The centerpieces for my June 4, 2011 wedding unveiled!

A few weekends ago, Derek and I decided to do a little experiment. I'm a big fan of potted flowers; I used to work at a garden store and I really don't like seeing cut flowers die. Derek is a big fan of not wasting money. So what to do for centerpieces? On May 15th, we bought some pots from Meijer--Derek wanted this dish style as opposed to a deeper pot, because he was adamant that the guests be able to see over the centerpieces to talk to each other. The pots are made by PSW Pots and made out of recycled material. The bigger one is shown in the color beige and is 10" in diameter; that pot was $3.99 at Meijer. The smaller one is in the color dark charcoal and is 8" in diameter for $2.99. I like the look of the dark pot better, so I think we'll go with that shade for the wedding, but Derek and I decided to do a mix of sizes.

We filled the pots with Miracle-Gro Potting Mix from Meijer.

We bought a flat of petunias from Bordine's Nursery, which was $15/flat on May 15th (remember they go down in price as Memorial Day passes). We mixed the colors called Deep Blue and (I think, but I'm not sure) Baby Duck Yellow, which is pretty close to our wedding colors. The 10" pot has eleven seedlings in it, and the 8" pot had seven.

I think they look great, don't you? Here's the "before" picture, so you can compare:



A few notes:

• We grew these from May 15th to June 4th in Michigan, so we had our fair share of both crappy weather, and really good weather
• These pots have no drainage holes. That is what we wanted--we didn't like the idea of dirt spilling through to the tablecloths at the wedding--but just remember that, if you do this, to watch the pots when it rains. If there is sitting water on top of the soil, gently tilt them so it can drain out.
• If you like the idea of the "Sky Blue" petunias that are out there, they aren't really that blue. They are more of a lavender. These Deep Blue petunias look bluer in the photos here than they really are--they are really a dark purple.
• Petunias need full sun, so keep them outside until the wedding
  

Fruitastic Centerpieces

One of the ways I deal with long, cold, midwestern winter is by dreaming about everything summer. Lily and I LOVE the idea of bowls of fruit or vegetables as centerpieces. They're tasty, and seasonal, and inexpensive.
If I was using red in my color scheme, bowls of tomatoes would certainly adorn my tables; my dad has grown them in his garden since before I was born.
And what says summer more than citrus?

The best part is, fruits and vegetables can go with any time of year, as long as you pick a seasonal fruit. How about some crisp McIntosh apples from a local orchard for an October wedding? Or pears in the winter?

Edible centerpieces don't end with produce. Gingerbread houses at Christmas time? Or, if you're opting for cupcakes instead of a traditional cake, how about buying or making small cupcake stands, and having your dessert double as your centerpiece?

Keep an eye out for Lily's next post...she's taken the tomato idea and ran with it!