How Big Should Wedding Centerpieces Be?

There are tons of questions you have to ask yourself when you’re planning a wedding. When do you want to get married? Where do you want to get married? What colors do you want to use? Who is going to be in your bridal party?

Questions like these are obvious as you start planning your wedding, but the success of your day lies in the details, which means asking more specific questions. One of the most important questions you should ask as you’re getting ready to plan your décor isn’t necessarily what kind of flowers to use or whether or not you want an arch at your ceremony. Instead, you should ask, “How big should wedding centerpieces be?”

Table Decorated With Potted Plants: Charm City Wed, Lush Flower Garland Spilling Over the End of a Table: Tulle and Chantilly, Geometric Table Centerpiece With Candles: Deer Pearl Flowers

Determine Your Budget

As you might expect, bigger wedding centerpieces tend to be more expensive than smaller wedding centerpieces. That’s why it’s so important to consider your budget.

It’s important to consider your overall budget, but you should also break your budget down into chunks. For example, knowing you have a total budget of $20,000 may make it seem like you have plenty of cash for beautiful floral arrangements. The truth is, once you account for food, the venue, the dress, rings, and other details, you may discover you don’t have as much for centerpieces as you thought.

If you have a limited amount of money to spend, consider small floral arrangements or skip the flowers altogether. There are a lot of great ideas for unique wedding centerpieces without flowers.

Think About Your Theme

When considering how big your wedding centerpieces should be, you should also ask yourself, “How much wedding décor do I need?” That can be a surprisingly difficult question to answer!

The best way to think through this question is to consider the theme of your wedding. Some weddings lend themselves to big, bold wedding centerpieces. For example, if you’re hosting a glamours garden wedding, roses spilling over the sides of every table might be appropriate. However, if you’re hosting a minimalist event inside an industrial building, grand centerpieces will look out of place.

Think about how you want your wedding to feel to your guests. Then, think about the materials you want to use. A romantic affair might use plenty of candles while an eco-friendly wedding might feature centerpieces with potted plants.

Simple Tablescape Featuring a Floral Chandelier: The Lane, Tall Floral Centerpiece on a Metal Stand: Wedding Wire, Short Floral Centerpiece With Candles: Burgh Brides

Consider the Flow of Conversation

No matter how much money you have to spend or what kind of wedding you're having, every couple needs to consider the flow of conversation at their reception very carefully.

Poorly arranged flowers can obscure your guests’ line of sight, making it difficult to have conversations with the people across the table or see what’s going on across the room. According to Rachel Cho of Rachel Cho Floral Design, short centerpieces shouldn’t be any larger than 12 inches tall, while tall centerpieces should be 24 inches or higher.

If you’re worried about your centerpieces getting in the way, but you still want to make a statement with your décor, consider flower chandeliers instead. They can be as big and grand as your budget allows without obstructing anyone’s view.

Choose Vessels Carefully

You also have to consider the vessels you use carefully. They can easily make a table feel small and crammed, and they can obscure your guests’ line of sight just like the floral arrangements themselves.

For example, if you have small round tables that can only seat a few guests, a large galvanized bucket full of flowers in the center of the table will make the table seem smaller, even if the arrangement is only 12 inches tall. However, that same bucket at a large table that can seat eight or more guests can look quite beautiful without interfering with the view.

If you love the look of tall centerpieces, choose a vessel that’s clear or see-through. Metal planter stands can be quite lovely on a table, as can acrylic floral stands. Wedding centerpieces with lanterns is also a great idea.

Avoid Potential Embarrassment and Disaster

Thinking about how big and tall your centerpieces are is important, but you also have to think about the spread of your centerpieces. If you opt to arrange multiple pieces on each table instead of going for a single centerpiece, you have to think about avoiding the embarrassment of your guests and potential disaster.

For example, if you love the look of bud vases scattered all over the center of a round table, make sure that there aren’t bud vases close to place settings. Otherwise, guests are in danger of knocking them over while passing the bread or toasting champagne glasses.

It’s even more important to be careful if you have wedding centerpieces with candles. Venues require candles to be contained, so make sure you do the same if you’re hosting your wedding on private property. Also make sure there aren’t too many running down the center of the table or close to glasses, plates, and silverware. That way guests don’t accidentally knock them over and start a fire.

Picking wedding centerpieces means more than just choosing your favorite flower. If you want to avert potential disaster and make sure your guests truly enjoy the party, follow these tips, and they'll remember your centerpieces for all the right reasons.