off the bowl with a floating flower. Will it harm the fish?
I think its a great idea. I’m using Beta Fish as my centerpiece and then the guest can bring it home. I don’t see how its anymore cruel than fishing and gutting them open as a meal. At least these fish will get a good home lol!
I think using a fish as a centerpiece is cruel. People go to weddings and get drunk, and when people are drunk they are sometimes stupid. There is no telling what someone may find funny at the goldfish’s expense. There is also a chance someone may knock the bowl over. Please do not do this.
Hi Caroline,
1.5 years is fine for a small goldfish because when you buy them they are young. It’s just like many species of small crabs, they start in small shells then get bigger. In the wild, the gold fish live in the smallest areas possible, especially the smaller they are, as they are safer from predators. Until they are about 2 years old they can stay in a bowl. After that, it’s too small and they cannot grow properly and will die young. I recommend 1.5 years as fish shops keep goldfish for up to about 6 months. Explain to the people who will be taking home the fish that the fish will die young if they aren’t put into a tank in about 2 years; they will listen. No one wants innocent creatures to die.
The ammonia levels won’t even bother the fish for about 3 weeks for a bowl with 2 goldfish in them. The only time it becomes a problem is if detergent comes in contact with the water. For my fish tanks, I have seperate cloths that never touch a detergent for the safety of all my animals. They will love fresh water once a week. Everyday will put them under too much stress and will die sooner. Once a week will have plenty of air in the water for the full time; there will be more air in the water for the full period than in the stagnant lakes that they originated from.
Thank you so much Caroline for picking up my typo, a very bad typo. I mean 2 GOLDFISH. Please people, don’t put more than one Beta in, it will not be a nice wedding (unless you seperate them in different bowls).
If anyone else would like some more info on how to look after the Goldfish at a wedding without causing harm please ask on the bulletin, or email someone who specialises in keeping fish, not breeding fish, as there are different techniques in each situation for keeping the fish, and some breeders are quite cruel.
Once again girls, congratulations! Please do be careful with this; they are live creatures. Nicole; good idea putting a cover on the bowl to protect them
I am having an Oct, 2008 wedding & I am making fish bowl centerpieces for my wedding. I bought round glass bowls, lots of clear glass heart shaped rocks & filling the bottom of the bowl an inch thick with the glass rocks, in the middle of the glass rocks i’m putting blue & pink [1 color in each bowl, 8 bowls = 4 blue & 4 pink :P] lights to light up the rocks & water, the light is not bright, just a very light pink just enough to make the rocks glow, and the top will be covered with something just so nothing gets into the water, tied off with a ribbon of color to match the wedding theme! I can not wait until I put them all together for my wedding day!!! :?:P
I have a friend who breeds ryukin goldfish and keeping them in a bowl is absurd. They live 20+ years naturally, and so 1.5 years clearly isn’t right, and thus they won’t be comfortable. There is a difference between surviving and thriving. Changing the water daily could keep them alive for a bit, in a bowl, weekly is absurd because of ammonia levels and the lack of a nitrogen cycle.
Also beta fish are fighting fish so your advice to keep two in a bowl should be avoided, as they’d be fighting throughout the wedding if males.
Hi guys,
My best friend is the head of department of Zoology at the University of Western Australia, and specialises in aquatic studies. I’m completing a PhD majoring in Marine Biology at the Univeristy of New South Wales. She’s referred this to me to have a good laugh.
Um, I hate to break it to the greenies, but goldfish can live in confined spaces comfortably for up to 1.5 years. For a standard 25cm round fish bowl, 2 fish can be kept in it if you change the water each week, as this cleans the water and water through the tap has lots of air in it. They are hardy animals, and can handle one night in a fish bowl for a wedding, especially if it’s not bright as they love low light, and the vibrations of music and talking will not bother them as long as it’s consistent. I’m actually doing study on the soothing effects of music on aquatic life and found seaweed, most fish and some star fish grow faster with music due to it’s positive influence, the better with the heavier the music (heavy metal is most effective).
HOWEVER, do be careful. I recommend beta fish; they are more hardy and will LOVE the bowl. Whereas goldfish are content in a small place, but are also happy in large areas. Organise beforehand for guests at each table to take home the fish; they’ll look after it because it’s theirs. With flowers and candles, make sure there’s no toxic products in them. Limit 2 fish per bowl to be safe. Make sure nothing is cleaned with detergents as this will kill fish (most common reason for the behaviour reported at the weddings, as most people wash the bowls).
Congratulations, and remember – ask a professional about animals. A lot of website spout a lot of crap, especially about animal cruelty, because they get a good reaction.
Not at all, beta fish would be perfect for that environment, I’m sure they’ll enjoy the wedding!
ive considered beta fish at my october wedding as i am having vibrant colors similiar to the beta fish. it will be a smoke free enviornment and my guest dont get wasted and eat fish. i would donate the fish to the elementary school after the affair, where they would be taken care of. i know there is the question of loud music, but im sure many fish owners listen to loud music and the fish are ok or the table gets bumped with a vacuum. is there a cruel side im not seeing here? afterall, its only 4 hours.
I recently attended a wedding with fish as the centerpiece, it was very nice. But through out the night the grooms friends and wedding party started eating the fish, lol!
Plenty of fish to go around? There are also plenty of other animals around. Just because they are fish doesn’t make them disposable lives. What a sad world we live in.
this is so bad…. fish are beautiful and they can feel so i totally disagree with the idea of fish as centerpieces …. noone should buy this idea and maybe one day they’ll stop selling fish for wedddings
ok wow a lot of drama going on. I think it’s a great idea and i am considering it for my wedding. It’s ok there are plenty of goldfish to go around. Lol too funny. Well congrats to everyone planning a wedding.
Well said
I just attended a wedding with fishbowls as centerpieces. This was a bad idea. There were 4-5 fish in each tiny bowl and we had to watch them slowly choking to death because there wasn’t enough oxygen in the water. Even if they are just tiny animals, it’s cruel to kill anything by aspbhyxiation. They reacted to vibrations of the loud music and any time someone bumped the table. Watching a bowl of fish die slowly as I tried to eat and enjoy a party pretty much ruined my evening. Nobody wants to see that.
opps forgot the filling it with water part & the beta lol
I LOVE the fish centerpeice idea & will be using this idea for my centerpeices, October 18 [my wedding] Our colors are different shades of pink. I will be getting tall vases, filling them a few inches deep with pink & clear glass rocks & putting a pink glow light in the middle of the rocks to light up the rocks, & will top it off with a few flowers [same as in my bouquet]. I can NOT wait until its all put together!!
“We used feeder fish which cost 10 cents apiece and don’t have a long lifespan anyway. I put chlorine neutralizer in the centerpiece water. None of them died during the reception and survived just fine for a short time after. We put them in the base of our fountain after the reception and removed each one as they died. We also did not turn the fountain on during that time. Expecting a fish to spend a few hours swimming around a fishbowl is not any crueler than making a human sit in a crowded airplane. Get a life” -Removed them as they died? So you sat there for 25 years and removed each one as they died? Goldfish need filtration and oxygen, they hear via vibrations, at which a wedding or other party there will be lots of. The fish will become confused and stressed, and then more prone to becoming sick. I work in an aquatics centre, and many of these fish sold by other aquatics centres end up back at my fish shop with parents and their kids wanting “the cheapest” set up for the fish they were given – yes.. cheapest, it’s about £30 for the cheapest set up, which is too much for the majority of these people. Please think about these goldfish before you put them in bowls at your wedding or other party. Just because they only cost pennies, doesn’t mean that they don’t feel the same amount of distress as having, say, a puppy in a box on each table. Yes, fish have feelings too. What about the guests who will inevitably devise cruel ways to torment the fish? Pour a drink in the water and watch it slowly die from poisoning? C’mon guys, this just isn’t fair on the animals. What’s wrong with flowers? Or the glass fish which float via a glass air bubble? There are plenty more alternatives to using a live animal as a decoration.
To the person who in May said vegetarians eat fish: Vegetarians don’t eat fish. Fish is not vegetation.
As a party planner, I’ve used many types of fish at functions with out anyone offended- in fact, most guests found the idea unique and fun! It is best suited for a party with children- then why not invite them to take the fish home afterwards?
I have to agree with the fact that using goldfish is not the best idea for your center piece, I orignially planed to do that for my own wedding, but decided against it. While I don’t agree with keeping a goldfish in such a confined place, I also don’t agree with the attitude of some of the posts. Tellign someone they are dumber than a sack of bricks is not really the best way to sway them to your side of the argument. Goldfish definatly feel, but so do the people your posting about. On an end note good luck and warm wishes to everyone planning their wedding.
We used feeder fish which cost 10 cents apiece and don’t have a long lifespan anyway. I put chlorine neutralizer in the centerpiece water. None of them died during the reception and survived just fine for a short time after. We put them in the base of our fountain after the reception and removed each one as they died. We also did not turn the fountain on during that time. Expecting a fish to spend a few hours swimming around a fishbowl is not any crueler than making a human sit in a crowded airplane. Get a life
I had beautiful fish centerpieces at my wedding and the movement and color on the tables were unique.Everyone loved them.After the party we had a fish tank waiting to put them in.It is two years later and my fish are happy and loved being invited to the wedding.
Use betta’s and place the bowl on a small revolving light. it is very effective for a cocktail party. the party only lasts a couple of hours and the lights aren’t strong enough to hurt the fish nor warm the water that could harm them in any way. good luck with your event
Who wants to look at a fish swimming around trailing a string of poop out of it’s behind while they’re trying to eat their nice catered dinner? Anyone who’s ever owned fish knows exactly what I’m talking about…
Come on ladies…regardless of how YOU feel about the cruelty issue, gauranteed there will be guests at your reception who will not approve because THEY will believe it’s cruel and inappropriate. ESPECIALLY if something happens to the fish and your lovely centerpiece ends up featuring a dead fish floating belly-up. Why even go there and risk offending anyone?
And before anyone starts flaming me…I’m not choosing sides here. I just think that there are plenty of other creative alternatives that won’t potentially offend anyone.
Wow if you think trying to educate people to avoid animal cruelty is silly and pointless that’s quite sad.
My goodness…why is everyone fighting over a silly centerpiece for a wedding. This is so funny…I thought I was going to find wonderful ideas on this comment list but instead I found a bunch of silly and pointless remarks about a fish….HILARIOUS! I think I would try and sit down and make a list of other things I should be doing with my time…instead. ( :