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[mermaidprincesa]

Has anyone dealt with centerpieces being taken after the wedding

Comments

[hallwayjulie]

This has been the custom at pretty much every wedding I've been to, excepting those that didn't have centerpieces. It's not a Hispanic or Mexican tradition either; in fact I have never been to a Mexican or Hispanic wedding.

That said, I don't know what your centerpieces are. My experience has been that they are floral arrangements, or tin lanterns, or some other similar type thing. Your centerpiece and guest experience may be different. However, regardless I wouldn't recommend counting on resale money from a centerpiece. And I DEFINITELY wouldn't make an announcement not to take them - that would be horrifically awkward. "Thanks for coming tonight - and by the way, the bride and groom request that you not touch their centerpieces! And the gift table is by the door!" You know?

[mermaidprincesa]

Interesting I'd never heard of taking centerpieces at all.

Mine are faux floral arrangements in white vases with some assorted things on the table.

Yes exactly I thought an announcement would be rude, but my grandmother suggested it and I wasn't sure if anyone had dealt with anything similar before.

[eleryth]

We had to announce that people please talk to the DJ regarding the centerpieces, as we only had so many and they were actually a hot commodity. I wouldn't find it tacky to have an announcement either way - probably a cultural thing. (Canadian, from Alberta, living in Ontario now, for reference)

[columbasimplex]

How funny that in some cases it's so normal that people take the centerpieces home (unsolicited, even, and it's still totally cool!) and in other cases it's COMPLETELY unheard of! Definitely not a cultural thing in terms of ethnicity, clearly, but maybe cultural in terms of geography/regionalisms? So funny and odd that there would be such a sharp divide! These things fascinate me :)

[herladyship]

I've also never been to a wedding where guests didn't take the centrepieces. There's often games or contests to decide who "wins" the right to take them home.

I think an announcement is your best bet.

[herladyship]

I should add that I'm a half-Irish, half-American, all-Canadian girl with Catholic and Jewish branches of the family. It's not a Hispanic tradition, it's pretty standard.

[mermaidprincesa]

Thats so strange I'd never heard of that. Although at the wedding I was at last night people just started taking them and the wedding wasnt even over it.

[stefaniewefanie]

I agree with the "game" thing. One wedding I went to, whoever had the birthday closest to the wedding date got to take it home. I also just went to a bridal shower and they taped a flower petal under one chair at each table and whoever was sitting there got the centerpiece.

[the_pyre]

Could you plant some close friends and family members to be the centerpiece police?

I'd not be above doing this ;) lol

[mermaidprincesa]

I may have to...

[columbasimplex]

Sounds like it's your best and probably only option. At least you can make it sort of part of the reception proceedings and not like you're hiding away all the fine silver or something - I actually think the ideas I came up below sound workable and actually kind of nice, and I never have good ideas about this sort of conundrum, LOL!

[spicytoys]

I've never been to a wedding in which people just took the centerpieces. They've always been given as prizes for contests or games. I'd be horrified if my guests just ran off with the centerpieces in the middle of my reception.

[mermaidprincesa]

See that was my thought too. I dont really want anyone taking the centerpieces but especially not before the wedding is over.

[columbasimplex]

I desperately wanted people to take my centerpieces, since they weren't anything I had DIYed or done up special, and I had NO need for six lovely professional floral arrangements... and I couldn't get anyone to take them! I think it was because probably half our guests had flown in from out of town and the other half were going to be taking cabs or public transit home (we had our reception in Manhattan - I can't imagine even a small floral arrangement would be fun on the subway, ha ha). I think I got ONE or maybe two taken, when I begged out loud! But my experience was unique to every other wedding I've been to, where floral centerpieces, even ENORMOUS ones, started to vanish off the tables as soon as people started to leave

[mermaidprincesa]

Exactly why I didnt want to make an announcement but I wasnt sure how else to end them.

The only thing that worries me about that is the fact that at the wedding I went to last night the centerpieces definitely started disappearing way before 15 minutes.

[columbasimplex]

Maybe make it even more interwoven into the proceedings to swap out the centerpieces you want to keep with something expendable, then, if people are going to start slipping away with them early... Like, make it An Event that a certain point kind of late-ish in the reception (you want to get to enjoy your nice centerpieces, after all!) but before those events where people start slipping away, like first dance or cake cutting or whatever, you have the centerpieces removed and replaced Very Officially with either something you actively want guests to take, like baskets with favors or cookies, or something you don't care if they pilfer, like rose petals or cheapie candles or sweet little daisy or carnation bundles in little craft-store jars or thrift store teacups - just some other inexpensive, low-effort-but-still-pretty floral table filler :) I can see why you'd want to hang onto silk flowers that you paid for and that aren't intended as favors - they're YOURS, after all!