How to create a wedding table centrepiece using garden flowers

If you're a diy bride wanting to create your very own wedding flower arrangements for your wedding reception tables, then in this blog post I will be sharing a few helpful tips and videos sharing the exact step by step process with you, so that you can feel confident in taking this huge project on. I'll be discussing the pros and cons to creating your own flower arrangements for your wedding day, sharing floristry tips and showing you how to put an arrangement together so that it looks natural. 

The biggest pro for creating your own wedding table centrepieces

For brides that want to get creative and make something for their wedding day, this is a great project to set yourself, as it will allow you to express your creative flair. Creating something from scratch can provide a real sense of achievement and make you feel more involved. You might want to do them yourself or it's an opportunity to involve your wedding party or closet family members to help you create them. This could be a wonderful activity before the wedding that helps you bond with loved ones, as they will just love helping you with this for your big day.

4 cons for creating your own wedding table centrepieces

Practice arranging flowers

If you have never had a go with arranging flowers, you are going to want to practice for sure. You might have a natural flair, but even so, don't expect to get it exactly how you want it on your first go. Make sure to practice before it's time to create them for real, so that you can build up some confidence and experience. Regular practice will also help you speed up the more you do it, as you maybe won't have the same amount of time the day before the wedding, plus you'll have the added pressure of getting it right.

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You may even find out that after a lot of practice, that it's a lot harder than what it looks. You may struggle to create the desired effect you really want. It's possible to push through this and try different techniques out. It's important to give yourself plenty of time to experiment because this is the reason why there are so many florist courses that provide the proper training. It's a skill to master and practice is key, even when you know the basics.

Work out your own flower quantities

When you hire a wedding florist to create your arrangements, you won't even have to think about quantities of flowers and how much foliage to order, as your florist will take care of it all. But when you have decided to create them yourself, you will of course have to work all this out yourself. This is another reason why practicing is a good idea, this way you can estimate how much you'll need for each table arrangement. It's better to order more than your need then not ordering enough.

You'll need to know how to prep your wedding flowers

If it seems expensive to you what a florist charges, this is because they are not only ordering and creating the work, they are having to condition and prep the flowers too. This all takes time, from opening petals, to stripping leaves to keeping them the right temperature. You'll likely have to do some research to find out what your flower choices will need from you, which can take a lot of time and effort finding the correct answers. 

It may cost you more money in the long run

Some brides may decide to create their own table arrangements because they are on a tight budget, and they think doing it themselves will be a cheaper option. You really need to consider a few things first though, before making this assumption. You will need tools to create the flower arrangements such as snips, wire, cable ties and florist tape. You will also need vessels to hold your flowers in position, whether it's plant pots, shallow bowls and long planters. Then there's buying your flowers. If you need a large quantity this is where the cost can add up, where as florists buy them in at wholesale prices. So it's worth weighting up your options first when it comes to prices as you maybe surprised.

Using sustainable floristry techniques & tools

When I create my own flower arrangements for the table, I stick to sustainable floristry techniques. I don't like using the foam oasis, I found it was a lot messier to work with, and actually rather unnecessary. I use chicken wire and moss when needed to create my floral designs and if I need a little bit more structure, I use metal pin frogs to hold the flowers where I want them. For me I prefer loose, un-structured table arrangements, as I prefer a natural look, one that has a relaxed style, looking like it's a mini gardenscape.

Step by step wedding table centrepiece videos

Here is a couple of step by step videos of me making some table centrepieces to inspire you to get practicing. These ideas could be used as the centrepiece for a sweetheart table, and ceremony table or a top table as a focal point. The style of flowers I have used are suitable for garden wedding styles and romantic wedding themes where couples are after a relaxed vibe. They are the perfect table decoration for barn wedding venues or in an elegant garden setting.

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Romantic garden gathered floral centrepiece

For this fresh flower table centrepiece arrangement, I have used a variety of evergreen greenery, cows parsley, catmint, chives and scabious flowers, and arranged it like it's all been picked from the garden. (as it was!) I used a mixture of dried grasses to give it a wild look and kept a loose structure for those relaxed vibes. Using longer delicate pieces throughout the arrangement like this, allows guests to freely chat across the table to each other without larger blooms blocking their view. I used a concrete planter which was lined with a plastic tray and chicken wire, which held all the flowers in place.

The colour palette of purple tones mixed with a pop of white and plenty of green shades provided a relaxed, romantic look which worked beautifully on the rustic style wooden trestle table. I styled with mix and match decor throughout the table with gold candle holders and vintage stoneware bottles to create a homely, lived in look.

Wild meadow style wedding table centrepiece

As with all my floral work, I wanted this arrangement to look like it was growing in the garden, looking as natural as possible in a meadow style. I used lots of lavender, sage and thyme to provide a soft palette, but to also add a calming sensory experience for guests. I chose delicate pieces such as salvia, wild grasses and delicate green foliage to keep it looking natural, with the addition of some hosta leaves to add interest. I also added some pops of white for a slight contrast which added a romantic look. I used my concrete planter to create this, with chicken wire in the bottom.

Colourful wedding table centrepeice

For this colourful table arrangement I used a variety of delicate flowers including cosmos, zinnias, salvia, ammi, verbena and lupins along with a variety of fresh foliage that was growing in my own garden. The aim was to create something colourful and fun which felt loose and unstructured, for a relaxed garden gathered look. As you can see the addition of pink added some interest to the design and lifted the darker shades of green, making it feel more summery. The colour palette was based around, olive green, purples, white, and pinks. I just love how it turned out. I used a wicker plant pot as my vessel and inserted some chiken wire in the base just to loosely hold the flower stems in place.

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