Find the Perfect Centerpiece for Any Wedding Budget

Whether you’re planning a big wedding bash once COVID-19 fades away, or you and your significant other have ditched the traditional wedding in favor of a backyard celebration or an intimate elopement, there’s a wedding centerpiece that aligns with your budget. But, if you’re not careful, your floral budget can quickly blow you away. “I’d say 90% of our couples are surprised by how much fresh flowers cost,” says Amber Putmon, floral manager at Springfield Hy-Vee. “If you’re doing all fresh flowers and a full wedding with a reception and ceremony, you can plan on spending 10% of your budget on flowers.” But don’t let that scare you. Amber is here to share which style of centerpieces and which blooms fit each budget, from thrifty and mid-tier to full-blown wedding bash.

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Price Range: Less than $100 per table

Best Look For the Budget: This budget works great for smaller weddings or weddings where the couple wants to use single stem flowers in smaller containers or more greenery in place of blooms. This budget might seem small, but you can do a lot with very little. Putmon’s advice to every couple is to make your floral budget stretch. And when you have less than $100 per table to work with, every flower counts. One great way to make the most of your money is to use the bouquets you paid for, including the bridesmaid bouquets, as centerpieces. Once the ceremony is over, use those arrangements as centerpieces on the cake table, near the guest book or as thank-you gifts to people who helped with the ceremony.

Tip: For single-stem arrangements, Putmon recommends finding vases where the height difference is no more than three inches of each other, so if your tallest vase is seven inches, your shortest should be four inches.

Tip: You can also save money by using your own vases. Just make sure you get your vases and containers to Putmon and the Hy-Vee floral department two weeks before the wedding date.

Flowers to Focus On: Carnations, alstroemeria, mums, daisies, leather leaf, ruscus.

Unexpected Bloom: Mums can be absolutely stunning in bridal work. There are so many gorgeous shapes and colors, and they can be very large and make an impact. They’re also super budget friendly.

Price Range: $100–200 per table

Best Look For the Budget: These centerpieces can be more detailed, with large floral pieces and more compact arrangements. This budget is also where you start to see some of the other wedding decor mixed into the centerpieces. Some couples include photos or candles in their arrangements. This is also where you can start to mix a set of centerpieces in medium sizes arranged down the center of the table. You can also have one large and showy floral arrangement in the center of each table.

Tip: Most florists charge per foot when designing a table runner, and you want to keep in mind that you want your garland to run off the table. So if your table is 10 feet long, you want your runner to be 12 feet.

Tip: Don’t do a runner that’s made of all baby’s breath. It tends to have a little bit of a smell. Plus, variety in a runner always looks nice.

Flowers to Focus On: Roses, lilies, hydrangea, and fillers and greenery including eucalyptus, dusty miller, wax flower, limonium.

Unexpected Bloom: Protea is a tropical flower that is a showstopper. One protea in a bouquet makes the whole thing.

Price Range: $250 and up per table

Best Look For the Budget: These centerpieces are often extravagant and showy. That means different things to different brides. In some cases that means a couple wants tall vases overflowing with flowers and topped with curly willow or lush greenery spilling out of Mercury glass containers and down the tables. But that might also mean a couple wants elegant and tightly arranged roses and hydrangea.

Tip: Avoid going with all higher-end flowers. Instead, mix in other blooms like mini carnations and greenery, so you can make the budget stretch and get the most out of it and incorporate flowers into the ceremony space.

Tip: This budget can get you a stunning archway for your ceremony. Putmon says arches are the big trend right now, and her team can make them work with any budget, but a higher budget will get you more blooms.

Flowers to Focus On: Peonies, dahlias, hydrangea, dusty miller, eucalyptus, garden roses, anemone, lisianthus.

Unexpected Bloom: Birds of paradise or fresh ginger can be stunning.