I know, I know, NtB just wrote a great article on centerpieces, and here I go copying her again. Well, not quite. I think this is more continuing on a theme. After all, she talked about using tea tins as containers…well, this is about using actual edibles as part of your centerpiece.
After all, there’s no law that says you have to limit yourself to flowers and candles on your table. There are dozens of edible things that are as pretty as they are delicious. For instance, I find myself wishing I’d thought of this for my outdoor, summer wedding:
Not only is it bright and festive, but the fresh scent of lemons (or oranges, or limes, or grapefruits) is delightful in the air. Oh, and this is easy, too. If you’re interested in trying it, the instructions can be found here.
Of course, citrus is far from the only option for including edibles in your centerpiece. How about candy?
While I’m not certain I’m absolutely wild about the proportions of this particular version, I do think it’s a clever idea that could be played with. And again, it’s very simple to make. And while candy canes are best for Christmastime, there’s no rule saying you can’t use different hard candy sticks, depending on the time of year and your color scheme.
Of course, these are both centerpieces that incorporate food but don’t encourage actual eating. If you’d rather have the food eaten, why not consider this easy, attractive, and delicious option:
Just be sure to use edible flowers, such as roses or nasturtiums grown without pesticides in case someone decides to sample them. Maria? If you’re reading today, this is how it’s done. Do it simply, make it pretty. Capiche?
Of course, you might want to go for something that makes it more obvious that guests are welcome to dig right in…something like this maybe.
Chocolate-dipped fruit, petit fours, cupcakes, marzipan fruits, or a selection of fresh fruits and nuts displayed on a pretty, multi-tier serving platter will wow (and feed!) guests, stretching both your food and your decoration dollar to the maximum. What’s more, your guests will go home and tell everyone what a cool idea you had. Add a few dramatic blooms and this can’t be beat for visual, olfactory, and gustatory impact.
Last night I went to an impromptu barbecue where the hostess made a ginormous batch of white sangria and improvised in its presentation by putting it in the biggest vase she owned. Looking at the first centerpiece makes me want to lose the flowers and pop in a ladle. Hey, there are edible centerpieces (choco-dipped fruit, cake, cupcakes, etc.) so why not a drinkable centerpiece?
…now, to market my idea…
Once again, NtB, I stand slack-jawed in awe of your wisdom.
Of course, being the DIY queen, I’m going to simply make my own and not buy yours, mwahahahahaaaaa! But I bet you could really sell the idea to people. Mmmm…agua fresca as a centerpiece…I’m drooling.
Because we like to cook, our awesome florist made vegetable centerpieces for us. Each featured a different vegetable, and we used the vegetable names as table names. I really really loved them, especially the brussels sprouts, peppers, and radishes.
http://flickr.com/photos/rionam/195941988/in/set-72157594208071390/
http://flickr.com/photos/rionam/195942749/in/set-72157594208071390/
Wow, Riona! Those are fabulous.
Mmmm…Brussels sprouts. Delish. But I would never have thought of using them in a centerpiece. Your florist was, indeed, most awesome.
Those are indeed superb, Riona!
At the rehearsal dinner, I realized that we didn’t have table numbers. In a grim DIY mood, I marched from the diner (Jersey girl!) to the strip mall, where I was sure I could make something out of components available at the CVS and WaWa.
We had an autumn-themed reception. Fresh apples from the WaWa, index cards and yellow #2 pencils at the CVS, plus a fat black marker and tape. Numbers on two blank cards, tape to/around pencils, stick pencils in apples.
One guest did indeed eat the apple on her table.
I just hope she didn’t try to eat the pencils, TeleriB!
It was a great idea, though, and certainly easy for anyone to do.