Flowers: What's Hot for Centrepieces

A reception table is nothing without its centrepiece. Think about it: where would The Donald and Melania be without their Versailles-inspired arrangements, bursting with blooms and more than a dozen candles each? In a large space, centrepieces add drama. In a small space, they set the scale and add personality. Don't know where to begin? We asked top floral designers for some fresh ideas.

Eclectic Foundations

To create a one-of-a-kind, each-table-is-different look, floral experts are turning to a mixed collection of vases as the basis for their arrangements. For an Asian-inspired look, designers are filling an assortment of sleek glass vases, bowls, and thin cylinders with natural objects like river rocks or sea glass and then grouping them together in threes. More traditional arrangements include collections of small silver containers -- trumpet vases, silver bowls, and jewelery boxes as building blocks for arrangements. For a Baroque look, an assortment of gold boxes, urns, and bowls sitting on gold trays work well.

Simple Presentations

This season, the look is streamlined. Vases are packed with one kind of blossom for a chic, contemporary feel, or are made up of many different kinds of flowers in just one color. A look we love? An all-green centerpiece full of blossoms with different textures -- Queen Anne's lace, wheat grass, and woodsy leaves such as maiden fern.

Casting a Glow

Candles have always been responsible for adding romance to the table and the room. Floral experts are taking the concept a step further this season by incorporating candles within the centrepieces themselves. This works on tall, full arrangements such as cherry blossom branches, where votives can be hung on ribbon or wire-like hangers. Alternatively, tall cylinders can be filled with colored water to match the wedding palette, and small floating candles can be placed in each.

Keeping the View

It's hard to have a conversation with the person across the table when there's a big centrepiece blocking your view. To mitigate this, designers are making increased use of glass and Lucite containers, which add height to the table, but don't entirely restrict sight lines. Consider using short square and tall rectangular glass vases spaced evenly apart down a banquet table. The look is spatially interesting and still functional.

By Christa Vagnozzi