Tips & Tricks - Submerged Centerpieces

As a wedding planner, sometimes I have to be a "Jack of all trades." This is especially true if I'm working with a client that has a modest budget and an ambitious set of expectations. Not everyone can afford to have a professional florist create their centerpieces. Often times, they cost between $50 and $200 per arrangement.

The easiest way to have a centerpiece look expensive is by doing a submerged floral centerpiece. They don't use a lot of flowers and the beauty of the ones you do use are magnified by the water. I had a client that needed to stretch her floral budget. Since I've done wedding centerpieces before, I offered to do them for her. Now, I'm sharing my knowledge with you! :)

Of course, I prefer that centerpieces be done by a florist because it makes my job a million times easier and, quite frankly, they do a better job. That being said, if you are absolutely unable to budget for centerpieces done by a professional  then DIY submerged centerpieces are simple, elegant and cost effective.

Start out by purchasing cylinder vases from the dollar store. Then choose glass beads and floating candles that coordinate with your color scheme. Next, order hardy flowers with full blooms. Great flowers for submerged centerpieces are Roses, Dendrobium Orchids, Spider Mums, and Gerber Daisies. I like to use wholesalers like Sam's Club or  Bunches Direct.

Make sure that you cut your flowers so that they are an inch or two below the top of the vase. You must fill the vase with the glass beads first, then place the flower. This is so they are centered.

Also, there is a trick to getting the flowers to stay in place under water. (Otherwise they will float to the top even if they are surrounded by rocks.) You must use fish weights! You can get these for $2 a bag at your local hardware store in the fishing section.

Use floral wire to secure the fish weights to the stem of the flower and then stick them into the beads. Then fill the vases with water. If you don't want bubbles, use distilled water.

It is important to note that these centerpieces take a long time to put together.I reccomed putting them together a day or two before your wedding. If you decide to assemble them before the wedding day then you should not submerge the flowers until you put the centerpieces out on the tables. Instead, only fill the vases about a 1/4 way full so that the flowers are getting water but are not submerged.

Once the centerpieces have been placed onto the tables, use a pitcher to gently fill the vases up. Put a floating candle on top and, wallah, you have a beautiful centerpiece that didn't break the bank! Because they are so simple, I suggest using mirrors, candle votives and petals to punch it up notch. This will definitely give all of your tables the "wow factor" you're striving to achieve.

I truly hope that I've inspired! If you use this tutorial, let me know how it goes. Or better yet, send me some pictures! :)

You will need the following for submerged centerpieces: cylinder vases, glass rocks/beads, floating candles, fish weights, floral wire, scissors, pitcher, distilled water.

Happy planning!