Creative and Unique Centerpieces

How cute a way to pretty up floral centerpieces: put them in boxes! This makes for a gorgeous table and I love how the favours blend right in! For details go to Martha Stewart.

Perfect for a summer cocktail party or a beach themed wedding, I love how these centerpieces bring the entire beach to you by including sand, shells and sea grasses. Serve a Blue Hawaiian cocktail with dinner and you've got yourself a tropical vacation!

Source: Total Wedding Planning.

I love these Easter themed centerpieces, perfect for the family Easter dinner or a spring time fete. Source: Thoughtfully Simple

I love these centerpieces because they are able to add height to the room without obstructing the view that your guests will have of each other and their surroundings. A low floral base gives way to a tall, slender body topped with curly willow, greenery and hanging candles, and makes a huge impact on the look and feel of the reception.

Source: In the Details

How cute and easy is this idea? Using mismatched goblets, wine glasses and martini glasses you can whip up a shabby chic table top in no time for an afternoon brunch or bridal shower. Grab some candles that you have lying around your house and pluck some flowers from your garden, and you have instant style that is mucho easy and mucho bonita. Source: Simply Devine

When it comes to reception decor, it all starts with your centerpieces. It is, of course, what your guests will be staring at the majority of the time at your wedding. They set the tone for your reception, they tie in your colours and theme, and they provide an elegant focal point to rest your eyes on. This collection of nifty and creative centerpiece ideas will hopefully inspire you and give you ideas beyond a traditional floral arrangement for your wedding or your next dinner party! Enjoy!

Top 10: #4 Personalize your wedding

4. Personalize your wedding. If you have high expectations for your big day and really want to impress your guests, go for a personalized, signature approach instead of just over the top or traditional. Over the top can be done, and it has been done before, but what guests will really appreciate are all of the little unique touches that they won't find at another wedding. Whether it's a custom monogram, a pattern that is carried throughout the decor, a signature drink, or a unique theme, it will pay off to stray from the path of normalcy and guests will be happy for the change in scenery. Don't know where to start? Get inspired by some of the countless wedding blogs online that feature stunning, one of a kind real weddings. Style me Pretty and It's a Jaime Thing are great places to start. Magazines also offer great ideas, one of my favourite features being a Californian wedding that used a roll of pale yellow and grey paisley wallpaper as their aisle runner to tie in the paisley pattern they used in their printed materials. There are so many truly inspiring ideas out there, and you might regret not thinking outside the box once it's too late to change anything.

Carnation Nation: Flowers for the Recessionista

The national flower of Spain is a hardy, inexpensive bloom, and is available in almost every corner shop or grocery store. Despite it’s availability and affordability, I have never been a big fan of carnations. My first encounter with the flower was in Gr. 4 on Valentine’s day. A boy with a childhood crush decided to propose to me in front of the class and gave me a bouquet of carnations (no doubt intended for the teacher). Completely mortified, I stuffed the carnations in my backpack upside down, and threw them in the garbage as soon as I got home.

I haven’t really paid much attention to the flower since that day, but I’ve never been drawn to them in any way when browsing for flowers. As a good friend with a family business in memorials once said, carnations are the flower of funerals, and who really wants flowers that remind us of death? My negative feelings toward the carnation proved to me to be a challenge. With the current economic climate, why not try and use this affordable and versatile flower in new ways?

One thing to focus on when working with carnations, or any flowers for that matter, is to minimize flaws and maximize assets. Since the abundance of stem and greenery takes away from what carnations have to offer, get rid of the stem! What do carnations have to offer? Well, they come in a variety of vibrant and complimentary colours, and they bunch together quite nicely. The two centerpieces I designed that are featured on this post show two very different sides of the carnation: girly glam and understated modern. Carnations also make great pomanders that can be used for pew decor, and a google image search of carnation centerpieces is sure to provide you with loads of ideas.

Carnations may never win my heart over like peonies or orchids, but I have definitely gained a newfound respect for them. The next time I’m picking up a few groceries for dinner, I might not walk past the carnations with the same indifference as I did before. In fact, I might even head straight for them.