As the wedding draws closer, I’ve been giving a lot more thought to my flowers.  A few weeks ago I met with Linda, my florist, to choose candelabras, review the budget and get a realistic sense of what I could afford versus what I really want.  I’ve already shared my musings on my  bridal bouquet and my attendants’ bouquets, so today I’ll be sharing my ideas on centerpieces.  While I’ve decided that I’ll probably add a dash of color to my attendants’ bouquets to contrast with my own ivory bouquet, I’ll be sticking to my ivory and gold color scheme for the entire reception decor, including the centerpieces.  I of course want to incorporate roses into each arrangement, but more recently I decided that white hydrangeas would be pretty and would add some fullness and texture to the centerpieces.  Here’s an example of an arrangement using roses and pretty blooms that I like (I also really like the colors used):

The florist had some ideas as to what other flowers and greenery we should add to the arrangements for fullness, and I trust her judgment and her ”vision.”  The arrangmets she created for my sister’s wedding were beautiful, so I’ll be happy with anything remotely comparable.  I would like to keep the arrangments pretty simple and elegant in terms of the flowers and colors that I’m choosing, and for the most part I would prefer to stick with muted colors, perhaps adding some blush or light apricot roses for a little dimension.  Devoted as I am to the idea of a white wedding, however, I feel like I should add some drama.  To that end, I’ve decided to mount the centerpieces on tall,  33″ candelabras .  I really love the dramatic look of tall centerpieces, and since we’re using round tables our guests will be able to converse and see one another without the flower arrangements getting in the way.  Here’s a lovely example of a tall centerpiece that I like, this one using a glass trumpet vase and hanging crystals (a really trendy look at the moment):

Of course, nothing adds drama as effectively as ostrich feathers!  Initially, I was going to confine my obsession with fluffy plummage to my bridal bouquet, but gradually that expanded to include my attendants’ bouquets and, most recently, centerpieces as well.  I’ve seen several examples that I like, though I would probably not want to use more than a few really large, very fluffy wing feathers in each arrangements.  Here are a couple of very pretty examples:

I’m not enamored with the idea of centerpieces made entirely of ostrich feathers, but I am thinking of having a few ostrich feather arrangements around the Branford House for variety.  I was thinking of putting really large, dramatic feather arrangements made of ivory wing feathers in gold trumpet vases on the piano next to the cake, on the escort card table and on one of the fire places.  I might not use that many, depending on space and my evolving “vision,” so I’ll have to keep you posted on that.  Here’s an example that approximates my “vision” for the feather arrangements:

As you can see in one of the arrangements above, hanging crystals have been really popular of late.  I like the way they look; they give a sense of oppulence to the tall arrangements.  I had been thinking for some time of putting crystals in my bouquet and perhaps on the cake, so hanging crystals would tie in with that idea.  I’m on the fence for a couple of reasons:  First of all, while over-the-top oppulence does say “vintage” to me, the hanging crystals don’t really look timeless and might seem kind of trendy in hindsight; Secondly, while the crystals wouldn’t be totally budget-busting, anything I add to the wedding budget in these last few months has to be something that I absolutey love and “gotta have” in order to justify the cost.  Not sure I “love” the crystals with my vintage theme.  I’ll probably pass on them, but I figured I would mention them simply because they’re such a big trend right now.  Between the beautiful florals, the tall candelabras, and of course my beauteous, fluffy ostrich feathers, I think my centerpieces will have plenty of drama.  I’m set to have a few more conversations with Linda over the next couple of months, and, as always, I’ll keep you posted!