Blue Orchid Centerpiece Ideas

One of my fellow teachers who is getting married in July asked me for some centerpiece ideas for her reception which will be at a gorgeous venue in downtown Columbus. Not only am I flattered because we’ve spent a lot of time sharing wedding details at work and she has fabulous taste, but I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to post some more floral inspiration since I think she is facing a dilemma that brides often struggle with.

After sticker shock at the florists, which is something I totally understand, she decided to use other more inexpensive materials to dress up her tables. Her original plan was to use blue orchids wrapped around the inside of a fishbowl filled with water and a floating candle on top, but something about the design just didn’t look right.

Without seeing it, I’m guessing that all the elements are competing with each other. A fishbowl is such a simple shape that usually only very minimalist flowers are used along with it, and the floating candle might seem out of place. I love the basics of the idea though, so here is a collection of ideas that will hopefully help reduce her last minute planning stress. I can’t wait to attend the wedding and post what she decided! I have no doubt the whole affair will be absolutely gorgeous.

Idea 1: Change the container shape

I think the fishbowl shape, while pretty is somewhat hard to work with. Cylindrical vases like these wouldn’t be much more expensive and are really elegant and streamlined with floating candles on top. You could either do a collection of different heights, or just one or two and scatter flowers on the table for more visual interest.

Idea 2: Use colored water

This would be incredibly inexpensive and I think the burning candle inside the turquoise water is a really cool effect. The website includes instructions on how to easily create the centerpiece yourself, and you could also add flowers either floating on the water or in between the two vases to incorporate the orchids.

Idea 3: Add branches for height

Another possible reason the fishbowl centerpiece wasn’t working could be the lack of height. Tall centerpieces definitely create more of an impact, although you do want to be aware that they can block conversation if you aren’t careful. Curly willow is a good element to use since you can get it cheaply and see through it enough to talk to the person across from you. I love how in this picture orchid blooms have been attached the the willow so it looks like a blooming branch. The advantage to this look would be you could really use any type of glass container as long as it was deep enough to hold up the willow.