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Hi, Ladies -
I know it's a common practice for the guests to take home the centerpieces and other floral decorations, but the ones I'll be using are private property. They include the ceremony chair cones (pic attached), head table decorations, and all floral centerpieces. What's the best way to let guests know that they MUST NOT take them home? Should I post it on our wedding web site? Put signs on the table explaining that they're private property? We'll have favors for them, and they can take their placecard holders, too, so it's not like they won't get anything. HELP!!!
Do people actually do this? I have never in my life seen someone take a centerpiece home with them.
I'd let a few people know, like family. Then they can kinda watch for it. However, I've never heard of guests taking the centerpiece home & wouldn't even think to do that.
Is there someone that can collect the ceremony cones after the ceremony? I'd think people would be less prone to take those in general.
Re: Centerpieces - I think if there was an announcement that was made by the DJ, that would suffice. How many tables will you have? Honestly, what I'd do is have a couple people I knew would stay late kind of police the centerpieces and stop people (politely) if they see them being moved. They only start getting taken towards the end of the night - and, it seems that once one person sees them being moved, then everyone makes a grab for them.
I wouldn't put anything about it on the website.
@Kittyachi:They do. It is common practice to take the centerpieces home...kind of like wedding favors. The bride and groom usually don't have a need for say 20 rose centerpieces. I was going to rent some really cool glass centerpieces but didn't because I would have to pay the replacment cost if someone took them home. YIKES.
I think the best thing to do is tell as many close family members/ friends and ask them to please kindly spread the word at the reception. I have seen people do this and asked my florist about it...he said it is fine.
What you could do is place a pretty note card next to each centerpiece stating "Please leave me on the table at the end of the night" or "This centerpiece belongs to xyz vendor"
Wow I had no idea that people took these? Is it maybe just a geography thing? I can honestly say I've never been to a wedding where people took the decorations, but maybe I just never noticed! Now I'm worried :(
Oh man. This does happen, but I think it depends on the area. I had never seen this happen, until I started dating my fiance. Her family has a very different cultural background than mine, and when we were at her cousins wedding, the centerpieces were gone before the party was even over. I was shocked, but she said it was completely normal........
It's pretty common with the weddings I go to. Usually the MC announces that they're free for the taking or makes a game out of it (the couple sitting at the table who's been married longest or the person with the closest b-day etc get to take the centrepiece home). But I have gone to weddings where the centrepieces are rented or borrowed, so the MC and/or DJ make a point of telling the guests to not take them.
if someone is going to be dj-ing your reception or ceremony, have the dj make a small announcement.
I read some good advice on this topic on another post. The poster suggested writing a note and leaving it under the centerpiece that said, "Please don't take centerpiece, it must be returned" or something along those lines.
Thanks, everyone! :) I've seen people grab EVERYTHING in sight at some weddings...I personally wouldn't do that, but still. All comments and advice are REALLY helpful and appreciated! :)
Ali
My Mum has a gold horse shoe in her display cabinet at home that was from my Aunts wedding. Its what she used to anchor the ballons around the room. But my Aunt told her to take it. I can remember her going around telling everyone to take them so she didnt have to clean them up in the end. So we had the balloons in our Laounge room for a few days and now Mum still has the horse shoe.
At my Sisters Wedding she had the dance floor covered in balloons, and she had gold bowl centerpieces that she made and had wanted to keep. It was arranged that we would go back the next day to clean up (My Mum and I and a couple of others) so we were going to collect everything then. And Mum had planned on putting the Ballons in my sisters bedroom for when she and her husband returned home the following day. The recpetion hall had also taken a booking for a school camp in their grounds (something we were unaware of until the day) and it rained that whole weekend so they moved the kids into the building (it was horrible to have the uninvited kids running through the bridal photos and in / out of the recpetion without at all being supervised. And also the contract had promised the use of a few bay windows for photos but because the kids were in the rooms we werent allowed in there. My Sister was so angry). But when we went back early the next morning to clean and pack up the teachers had helped themselves to the centrepieces and given the balloons to all the kids. That just absolutley capped off a crappy recpetion experience for us, and we NEVER recommeneded that venue to anyone. It doesnt exsist anymore either, it got bulldozed a couple of years ago because a developer is trying to build a marina on the old location. It was a beautiful building, but my sister didn't feel any nostalgia about its loss, she was more like good! Karma! lol
The women at my work just informed me that it is very common for guests to take home the centerpieces a the end of the night. I think it is so odd and I would never think to pick up somones beautiful glass vase full of orchids and walk out with it. Isn't that what wedding favors are for? Im just going to give my wedding party a heads up not to let anyone leave with my centerpieces (very nicely).
I have been to several weddings and no one has ever considered taking the centerpieces so I would never automatically assume that is common practice to do so.
If you are truly concerned that this is an issue, have your dj make an announcement.
Honestly, nothing surprises me anymore! This makes me really nervous! I feel like I should buy a box of etiquette books and pass them out to people as they try to leave with centerpieces in tow. Muhaha.
OMG @alicat...they took all of centerpieces at our wedding...I didn't understand it...my mom warned me about it beforehand and I was like "I don't think they'll take it...why would people do something like that?" I had never heard/seen that before at ANY wedding that i've attended...but sure enough, without asking people took them home...once one person started taking them, other people took them as well...I had people come up to me as they were leaving (with centerpiece in hand) and ask if they could take it home...i was shocked...luckily we had bought all the stuff so it was no big deal, but I was still shocked...
I think it's regional/cultural...so depending on your guests, you might want to say something if you feel like they will take them...
@jaglynn17: But what are you going to do with them? unless they are rentals tehy go back to the vendor. BUt otherwise are you taking them all home with you?
The thought behind taking the centerpieces is that the bride and groom are going on their honeymoon (traditionally) and they will not be towing all these centerpieces home with them. Just think if you had 25 tables. You would then have 25 arrangements to pack up and take home. The vendor is not going to pick up the centerpieces unless they are rentals. This is why people take them home. I think the reason people don't notice it is because usually they don't get taken until the very end of the night.
I have never been to a wedding that does not have some sort of dancing around the table with a dollar to win the centerpiece. I would right a corny little note for each table saying something on the lines of
Roses are red,violets are blue, these these flowers are so pretty, we are going to share them with another bride too"
Please leave the flowers on the table for the vendor to share with another couple to help make their day as beautiful as our day was. Thank you.
If you make a little corny people will laugh and pass the note around but still take it seriously and not think it is a mean note.
The subject line of this post makes me laugh- it's so true! I was thinking of tying little "take me" tags on the mason jar centerpeices so guest knew they could... but they CANNOT take any centerpieces using milk glass- those vases belong to our florist.
I was thinking of mentioning it in a toast lol!! I imagine myself as super cool and laid back and with the right amount of humor so everyone finds the announcement delightful....
I might need to think up a new strategy, or nix the milk glass.
I had no idea people really even did this.
Maybe I kinda did though because at my cousins wedding people were grabbing the flowers and taking them like it was free money laying around. My cousin set her bouquet down on the table near her seat and someone ended up taking that.
Guess some people just REALLYYY like flowers huh?
I had some people take centerpieces at my wedding (I wanted them to, we had 22 centerpieces) and some people that were sad they didnt take one because they didnt know they could. Just as you would make an announcement or do a game to determine who gets to the take them home, I would suggest having your DJ/band/MC announce toward the end of the evening to not take the centerpieces home. You could also put a note next to them, and have your bridesmaids or family keep an eye out to make sure no one takes them. If they try, then they can politely let the guest know that the centerpieces need to be returned.
Hi, Ladies -
Thanks SO MUCH for all of your responses - they really are helpful. I think having the DJ make a funny announcement is the best way to go. A little humor goes a long way! :) I personally would never take anything unless I'm specifically told to. I don't know where or how the tradition got started (wished I did LOL). At one wedding I went to, people were trying take not just the flowers, but the tables they were on, too (how weird is that?!) I was worried about sounding like Bridezilla; it's just that the items don't belong to me. Thanks again for all of your responses and, as always, I'm open to hearing more of them. Wedding Bees are the best! :)
Ali
I JUST had this conversation with my mom and MOH the other day while we were making my centerpieces. Every wedding we've had in my family, the centerpieces were gone before the end of the night. At my cousin's wedding last year my grandma took home 3 centerpieces!!! It makes me cringe now, knowing everything that goes into them.
I HATE when people take centerpieces home like that... I've seen people get really greedy over it and grab as many as they (and their husband) can carry. I've also seen it get out of hand to where people see other people taking centerpieces and all of a sudden it's a mad dash to grab anything not nailed down. Really weird. I would spread the word among close family to have them kinda keep an eye out at the end of the night. Not sure if I would leave a note on the table... I don't know how I would feel if I was at a wedding where they had a "please don't steal the centerpieces" sign on each table lol. But I think you're right on with the dj making a funny announcement. I sure hope no one steals our centerpieces... I was hoping to re-sell them to make some of the money back that I spent on them!
This is so foreign to me! I have never seen or heard of people taking the centerpices! I think it would be weird to me to hear the DJ say "Please dont take the centerpieces" but I guess for some that is normal! I wont have to worry about this though since all of my guests are from OOT!
Yeah, I know a lot of people that have taken the centerpieces home - me included, only because the bride and groom announced it that they were giving them away as party favors. They made it into a game, whoever wins, they win the centerpiece. Luckily I won the centerpiece.
If the centerpieces are property owned, maybe just have a little card on the table stating that the centerpieces are "property owned" and not allowed to be taken. I think that's classy enough.
I was pretty confused when my mom said something about taking home centerpieces. Apparently at family bridal/baby showers people always took home centerpieces where I grew up (obviously I was too young to know/remember this). She didn't realize that these days many brides have to rent things like that.
I ended up buying vases, and the flowers obviously don't need to be returned. So if a few people walk out with it-- not a big deal, especially since I don't need 8 of the same vase lying around the house.
At most of the weddings I've attended, there has been some game to determine who got the centerpiece. I completely forgot about this until my mom asked how we would give ours away.
At one wedding I attended, the centerpiece consisted of roses atop rented vases and the DJ made an announcement that the flowers can be taken home but the vases must remain as they are only rented from the florist. I thought it was kind of odd but it worked. He also initiated a dollar game to determine who won the flowers and by the end of hte night all the flowers had been removed by guests.
Make sure you let your families know the situation before the wedding because they are often the ones giving things away or taking them home. My best friend got married last month and didn't even get to keep one of her silver mint julep glass centerpieces because her MIL told people to take them all home and they were claimed before the night was over. That was even a centerpiece you could reuse several of and she had expected she would get at least 4 of the 15 to reuse at home.
I've been to few weddings that announce the guest can take the centerpiece home. I think it make sense because the couple will take of to honeymoon in no time.
My family kept the big floral arragement though because my mom likes flower. My helpers pick up the left over floral.
At my friends wedding that I was BM, I saw the venue waitresses taking the flower (and those flower were offer to guest to take away). They didn't take the left over, but they pick the good flowers too, I think that's kinda odd.
I think put a little card next to it and having a few relative to police will suffice
I've never heard of someone taking a centerpiece unless directed to do so by the DJ. I think you're ok!
@edisonsgirl:Im going to sell them on weddingbee after! Maybe they can take the flowers out but not until the event is completely over. My vases alone are over $30 a piece and I have 25 tables...
Great! Now I have something else to worry about! Never in a million years did I think I would have to worry about people stealing my centerpieces. WTF?! I guess I'll tell my wedding planner to keep one eye on the door and stop people if they try to run off with something. What's next? The venue's silverware?
I just read a good tip on Martha Stewart to supply cellophane bags for your guests to take home flowers but leave the vases etc.
People have taken the centerpieces at pretty much every wedding I've been to on the west coast. I'm keeping my vases, and I'll tell my family to let people know they can take flowers but not vases. Also, we'll have a doorman and only one entrance/exit, so policing will be easy (I hope!).
Could you place a sticker on the bottom of the vase that says Property of ______? This might be nicer than just a note on the bottom. Make sure you spread the word with your bridal party and family that they are not to be taken.
I took the centerpiece home from my cousin's wedding bc I asked other older relatives who already had theirs in hand! I think it's largely word of mouth, so make sure your bridesmaids, family, etc knows not to take 'em and you'll be fine! I think a humorous note on the bottom is good too!
Like other Wedding bee-ers commented and you stated have the
DJ /MC do the dirty work for you however remember 1 reminder is not enough.
So I'm curious - is this strictly with flower centerpieces? I'm doing ceramic birds and tall glass candleholders... I'd be pretty upset if this stuff walked away since I was planning to list it for resale.
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