My friend (another Kelsey), of Kelsey Travis Photography, captured this clever idea for repurposing bud vase centerpieces at a wedding she photographed, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I knew I had to share it with my savvy wedding planning community, because ya’ll… it is GENIUS.
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’ve already heard me say this before, but I’ll say it again for my newbies (and those that need a reminder!). One of the best ways to create the wedding of your dreams without spending a fortune is to repurpose, repurpose, repurpose. When an element of your wedding can serve multiple purposes, that means you’ve just saved time and money. BOOM.
OK, let’s get into it this particular idea: Bud vase centerpieces repurposed in TWO bonus ways. Plus, I’ll share a bonus hack for saving some serious dough on your bud vases!
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Bud Vase Centerpieces as Your Wedding Seating Chart
This bride used her bud vase centerpieces as her wedding seating chart. Instead of placing the bud vases at the tables at the beginning of the reception, they were displayed on a beautiful shelf filled and setup by her florist Flora Good Times.
Each arrangement held an escort card indicating the guest’s name and table number. When the guests arrived, they found their name card and then carried their arrangement to their table. As each guest added their arrangement to the table, the bud vase centerpieces came to life.
OK. I’ll pause there. HOW COOL, right?! I love this idea because it’s a super creative way to involve your guests in your wedding décor. Sure, you could pre-arrange your bud vase centerpieces at your tables, but letting your guests be part of the experience makes them feel a part of your day and creates a fun, memorable moment.
But wait! It gets better. I promised you TWO ways to repurpose your bud vase centerpieces. Let’s talk about the second.
Bud Vase Centerpieces as Affordable Wedding Favors
Whether or not to have wedding favors is a hotly debated topic these days. Because, let’s face it, most of the wedding favors get left behind or tossed. Unless they can serve a purpose in your guests’ lives after your wedding day. This bride solved that dilemma by not wasting time or money on additional favors. Instead, she let her bud vase centerpieces BE the favors.
Here’s what she did. Next to the shelf where guests picked up their arrangement that held their name cards, the bride created a sign that not only instructed guests to bring their bud vase to their table, but also that it was theirs to keep after the wedding.
The sign simply read:
OUR BEST BUDS
PLEASE TAKE YOUR VASE
TO FIND YOUR SEAT
THEN TAKE IT HOME
FOR YOU TO KEEP
I love this because not only did this couple give their wedding flowers longer life, but their guests got to take them home to enjoy as a reminder of the fun they had on their wedding day.
And though flowers wilt, they’ll always have the bud vase to fill again.
3 Ways to Repurpose Bud Vase Centerpieces
To recap, here are three ways to incorporate bud vase centerpieces into your wedding.
- Inexpensive Wedding Table Décor – Bud vases are much less expensive than large, elaborate floral centerpieces.
- Wedding Seating Chart – Create a unique seating chart display for just the extra cost of the name cards (and a shelf if your venue doesn’t have one).
- Free Wedding Favors – For literally nothing extra (except the cost to print the sign) your guests can leave with gorgeous, purposeful, and meaningful wedding favors.
Now, here’s a few tips for recreating this idea for EVEN LESS!
3 Hacks for Budget-Friendly Bud Vase Centerpieces
With bud vase centerpieces you’re already saving a ton by opting for less extravagant floral arrangements, but there’s even more ways you can save. Here are three options for budget-friendly bud vase centerpieces.
- Go thrifting! My friend created bud vase centerpieces for her boho wedding and her secret to saving was thrifting! Instead of buying new, or renting through her florist, she took her time hunting for the perfect, budget-friendly vases in her local thrift stores. She event set a price limit on what she was willing to spend on each one (half of what they would have cost to rent). Learn the tips and tricks to shopping used wedding decor.
- Shop online marketplaces: There are tons of couples looking to offload their preloved wedding décor on wedding resale websites like Facebook Marketplace, or apps like The Wedding Swap. If you’re not into the “hunt” of thrifting, or it feels like too much time, then keep your eyes peeled on these online marketplaces. You might get lucky!
- Wait for a sale: Finally, if you time it right, you can buy bud vases in bulk (affiliate link) from retailers like Amazon during one of their major sales (Amazon Prime Day, Cyber Monday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day are the big ones to watch). Just find a few options you like and set a notification, so you’ll get an alert when they go on sale!
Shop Bulk Bud Vases on Amazon
OK friends, I hope you’ve found this inspiring and helpful as you plan your dream wedding day. Big thanks to Kelsey Travis Photography for the idea, and Flora Good Times who created these gorgeous bud vase arrangements.
If you have questions I didn’t cover, don’t hesitate to reach out at hello@savvyswarey.com. And, be sure to subscribe below for more savvy wedding ideas, tricks, and free resources delivered to your inbox every week!
Happy planning!
Kels
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