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No need to make an announcement. Put a note on the bottom of them asking that they be given to X person at the end of the night. Pass the word in advance to a few key people to stop them from being walked off with.
At my brothers wedding people were walking around and taking parts of their centrepieces and stockpiling them before the reception was even over! Part of the centrepiece was rented from the venue so the MC had to make an announcement and ask for everything to please be left on the table. They had intended on keeping all of the pieces, and use the rest themselves at home, but that did not happen!
I am going to get my mc to make an announcment at our wedding just to be sure.
As sad as it is I think that some guests need reminded. Almost all (or maybe all?) of the weddings I have been to the CP's were given away so I think people assume they can take them. I know they assumed at my wedding that they could take them and that was not my intention. People are crazy :-)
@kay01: I think this is a good suggestion.
I've been to weddings with flower arrangement centerpieces where people took home flowers (not sure if they asked beforehand or not), but decorative items like lanterns or seashells, I'm not sure how people typically react to those (taking or leaving alone).
I would ask the DJ to make an announcement. Rather than say they are intended as gifts for others, I think you would get better compliance if you said they belong to the venue.
I live in Vancouver and have attended several events where people put "dibs" on the centerpiece as soon as they sat down at the table.
Ask some key family or friends to keep an eye out for escaping centerpieces. At a certain point later in the evening, during the dancing, you could also have a designated small group of people gather up the centerpieces to forestall the sticky fingered guests.
Most weddings I go to, guests are ENCOURAGED to take the centerpieces. I didn't want mine taken though and none were stolen. I just made sure to tell the catering staff (as they're the ones that clear the tables and break them down) that they were coming home with me.
We went to a wedding in December and the DJ made an announcement. It's a little weird, but I didn't think anything against the bride or groom, I just couldn't imagine that the guests were already trying to take them halfway through the reception!
I have never been to a wedding where I assumed I could take the centerpiece. Noboyd tried to take our centerpieces, either. A few close family members asked if they could, (as we were packing up at the end of the night), which was more than fine because we didn't need all those identical centerpieces for ourselves.
I guess it probably depends on what's customary in your area, and the guests themselves.
No one tried to take ours, but it's not normal in my area at all to take centerpieces home.
I didn’t make an announcement and no-one took anything that they werent offered. I don’t think centerpiece snatching is common in my neck of the woods. I hadn’t even heard of it before joining the Bee and even then I was apalled that guests would take it upon themselves to take something that wasn’t theirs. My DOC did ask if we had plans for the centerpieces so I imagine she was monitoring them at the end of the night. Our floral centerpieces went home with a few select family members who said they wanted one and the non-floral came home with us. There were no issues.
Most of the weddings I have been to - people are pushing the guests to take the centerpieces home with them - even if they are giant and won't fit in your car. Typically there will be some sort of announcement made or there will be people walking around saying 'here, take this off of our hands'. Sometimes you do feel a bit odd leaving this fancy event essentially stealing the decorations.
Our venue specifically asks if the guests are allowed to take them home or not. I can't imagine if I rented things and then people took it - how gauche.
I'd never even think of taking one if it wasn't offered. And even then . . .
It really depends on your guests. No one took any of my centerpieces, and most weddings I've been to its always the same. I only seen this happen once where a lady tried to take the entire balloon arrangement centerpiece home with her
I never thought in a million years people would take home our table decor - I'd never heard of it except on the Bee! People left our actual centerpieces alone, but we had these beautiful vintage skeleton keys with a tag that asked "Tell us...What is the key to marriage?" We were going to frame the responses with the keys, but several people (including a BM!) STOLE the keys! They just ripped them off the card but wrote their advice anyway. UGH!
Several PPs have left good ideas for a game plan, and you might appoint a 'wedding hawk' i.e. a relative who wouldn't mind keeping an eye on them :)
Most weddings I've been to, guests were encouraged to take the centerpieces. I wouldn't unless told to, but I can understand a need to tell people not to as well.
I think it is common here in the SW for people to take the center peices. I have seen it too. My center peices are part of the venue so I hope that no one will take them. I was thinking of having raffel for the flowers though that way people don't have to fight over them. : )
I live in Vancouver and I have never been to a wedding where people thought it was okay to just take the centerpieces.
I could maybe see asking to take one home if it was flowers (we asked at the end of the night if anyone wanted some flowers to take home) but I can't see anyone just thinking they can walk off with your Moroccan lanterns.
If you do want to take any measures against people walking out with them, I'd go the passive aggressive route and put a notecard under each lamp saying, "I'm not a favor, please put me back!" or something along those lines, and ask your family and the staff to keep an eye out for anyone who might be hanging on to one as they head out the door.
LOL!! this is too funny. it really depends doesn't it? If you do something really cool, people want them!
I think we'll either go the little note route, or make an announcement. Def. will have peeps looking out for guests walkin away with them. They are 14 in. high, so they won't be easy to "smuggle" haha...
It happens but not always. I have never been to a wedding where they were taken and not one person took anything from mine. I would just have somebody keep an eye out for anybody who might try to take one.
i live in toronto, and it is very normal for the centerieces to be given away, like an extra gift to someone at each table. so yes, i would suggest having the dj make a small announcement. it will safe the time and effort of having to keep an eye on all the tales.
I'm hoping people take my centerpieces. They will be mostly large floral arrangements that will die in a couple of days. Saves me time to dispose of them. Though it will be a bit odd to see people trying to take them as they will be about 3-4 feet high and most of our guests will be from out of town. If you don't want people taking them, let the MC make an announcement. It only takes about a minute and saves you all the trouble.
I don't think anyone will take them if you're not
Having a centerpiece game. Without the game i would assume they belong to the venue. I dont think announcement is necessary.
I had never heard of this before I saw threads with other bees talking about it, and got pretty stressed out about it since the vases and stuff are rentals, but we ended up not making an announcement or having a note or anything, and much to my relief people used common sense and didn't take them! I would ask your parents or other family members if this is something that happens in your circle, they should probably be able to give you a good feel for whether or not it's something that may happen.
Yes I've seen guests take centrepieces but no I don't think you should make an announcment requesting not to do this. Simply mention it to a few people - perhaps your mother and bridesmaids to keep an eye on things generally and try not to worry about what others are doing and just enjoy yourself!
My husband had the idea to put a sticker under one chair at each table. We would have the DJ announce towards the end of the reception that whom ever is sittiing in a chair with a sticker under can take the centerpiece home. Unfortunately the reception ended sooner than planned so the DJ never got to make the announcement but many guests did ask me if they could take one and I said take which one you like.
When I read brides saying that their guests just "helped themselves" to the arrangement on the tables I'm shocked. For the life of me I will never figure out why a guest feels that they can take something that's not theirs, they didn't pay for or was not offered to them.
mtnhoney Maybe you could assign somone to stand at the exit so when guests leave they could be "pat down" to see if they helped themselves to anything. Just kidding...
I should have done just that after I found out some of our guests swiped things from the bathroom basket in the ladies room. I guess they really liked the manicure set or deodorant and needed it real bad. Oh well, I'm glad I had a beautiful wedding and can laugh at all the little things that didn't go as planned.
I think the MC making an announcement is awkward and borderline etiquette no-no (there is no time that it could be said where everyone would hear it and it wouldn't be awkward). I think you can be subtle about it - why not instead have the MC make an announcement about how gorgeous the centerpieces are (around the bouquet/garter toss if you are doing that, or before/after one of those group wedding dances) and then have the MC say (as if it is a surprise) that the centerpieces are you and your hubby's gift to your parents and bridal party for the amazing dedication they showed to you over the last X number of months. That way, guests won't want to look like schmucks for taking them! Also, because it's not a traditional sit down affair and they aren't flower centerpieces, I think you won't really encounter this problem as much as other brides may have. good luck!
Have the dj or mc make an announcement just to be safe. You never know what people are thinking.
I put it out there before the wedding that I wanted people to take our centerpieces as I didn't want them all back. Also make sure to mention it to some people before hand so they can watch out to make sure people don't randomly take them.
At our reception when I told a few people they could take the centerpiece with them if they wanted they were so happy. My mom almost didn't get one and she wanted one!
I'm not having a DJ or MC, so hopefully having small table cards saying "please don't take, the centerpiece is going to a nursing home on Sunday" will suffice.
@linguo42: I have been to a few weddings where this happened unfortunately. Im hoping our small wedding will allow word to go around that the centerpieces are rented and thus off limits. I really hope I dont need an annoucement or even a little note.
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I keep hearing stories about brides who had all or most of their centerpieces taken home by the guests, WITHOUT offering.
I'm not having a sit down dinner, but there will still be tables to sit at, and we bought lovely white Moroccan lanterns, and we'll have seashells around them.
They are intended as gifts after the wedding, to our parents and bridal party. NOT the guests, haha. Do I really need to make an announcement like, "Please don't take the lanterns home with you.." just seems weird!
I'm not sure if it's customary in my area (Vancouver, CAN) so I just don't know... I can't believe people would do this without being told they were allowed!