Wedding Flowers: Reception Centerpieces by Season

Searching for some wedding reception inspiration? Take a cue from the seasons and get motivated by some of our favorite seasonal wedding ideas.

When it comes to reception style, your tables are going to be the center of attention, so make sure they’re gorgeous! Top them with fabulous fabrics, interesting flatware, and cascading flowers, all inspired by the season of your celebration. Here are a few of our favorite seasonal ideas.

Winter Tables

From dozens of candles in ornate copper candleholders to the most elegant gold-accented china, a winter table should be warm and inviting.

• Use jewel-toned tablecloths with shimmery chiffon overlays to highlight the season’s natural sparkle.
• Rent top-of-the-line gold-gilded chargers to add richness.
• Seat your guests on plush chairs -- many rental companies offer white, wood, or metallic-tone chiavri chairs that can be fitted with velvet cushions to match your wedding-day decor.
• Use tall, elegant, and regal candelabras for centerpieces. Use rich reds (roses, hydrangea, calla lilies, and even dripping amaranth) to create a beautiful arrangement. Pair clusters of the same flowers at the base of the candelabra and surround the arrangement with dozens of candles. For a nontraditional touch, string baubles around the candelabra.

Spring Tables

Spring is the season for all things fun and flirty. Make sure your table reflects this whimsical attitude by building an English garden-style setting, either with Victorian flair or a modern slant.

• For vintage Victorian, decorate your tables with delicate lace overlays or toile-patterned tablecloths, elegant teacups and saucers, and vintage-style table numbers -- you might opt for sepia-toned pictures of the newlyweds in ornate frames.
• For a modern twist, go for plaid or gingham table linens, color-coordinated plates and glassware (you don't have to always go for white), and color-tinted glassware.
• For centerpieces, forget the traditional rose arrangement and go for something with a "just picked from the garden" look. Fill wire or wooden baskets with loose and playful blooms in preppy colors: pinks, greens, lavenders, and yellows. Think pale pink ranunculouses paired with peach-color peonies; dark pink calla lilies complementing bunches of green viburnum; and a plethora of sweet garden roses.

Summer Tables

Summer begs for warm colors, tropical flowers, and unpretentious table toppings.

• There is no need for fancy goblets when you can go for sweet cocktails in a simple pink-tinted martini glass. From unadorned flatware to lightweight linen tablecloths, your tables should be clean and simple.
• What we love: pale orange linens, clear-glass vases (or ones lined with philo leaves) for the centerpieces, and clear glass votive candleholders.
• Opt for breakaway centerpieces -- a collection of smaller containers grouped to look like one entity. You might match a vase filled with fuchsia orchids, one with melon-orange orchids, and another with lime green orchids for an overall tropical feel. Guests can each take a part of the centerpiece home as they leave.

Fall Tables

Autumn reminds us of a harvest, so take a cue from the outdoors by using rich foliage, sunny colors, and pastoral decor.

• Think rustic elegance at its best: crisp leaves rimming bouquets and centerpieces; burlap table linens; bunches of berries making as much of a statement as flowers.
• Twigs and berries or even tiny pinecones could be incorporated into your centerpiece of dahlias, gardenias, roses, or other seasonal flowers. Playing off the colors of changing leaves -- reds, burnt oranges, and yellows -- is an obvious choice for your color palette. We also suggest going for greens and coppers.
• Another favorite: rustic buckets filled to the brim with sunflowers, orange and yellow spray roses, and lady's mantle.