Wedding Centerpiece Ideas With The Focus On Candles -  Your centerpiece may be a single candle, set in a rather plain holder. It can be a tall, slim candle (something that will last well through the reception), a thick candle, an arrangement of candles of the same or different heights and sizes, or the old favorite, votive candles, in small holders or floating in a bowl. If you are thinking in terms of a candelabra, remember the height rule, so one guest isn't looking at another through "bars". Candles are practically a must for an evening reception, especially a formal reception. They will not add all that much to a reception held in a bright area, and if the reception is outside during the daylight hours, forget it. Outside at night, or in the late evening, is a different story, though you may have to plan a bit to take wind or even small breezes into account. Of course a hurricane lamp or two will come to the rescue here.

If you do decide to use a hurricane lamp and candle as your centerpiece, do at least a minimal decorating of the lamp. It doesn't have to be much, a few flowers (silk might be best in this case), or some greenery around the base, can make a huge difference. One nice thing about hurricane lamps, you can get nice looking ones dirt cheap, just try Wal-Mart if you don't believe me.

Food And Drink As A Centerpiece? - Reception guests will usually either bring their own food to the table, or if the reception is a formal dinner, they'll be served. That doesn't mean you can't incorporate some wedding centerpiece ideas with food and drink in mind. If you don't mind breaking tradition a bit, have a small, single-tier wedding cake in the center of each table (yes, each cake can have bride and groom figures standing in the middle if you wish), that the guests can cut for themselves when it's time for the bride and groom to cut their own cake. Make each cake large enough so that everyone at the table will get a nice-sized piece. A variation of the wedding cake at the table is to have an arrangement of cupcakes instead. These of course can be decorated in any manner you choose, and it doesn't mean you can't have flowers or candles as well. Candles, flowers and cupcakes can make a very attractive, if somewhat unusual, centerpiece.

Drinks? Champagne of course. At each table place a champagne bucket and ice with either one large, or a collection of small champagne bottles. Again candles or flowers can add, and flowers at least might add a bit of color that the champagne bucket probably will not provide. About the only problem you may face here is the guest or two who can't wait to toast the bride (and everyone else). The others at the table will have to police the situation.

Out Of The Ordinary Wedding Centerpiece Ideas -  just a few ideas here to get the thought process going. The one problem with the "think outside the box" stuff is that if you're not careful you can come up with something that really doesn't fit the occasion. But nothing here appears to fit into that category. One idea that comes to mind is an ice sculpture. No problem for a very large table, such as a buffet table, and an attractive ice sculpture (a swan is a safe choice) will add much to the overall atmosphere. Give some thought to smaller, individual ice sculptures for each table. This has been done by others, but there may be some logistical problems to work out. This would be a good idea for a very formal occasion.

On a more personal note, a few photographs of the bride and groom taken not only recently, but during their childhood, or maybe high school years, will make good conversation pieces if nothing else. Formal dinner? Put them in attractive frames and at the center of the table. Not so formal? Try a photo cube. Other ideas might be a fountain (a battery powered one for small tables, a larger one for a very large table, statuary (small of course) such as pillars, which could be framed with anything from ivy to roses, and you can even use helium balloons at each table (for very informal weddings only).

If you haven't found anything that suits you in this collection of wedding centerpiece ideas, get together with a couple of friends and do a little brainstorming. You might well come up with something truly unique, yet perfectly fitting for the occasion.