Seeking a way to commemorate your special day? Want something elegant and tasteful, that won’t put a strain on your wallet? Following are a few ideas that will create lasting memories, while also keeping a rein on your budget.

Floral Arrangements

My favorite type of wedding centerpiece involves the use of flowers. These are especially popular for summer weddings. You can put a spin on this traditional, “tried and true” centerpiece by being creative. Fill a small crystal vase with 1 and ½ inches of water. Add seasonal flowers such as roses, peonies or stargazer lilies. Finish with extra greenery, and accent by selecting flowers that coordinate with your color-scheme. For the roses, mix about 3 color-themed flowers with 3 white flowers and accompany with baby’s breath; for the peonies, provide a special flare by using a pink/white/wine combination (4 per vase); and for the stargazer lilies, you might want to go with either orange, yellow or fuschia (again, 4 per vase).

Further enhance your floral arrangement by tying the vase with a monogrammed ribbon, containing the names of the bride and groom in frosted and silver or gold italics. Vases can either be of lead crystal or colored glass or porcelain; they can also come in many shapes, sizes, and styles including fluted and pitcher styles.

About 12 to 15 floral arrangements should be enough for each reception table. Most vases can be found either at thrift stores, or dollar stores (Family Dollar); or department stores (K-Mart); or craft stores (Michael’s) at reasonable prices. Seasonal summer flowers can be found either at Farmer’s Markets or other Vendor Fair Markets for a nominal costs. Or you may just decide to go to Jewel’s or Dominick’s for your floral arrangements. These stores always have seasonal flowers and you should be able to stock up on beautiful centerpieces for less than $300.

Candle Arrangements

Candles are a nice variation on the floral centerpieces. Place a color-themed 5” candle in the center of a 5×8” glass plate; edges of plate should be curved. Or for a more dramatic effect, replace the glass with a 5×8” curved-edge mirror. Then surround the candle with small vari-colored stones. Finish by tying a monogrammed ribbon around the candle; or you may wish to place the candle in a silver or gold vase and tie a monogrammed ribbon around the vase. The monogram should contain the name of the bride and groom, preferably in frosted and silver or gold italics.

Vary the color scheme by using pure white candles on alternate tables. You may also wish to replace the stones with a vine of white artificial flowers to surround the white candles and a vine of color-themed flowers to surround the remaining candles. All candle arrangements can be purchased at either K-Mart or Michael’s at a nominal price.

Photo Arrangements

Photos always create lasting memories. Make sure guests remember your special day by using a photo centerpiece. Start by placing a 5×7” close-up snapshot in a floral decorater porcelain frame. Frame can be personalized with the name of the bride and groom and with the words: “Our Wedding Day”, and/or with the date of the wedding. Personalized, monogrammed porcelain picture frames can be purchased from professional photographers for as low as $16.00/frame.

Candy Arrangements

Candy-themed centerpieces are currently all the rage; and there are endless ways to make candy displays. Start by placing creamy-mint filled chocolate-covered hearts on a 5×7” tin. Each heart should be individually wrapped in foil. Foil wrappers could contain the names of the bride and groom, or some other romantic sentiment such as “I Luv U”, “U & Me 4Ever”, “It Takes 2”, “From Me 2 U”, or “Please B Mine”, to give just a few examples.

Or your choice of candy might be cherry-filled chocolates or cherry-nut filled chocolates. You may also opt for crusty-shelled, chocolate-filled chewy candy. Chewy candy comes in a wide variety of colors and flavors, and their shells can also be monogrammed with romantic sentiments.

For your display use tin trays, or porcelain or glass or crystal vases or even vari-colored plastic wraps. Provide your own personal touch by filling a large color-themed plastic wrap with your selection of candy, then tying the wrap with a thin, coordinating ribbon.

It’s a Wrap

As you can see when it comes to wedding centerpieces, the possibilities are endless. From traditional floral arrangements to candy arrangements, wedding centerpieces can make your wedding memories a thing of everlasting joy. Make sure your wedding reception is the “talk of the town” for years to come, by selecting the centerpiece of your dreams.