The key to any good DIY wedding centerpiece is starting with a central element, and for this, our first of a series of articles on do it yourself wedding centerpieces, we’ve picked the popular hurricane glass!
Hurricane glasses are curvy cylinders with a million variations. They can be kitschy, retro, vintage, sophisticated, tropical, and- well, just about anything else, depending on how you dress them up. They come in many different sizes, and are typically made from either glass or acrylic. Since they’re a popular shape, it can be quite easy to find bulk discounts on hurricane vases and glasses for your DIY wedding centerpieces. Check online craft suppliers and glassworks for the best deals on bulk packages.
For a done-in-seconds tropical DIY centerpiece, you’ll only need a few simple items to add to your glass: sand, a pillar candle, and silk, dried, or fresh tropical blossoms (we like plumeria and orchids). Simple fill a large hurricane about a quarter full with sand, dot the top of the sand with blossoms, and nestle your candle (maybe a fern green or warm ivory?) inside. Depending on the size of your glass, this can be a perfect DIY centerpiece for a small cocktail table, a round table for 6, or, in groups of three, a banquet table.
If you’re planning for large banquet tables, you’ll need DIY centerpieces that make a bold visual statement, and don’t fade into the background. In addition to over-sized hurricane glasses, this super-simple centerpiece requires just one added ingredient: fresh fruit! Hit your local farmer’s market and look for bulk oranges, lemons, and limes with their leaves still attached. Artfully stack your produce in the glasses, leaving a few leaves attached for contrast. Not only will your centerpieces catch the eye, they’ll release a delicious aroma thanks to all that citrus!
While this DIY centerpiece requires a little extra work, it’s worth it for a nighttime wedding! You’ll need to hit a craft store and purchase several colors of glow-in-the-dark paint (we like blue and green, purple and white, or yellow and silver combos,) and several small paintbrushes. Make sure you choose a hurricane glass that is wide enough for you to get your hands (and the brush) in without getting stuck! With your brush, dot tiny circles of each color of paint inside the glass. You can vary the size of your dots a little, but too big and they’ll look splotchy and risk running down the glass. Cover as much of the surface as possible with dots- the more there are, the better the finished product will look. On the day of the wedding, make sure the glasses are left out in the sunlight or placed under a strong lamp during the day; that way, you’ll guarantee a strong glow once the sun goes down!
If you’re having an arts-and-crafts or woodland themed wedding, try these rustic DIY centerpieces: In a medium sized hurricane, add a shallow layer of small river pebbles. Then, fill the jar about halfway full with moss. Snuggle an LED candle into the moss, then add some tiny pinecones or a few more small stones around the base of the candle. You can get every one of these supplies at just about any craftstore, and you’re guaranteed to have DIY centerpieces that look as if gnomes crafted them just for you!
