How to Buy The Perfect Wedding Centerpiece

Who says wedding flowers have to cost an arm and a leg? With fresh wedding centerpieces and wedding decorations from Sam's Club and a little DIY spirit, you can create the perfect tablescapes for your wedding without breaking the bank.

What is a wedding centerpiece?

Many weddings feature table centerpieces to help set your wedding theme and wedding colors and provide extra decoration to the reception and/or dining rooms. Centerpieces most often consist of beautiful flower arrangements in glass vases in various sizes.

How much are wedding centerpieces?

According to Brides Online, head table centerpieces can cost between $65 to $150 per centerpiece, while guest table centerpieces can cost between $75 and $400. Taller wedding centerpieces, which are impressive but often require more flowers and filler, may be even more expensive.

At Sam's Club, six-piece wedding table centerpieces start at only $254.98, with most of our other six-piece options costing under $300 as well. So rest assured, we'll help you stay under budget for your wedding reception.

What different types of wedding centerpieces are there?

All of Sam's Club's wedding centerpieces feature real, fresh flowers, floral fillers and greenery for your wedding decorating needs. Many of our wedding centerpieces feature the most classic flowers:

• Roses
• Calla lilies
• Asiatic lilies
• Gerbera daisies
• Dahlias
• Yellow protea pincushions
• Safari sunsets

These are solid choices for most wedding themes.

We also carry seasonally themed table centerpieces:

• The six-piece White Rose Centerpiece set or White Wedding Lantern, with a white candle surrounded by bright greenery like cedar and Oregonia, would be perfect for a winter wedding.
• The six-piece Woodland Centerpiece set in colors like burgundy and mauve, or the six-piece Earth Tone Centerpiece set would perfectly fit a rustic fall wedding.

How do I choose a wedding centerpiece?

Start with the wedding color scheme

Do the flowers you like come in colors that fit your color scheme? Do the other flowers and filler in the floral centerpiece, even if not an exact match to your palette, still complement other colors in the room as well as the overall wedding theme? Finally, if you're using aromatic filler like lavender, eucalyptus and rosemary, do the aromas work with or against each other?

Look at the bride's bouquet

Try to bring the different flowers and decorations together by tying them all back to a common thread. For example, if the bride's bouquet features peonies and baby's breath, try to include one or both of those flowers in the table centerpieces.

Going seasonal?

If you're opting for a fall wedding or a winter wedding, try to stick to seasonal flowers, since they'll not only cost you less, but they'll also last longer than wedding centerpieces that use flowers that aren't in season.

Size matters

Different sizes of centerpieces, as well as the rest of your wedding setup, call for different features. Have round tables? If you want a tall centerpiece, make sure it has a thin base so that guests on opposite sides of the table can still talk to each other. You could also opt for a low centerpiece, which also works wonderfully on larger reception tables where it won't crowd place settings.

Can I DIY a wedding centerpiece?

Absolutely! A little creativity and floral know-how are all a DIY wedding planner needs to set the perfect tabletop.

Be sure to follow some basic rules for arranging flowers:

Less is more

A huge, over-the-top display can take away from the natural beauty of the flowers. Showcase no more than five flowers in your arrangement and build from there. This will also spare your wallet.

Choose one focus

It may be tempting to go all out on flowers for a larger arrangement, but you can actually make more of a statement by sticking to just one eye-catcher, like hydrangeas or dahlias. Having less clutter will make your arrangement pop that much more.

Inexpensive flowers can shine, too

Lavender and rosemary, which Sam's Club sells in bulk, are great inexpensive fillers that add color, texture and a pleasant aroma to your arrangement. Succulents are also wonderful in flower arrangements, due to their independent aesthetics, low price and low maintenance needs.

Look to the bouquet

One popular wedding centerpiece idea involves creating floral arrangements based on the individual flowers in the bride's bouquet. This will allow each centerpiece to be unique while still tying back to the main spotlight of the wedding: the bride!

Mix up the color scheme

One easy way to add some variety to the table decorations is to use the same floral arrangements but in different hues for each table.

Does Sam's Club also sell unarranged flowers?

Sam's Club sells a whole array of flowers, floral fillers and greenery in bulk that you can arrange to your taste:

• Roses
• Hydrangeas
• Irises
• Tulips
• Peonies
• Orchids
• Tropical flowers, like Birds of Paradise and Ginger
• Dahlias
• Carnations

We also have plenty of fillers to create the exact aesthetic you want:

• Baby's breath
• Ranunculus
• Eucalyptus
• Dusty Miller
• Fresh olive branches
• Curly willow branches
• Monstera palm leaves
• Lavender
• Rosemary

Any alternative table centerpiece ideas?

A little creativity goes a long way. Mix up the typical flower-arrangement-in-glass-vase look with more unique wedding centerpiece ideas:

• A wedding lantern
• Bud vases
• Mason jars
• A terrarium
• Floating candles
• An array of votive candles or tealights
• Vintage candle holders or a candelabra
• Succulents on decorated driftwood

Even a striking table runner or tablecloth may be enough to set the tone of a rustic wedding.

How are flowers shipped?

Flowers are hydrated prior to shipping, but it's absolutely normal for them to appear sleepy and thirsty after their journey. View our Care and Handling Instructions for Wedding Collection Flowers.

Wedding flowers ship overnight via FedEx or UPS to ensure freshness, but they do require a minimum of 10 days for handling to prepare for the shipment. You will receive an email letting you know your order has been shipped the day before your requested delivery date.

Delivery is not available to Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico.