Wedding centerpiece ideas aren't really all that difficult to come by. If you have an ounce of creativity, and you probably have much more than that, or you'd just as soon take a look at other people's ideas, you'll quickly come up with a few promising candidates to work with.

If the wedding reception features a buffet table or a large gift table, those would be two places where you could put a very large, tasteful centerpiece. Here however, we're focusing more on smaller wedding centerpiece ideas, those that would look great in the center of a table seating 6 to 8 people or so. The stars of the show are the bride and the groom of course, and you're not trying to outshine them with a set of extravagant centerpieces designed such that people who attended the wedding will remember them forever. If you think in terms of simplicity and elegance, and a centerpiece that's going to add to the overall atmosphere, you're well on your way. Wedding centerpiece ideas can be as simple as a single tall candle, a thin vase with a single flower, or a bowl containing one or more votive candles. At least those are three ideas you can start with and build on.

Size Is Important - What we are dealing with in terms of an appropriate size of a centerpiece, is the concept that bigger is not necessarily better. You don't what the centerpiece so small that it ceases to be much of a centerpiece at all. On the other hand, you don't want one so large that it tends to make the table crowded, or so high that you can't see the person seated across from you. A centerpiece that's a foot high is probably pushing things a bit, especially if it's a floral arrangement, so try to go shorter than that if you can. Of course if you come up with a truly superb idea that breaks the height "rule", go with it. No rules here, just a few ideas sprinkled with a little advice.

Let's take a look at several categories of wedding centerpiece ideas, flowers and flower or plant arrangements, candles, food and drink, and one we can call the miscellaneous department, or the kitchen sink if you prefer. There are several unusual yet perfectly good ideas in this latter category. In each of these categories, the cost can vary tremendously, depending what you have in mind. You want a wedding reception that people, especially the bride and groom, will fondly remember. It may seem a bit unfair, but the chances are that they won't remember the centerpieces (so be certain to take some photos of them for the wedding album), even if they are truly elegant. If the centerpieces are a work in progress, which is to say tacky, they probably will remember them. That doesn't mean that you have to pay an arm and a leg on centerpieces. There are plenty of materials for wedding centerpiece ideas that you can find at the local Dollar store, even for the most formal of receptions!

Wedding Centerpiece Ideas With The Focus On Flowers - This is the one area where you can of course just call the florist and get on with other things. It is also one area where you can be quite creative, and have fun designing a very attractive centerpiece. Just go to the market and buy fresh cut flowers. Anything that will make a very colorful display, or just white roses for a more formal look. For each table you may have a single flower, such as a rose, in a thin vase, or a bunch of flowers in a wider vase. In a very formal setting, the same flowers or color scheme for each table might be more appropriate. If the reception is to be on a more informal note, each bouquet can be quite different from the rest. Count the number of tables, multiply by the approximate number of blooms for each centerpiece, and head for the market (cheaper than the florist).

Don't forget the bridesmaid's bouquets! It's very likely that you'll have more tables than bridesmaids, but their bouquets could serve as a centerpiece for the gift table or a buffet table (unless the bridesmaids want to keep them). Another idea is to use potted plants instead of cut flowers. The pots, often plastic, can be decorated with tissue or foil for the occasion, and at the end of the reception you can either keep them or give them away. Save one for the married couple if they have a place to keep it.

It's true that some think that silk flowers would add too much of an "artificial" touch to the table, but there are some extremely attractive silk flowers, that from not to far away look like the real McCoy. From a practical standpoint you don't have to worry about water or wilting, and can take as much time as you want in trying out different arrangements. You can design your arrangement a month ahead, and once satisfied with the result, go buy more silk flowers.

In place of a bouquet, you can have flower petals (roses are best) floating in a bowl, or a single flower immersed in water in a cylindrical clear vase (again, roses are best for this), and while we haven't yet looked into ideas focusing on candles, candles and flowers together will give you a wide variety of good wedding centerpiece ideas to choose among.