Post # 1
Member
19 posts
Newbee
I attended a wedding last weekend which was both beautiful and sentimental. I’m good friends with the Bride and feel very close to her in many ways. She just called me up a moment ago to ask if I know anything about people leaving with items from her centerpiece (not in an accusatory matter). I guess her centerpieces were both a mixture of sentimental items and rented ones. She was hoping someone from the family clean up crew had taken them home for safe keeping, but none of them kept anything. Now it’s time to hand in her rented items and she’s falling short, which means she will have to pay the amount to replace them. The sentimental items that are missing are invaluable and there’s no amount of description to describe that loss for her. (No jewelry was involved, just antiques and traditional family items). I did not think people took centerpieces unless it’s announced its okay to. The venue couldn’t have stolen them because only family was ‘hired’ to clean up. I don’t think it would be thrown away since the family in clean up knew not to (some of the items were theirs anyway!). <br /><br /><br />
I’m shocked!! So now I want to know other people’s experiences or opinions on how common this is!
Post # 2
Member
1526 posts
Bumble bee
I’ve heard of people taking centerpieces home, assuming that’s okay. I’m sure that’s the case here.
Post # 3
Member
30400 posts
Honey Beekeeper
saschasoulrebel: In some places it is common for the centerpieces to be taken home by the guests.Let’s hope the people who took them did so with that understanding.
No one should do this unless they are 100% sure it is ok. I’m sure it hurts even more knowing that those closest to her are capable of stealing.
Maybe help get the word out that the pieces need to be returned?
Post # 4
Member
1559 posts
Bumble bee
I’m sure they didn’t “steal” them. I’m not sure how customary it is anymore, but centerpieces were often given to the guests at the end of the recepetion. People would be able to take them home as a gift. This is most likely what happened in your friend’s case. Although, the guests didn’t know that they weren’t able to take them.
Post # 5
Member
2247 posts
Buzzing bee
About 1/4 of our centerpieces got taken home. Some asked, some didn’t. I returned and sold the rest, but it isn’t unusual (though still rude) to take them.
Post # 6
Member
148 posts
Blushing bee
In Hispanic culture, it’s customary for guests to take centerpieces home, it’s like a second party favor.
Post # 7
Member
817 posts
Busy bee
We’ll be making an announcement that ours are NOT to be taken home for this reason.
We are also using many vintage sentimental items for our centerpieces and I’ll be really upset (and out a lot of money) if they get “stolen”.
Sorry this happened to your friend. The only time I’ve been to a wedding where the centerpieces were taken home is when they were florals… (one wedding was poinsettias in the gold foil like you buy them, one was for each guest, another was taking the plain vase w/ the center bouquet (one per table)).
Post # 8
Member
83 posts
Worker bee
we were begging people to take ours home at the end of the night. we WANTED people to take them!
(but, as previous posters pointed out, it is NOT ok to do without knowing it is ok).
Post # 9
Member
253 posts
Helper bee
Yes, this is VERY common!
Post # 10
Member
200 posts
Helper bee
I’m Hispanic it’svery common in our culture for them to take center pieces lol I don’t know why. They use that as their wedding favors but I’ve never ever seen it done anywhere else.
Post # 11
Member
9986 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
The only place I’ve ever heard of people taking home centerpieces is on the Bee, but it’s not done in my circle.
Post # 12
Member
3080 posts
Sugar bee
At my 1st daughter’s wedding, it was announced that the person whose birthday was closest to the wedding day take them. On a few tables, no one took them, so I gave them to someone else, who was still there. There’s no way we could have carted them (26) home. For the 2nd daughter, there were only 11, and we were begging people to take them. It was announced that the youngest person at the table take them, but again, half of them were taken by whoever was left. Both were black tie weddings, in PA, where it is very common to gift the centerpieces, after an announcement.
Someone did take 4 candles, from t he 1st wedding’s cocktail hour room decor, and we had to pay the florist for 5, since he only had a set of 5, and the last one was useless to him.
Post # 13
Member
171 posts
Blushing bee
In my opinion you never take ANYTHING, ANYWHERE unless it is handed and offered to you for that purpose. I was horrified at FI’s cousin’s wedding when people started walking off with the centerpieces. Then Future Mother-In-Law and the Mother-In-Law of the bride came up passing some off to me. They were seasonal flowers, river rocks, mason jars and burlap.
It was all well and good except that someone decided the bride’s bouquet was up for grabs. Not cool, man!
I’m going to have edible centerpieces because I don’t think I can stand watching people pillage everything at the end of the night.
Conversely, my aunt had centerpieces that were made to be taken and didn’t want her own bouquet. No one wanted them and Fiance and I ended up with most of them (cala lillies in full bloom) in our motel room because the ballroom wanted them gone. I spent the entire night sneezing.
ETA: It was mostly the cousin’s bride’s family from Georgia that took centerpieces, then the groom’s rural NY family followed suit because they didn’t know what to do. My aunt’s wedding was almost all people from rural NY with a small group from northern PA.
Post # 14
Member
105 posts
Blushing bee
people took our centerpeices with out asking… when i went through our stuff the next day i only had two left! 🙁 and i was planning on letting another bride use them ..
Post # 15
Member
1708 posts
Bumble bee
Gosh, mine are rented, I hope no one takes them!