iStockphoto courtesy of ThinkStock.com.

Other than loving peonies, I must admit I’m a little clueless about flowers. I pretty much think they’re all nice, so I’m a little bit of a hot, indecisive mess during meetings with potential florists. I can only imagine their frustration when I shrug at any question that goes beyond what I want the bouquets to look like. “I’m sure what you pick will look pretty,” is probably not what a florist wants to hear.

To be fair, I have tried looking at a multitude of pictures of centerpieces and arches and what not. I’m just struggling to narrow down my particular vision for the day. Add to that my alarm at how high floral budgets can run and, I must admit, figuring out flowers has become one of the least enjoyable parts of wedding planning for me so far. I’ve tried to pass the buck to Chris but, unfortunately, he’s not up for the challenge either.

Currently, I’m trying to curtail my floral issues by browsing pictures of non-floral centerpieces. I’m really liking some candle ones I’ve seen. However, on June 15th, I’m not sure that it’s going to be dark enough during our reception to get the full effect of candlelight. I’m going to have to do a little investigative work on weather websites to find exactly what time sunset will be that night before I invest in a bunch of pillar candles. I’ve also seen some other great ideas like fruit, vegetables, books, pictures, and even fish. Most of them push my creative boundaries a little too far (I have pretty limited artistic abilities), but still look beautiful, and would be really stunning if I could actually pull them off.

I’m confident that we’ll sort out our floral/non-floral issues at some point and come up with something we’ll love for our wedding day. In the meantime, I’m boning up on my botany and getting pretty good at containing my visceral panic when I hear cost estimates.

Did any of you do non-floral centerpieces at your wedding reception? Or are any of you planning on doing that? Anything that worked really well or didn’t at all? I’d love some tips!