Simple Centerpiece Ideas

Setting a pretty table almost always includes a centerpiece. You can always opt for the old standbys such as candles and flowers, but floral arrangements get pricey and are often too large and ornate. With a little imagination you can create uncomplicated but beautiful centerpieces for any occasion, many with items you may already have around the house.

Weddings

If your wedding is a casual affair, fill a plain white paper lunch bag with a flowering potted plant and tie the bag closed with raffia or twine. Choose a colorful flower for contrast. Orange red or yellow gerber daisies are perfect anytime of year. Consider poinsettias for a winter wedding or small pots of daffodils in the spring.

Mix and match tall bud vases and place a single blossom in each one. Long-stemmed roses add a traditional touch. Tie ribbon that compliments your wedding colors around the neck of the vase. For more depth, add a sprig of baby's breath or greenery.

Take your inspiration from nature by spraying pine cones, milkweed pods, leaves, and tall grasses with silver or gold metallic paint. Gather mixed bouquets together with raffia and display them in pottery vases or baskets.

Float candles and flowers in cut glass bowls. Rose blossoms, orchids and hydrangeas work well for this. For fun, add a goldfish to each bowl but be sure there are guests willing to take home the fish after the party is over.

Miscellaneous Occasions

For a girl's birthday party, use a cupcake stand filled with cupcakes frosted in pink. Flank it with pink and white balloon bouquets weighted down so that they stay put on the table. This can work at a baby shower as well. Keep the pink frosting and balloons for a girl and substitute blue for a boy.

Place weighted balloons in a pretty gift bag. Fill the bag with colorful tissue or shredded paper. Use birthday bags for birthdays, anniversary bags for anniversaries and so forth.

Interesting containers add a unique layer to any centerpiece. Fill a pottery pitcher with a wildflower mix for a casual country brunch. Display a single white lily in a tall black vase for a more contemporary look. Place a taper candle in a clear hurricane lamp or wide mouth Mason jar. Surround it with sea glass, small stones, or shells.

Holidays

Mix formal and rustic elements for a unique Christmas centerpiece by planting small poinsettias in a square or rectangular galvanized container. Cover the soil with moss or greenery. Set it on a lace runner and flank it with tall white taper candles in cut glass candlesticks.

For Thanksgiving, fill a horn-of-plenty basket with a mixture of fruits and vegetables. Place it on a coarsely woven linen tablecloth and flank it with tall pillar candles in traditional fall colors. Or fill a primitive wooden bowl with a variety of gourds and small pumpkins and circle it with ears of Indian corn.

For a simple Easter centerpiece,put a bouquet of pastel tulips into a small vase or florist's oasis, a material soaked with water to keep flower stems moist, then place the flowers into a wire basket. Fill the basket with colored eggs, Easter grass and jelly beans. For Easter brunch, fill a china pitcher with a floral design with a mix of spring flowers . Surround the pitcher with china teacups. Mix and match the patterns. Float a single blossom in each cup. Scatter jelly beans across the tablecloth for a fun touch.