Eight Incredible Centerpieces for Your Wedding

Has anyone actually used fish in there centerpiece, if so any pics??

The fishbowl centerpiece is a _horrible_ idea. Not only is it cruel and disgusting, it’s dreadfully overdone and boring. _Everybody_ does it, because they think it’s to “OMG ORIGINAL! CUTE! FUN! ENTERTIAINING!” Uh, no. It’s trite. And I know I certainly wouldn’t enjoy a wedding with a suffering animal sitting in front of me; I definitely wouldn’t be able to eat if it was dead or, in the case of the beta pairs (NOT. A. GOOD. IDEA.), fighting and bleeding (and then dying).

I think wedding reception venues should ban the practice. It’s cruel, and also a major hygiene hazard. Plus, males + alcohol + goldfish (small children + sugar + boredom + goldfish) = inevitable disaster.

As for the supposed short lifespan of “feeder fish” (how that makes it okay to subject them to living in a cramped, oxygen-depleted environment for 3+ hours I’ll never understand): our two “feeder” goldfish that we bought for 2-for-$1.75 at PetsMart are 3 years old and grew from one inch to SIX and EIGHT INCHES each. Why? Because we keep them in a large pond in the summer, and a 20 gal. tank in the winter. They are absolutely gorgeous fish, and have been trained to come up to the surface to be fed whenever someone approaches the pond or lifts the flap on the tank cover. Fish make wonderful _pets_, but they are not and should not be “easy” to take care of. They deserve a clean and healthy space to live in as much as a kitten or puppy does.

Idea #5, the mirrors and candles idea, sounds like it would look absolutely stunning in a cozy small reception room or in a larger reception hall with the lights dimmed down a little. You could use glass/crystal candle holders for tapers or some thicker pillar candles to keep the wax from dribbling all over the place (they’d be harder to knock over by accident, too, and would add extra sparkle and light reflection). Maybe get a large circular mirror (diam. ~ 1 foot?) and arrange two or three smaller candles of different heights on it. You could use coloured candles, and ribbon/fabric to cover the edges of the mirrors, that fit with your wedding colour scheme. I am ttly stealing this idea.

Hey, Bridezillas!

I don’t give a rat’s tail-end if you provide me with free food, a goodie bag, or your firstborn. Hypothetically - you are NOT doing ME a favor by inviting me to your wedding. I am doing YOU a favor by celebrating your happy day with you. Seriously, do you think people have nothing better to do than dress up, sit through a tedious ceremony, and then spend more hours at the reception celebrating someone else? HOURS of people-celebrating? Sure, if you’re my mom, dad, brother, daughter, son, sister - whatever. However, not all weddings are comprised of immediate family who care as much as you do. As such, it is just rude to expect your guests to shut up and deal with whatever you decide to throw their way. If that is what you expect, keep your guest list to those people who care as much as you do. Oh, and you better damn well feed me for taking up my entire day in a celebration of YOU. I’m sick of the prima-donna bride. Yes, it’s your day. Yes, we’re happy for you. But it being ‘your day’ and us celebrating your happiness does not devalue your guests to mere props to make your day more magical. Guests are guests, regardless of the event, and should be treated accordingly. I think Dr. Phil did a show about this, actually. :S

Dear Centerpiece People,

I once heard of a lovely centerpiece for a wedding. A black and white male betta, in a HEATED TANK, beside the bride and groom. The fish went home with them after the wedding.

Obviously the issues of morality don’t bother some of you, or only bother you enough to make halfbaked excuses and cite so-called credentials while spouting incorrect information. The fishbowl centerpiece is not creative or unique. It’s been done. Endlessly. Much to the dismay of many dead and unhappy fish. Tell me, whatever happened to creativity? Whatever happened to NOT going out of your way to make another living creature miserable? It takes effort to put these fish through the stress of a rowdy, usually drunk group (which causes illness), temperature fluctuations, and ammonia content. You know what ammonia does? Eventually, it will eat away at their fins. It will burn their gills. You really think people will care for a fish that has been dumped in their laps without warning as a ’souvenier’? People, I have four fishtanks. I love fish - they are interesting, beautiful creatures. I will smack the next person who dumps a fish on me without warning. How do you think I wound up with four tanks to begin with?

Oh, yes, for the people hell-bent on using the fish centerpiece? Just to save your happy day, here’s a tip to avoid a bloodbath on all corners: Betta fish don’t go together. Period. Any incident of male betta living together is a freak occurance waiting to explode. Male betta have extremely powerful jaws, sharp teeth, and are always, always very territorial and agressive. This is pretty much common knowledge.

As far as female betta go, or female and male betta go - another DO NOT DO IT. Female betta can live together without resorting to a bloodbath. If you do it right. That means a heavily-planted 10 gallon tank, at least four (people usually use more) female betta. Why? Because they establish territories and a pecking order, not a schooling or shoaling community. Four fish minimum is advised so the literal pecking will be spread across the four fish and no one will get the brunt of the agression. Even then, sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. I have three female betta who refuse to live with other fish. Period. End of discussion. They had a heavily-planted 20 gallon tank to six fish. Believe it or not, fish can be ornary little pains and may often subvert any well-thought plans you have.

Males and females go through an agressive and nippy courtship ritual. Sometimes they’ll just kill each other, unless conditions in the BREEDING TANK are just right. After mating, the male will nearly always drive off the female to keep her from eating the eggs he watches over. If there is nowhere for her to go, guess what? He kills her.

It’s not cute. None of this. At all. Not something you or your guests (yes, who are important) want to deal with.

On my wedding day, I want there to be positivity and happiness at all corners. I want my guests to be happy, and I want me to be happy, I want my wife to be happy, and any animals present - I want them to be happy. I want waitstaff to be happy. I want it to be a giagantic writhing ball of happiness.

Dead fish do not contribute to that, neither do fish who start growing an odd fungus halfway through the reception because they got too stressed to fight it off.

Put that mind of yours to use. Seriously. Be creative, be romantic, make everything in your wedding truly positive and beautiful as a good start to a long, happy life. Sick/fighting/stressed/fungused fish are hardly a creative, romantic, or beautiful thing to be around.

The “feeder” goldfish sold at pet stores are mass produced and generally emaciated, overcrowded, and have logged more air time on an air plane than you or me probably have. All in a rush to get them to the stores to sell them before they die. How else would a pet store evn hope to break even on an animal that sells for only 12 cents if they actually had to house it properly or even feed it? Think about it, how would they even survive as a species if they all died within weeks of being born? The tiny little goldfish you see in the over crowded pet store tanks are only babies, many only a few weeks old. They mature into adults at around 3 years of age and will be about 9-14 inches long at that time. These are BIG fish and a pair of adult comet/common/shubunkin goldfish will need a minimum of 55 gallons to stay healthy for any amount of time and even more as they grow because a goldfish that is constantly bumping the sides easily falls ill, the scummy stuff that builds up on the sides harbors deadly bacteria.(you cant always see it and it only takes a day for it to come back after cleaning!) Goldfish are at their most majestic when they are adults, sadly not many people get to see adult fish. Fish keeping, the right way, is not easy! Fish are intricately tied into their environment and we are in charge of manipulating every variable to make the captive fishes home a livable environment for them.
I personally have over 20 goldfish some over ten years old, and they still have 20 years or more left to live! The world record longest living goldfish lived 43 years so we know they can make it at least that long with good genetics and good care. My biggest fish is a massive 15 inch shubunkin goldfish that has outlived my first dog and I dearly hope he will outlive my second.
These are long lived fish and I hope I inspired some of you to invest time researching these wonderful animals, they’re definitely worth it.

iI have to agree with Hannah !!! hahahah its the truth !!!

Ladies, I am amazed at the level of thinking here. Not one of you considered the inappropriateness of trying to give away a “pet” to your guests! Some of you did mention keeping or donating the fish (beta’s) to proper care which is great and responsible (and I’m on board with no goldfish and beta’s are prettier).

I think though, people will be people and mixed with alcohol…anything goes. It would be wiser to stay away from any animal in a center piece.

I have coordinated weddings for more than 20 years. There are so-o-o-o-o many other creative ways to do your centerpieces. Maybe you can do live blooming plants wrapped in beautiful paper/ribbon with extra’s inside them. Place them everywhere and give those away to your guests.

Thanks for reading and PLEASE remember you are ladies! Some kindness and respect can go a long way.

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.