Come Back Here With my Vase!

{Image via MSW}

I was reading a post on The Bride's Guide recently about guests taking centerpieces.  I have been to a few weddings where there have been "contests" to see who will "win" the centerpiece.  At a recent wedding Rich & I won a centerpiece because he was the oldest person at the table.  Nothing like reminding people of their age.  At a wedding this summer the mother of the bride was encouraging the last remaining people who were there to take a centerpiece home because they were going to be thrown away {I took two because I could not stand the thought of the gorgeous flowers in the trash.  Ack!}.  My mother did the same thing at my sister's wedding this past July.  Another wedding we attended had centerpieces consisting of record albums that no one touched {though the lilies might have been up for grabs I do not remember}. 

All of these centerpiece scenarios got me thinking about our centerpieces which will be comprised of three elements: 1.  Rich's record albums; 2. My milk glass vases; & 3. Flowers in the vases.  We do not want people to walk off with the albums, however we will take the actual records out of them & leave them at home {just in case!}.  I also do not want everyone walking out with my milk glass vases I have been collecting.  I will make some exceptions say if an aunt or close friends really loves one, then of course they may have it. 

Okay...so if you do not want people to take the vases, but were so upset over your friends flowers getting thrown in the trash...?  Enter cute custom-printed cellophane bags & pretty ties!  Last spring MSW ran this idea of centerpieces pulling double-duty as favors.  Small waterproof bags with a message inviting guests to take the flowers home with them can be placed on the table towards the end of the night.  This way the flowers will still be enjoyed by the guests & I will still have my vases!

Comments

[Abbie]

We bought cellophane favor bags from Target and printed stickers to put on them telling guests to take the flowers and leave the vases. They loved them, and we didn't have any left!

[Abby]

I'd be wary of the record covers being taken. I get it that the music is important, but sometimes the record cover is more valuable than the actual record.

Photocopy them, mount em on foamboard and risk nothing.

Just a thought.

[Alli]

I never thought of letting the guests take the centre pieces, what a lovely idea. We're collecting vintage vases and I was wondering what on earth we'd do with all the vases after the wedding. As we're having a 'destination wedding' many guests probably won't take the vases, but giving guests the option will take a fair few off our hands!