Jam, pasta sauce, pickled onions, dip and wine; whatever the content I was after your jars leading up to my wedding day (I was very good at collecting the wine bottles)! I chose glass jars of all shapes and sizes to be the centre pieces for my table decorations. I chose this idea because not only did they fit in well with my vintage theme but they were easy to get hold of, recycled so they cost nothing and they were a great canvas for any design I wanted. (I just have to point out that I feel like I'm saying 'I' a lot when talking about 'our' wedding, but I promise my husband did have some input in the wedding day.) Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;-) Anyway back to the jars.. It was really nice to see how many friends and family contributed to my collection and collecting all of the jars we needed on my own would have taken much longer. In total we had 12 tables for our guests and 1 top table. Each table had on average 4 jars of different shapes and sizes, as well as 4 clusters of jars on the top table. That equalled to about 60 jars and not including the random jars I had scattered around the room on some of the shelves and side tables. Whilst packed away in boxes in my sitting room it looked like we had hundreds of jars but when you unpack them and start spreading them out you realise that you need a lot more than you think to fill a wedding reception room. However on this occasion I had just enough jars and a couple left over to fill every spot in the room.
The process of decorating each jar to transform into a beautiful table decoration I really enjoyed. I know this might not be everyone's idea of a fun Saturday night in but for me I loved it. If you like the idea of making your own centre pieces but don't think you'd find it as easy or fun as me then get others on board to make it fun! You could ask your bridesmaids, family members or even your future husband to get involved making and creating (not forgetting a bottle of wine to help the creativity)! I decorated the majority of my jars over one weekend so you can get a lot done in a short amount of time, plus its a nice way to get others involved with your special day. I chose very simple materials of ribbon and lace to decorate each jar, sticking the material onto each jar with ordinary PVA glue. I picked up the various pieces or ribbon and lace from local shops and markets, the material was as cheap as chips and when combined with the jars I think they looked much more expensive than they actually were. I didn't want to over complicate the table's or have it looking too messy so I selected four colours and stuck to them whilst decorating the jars. I chose colours that complimented the wedding theme but I didn't want it to be too overpowering, less is always more! I complimented the jars with candles and Gypsophila flowers. Again not expensive purchases but they really made a difference to the overall effect. My philosophy of combining old with the new really played a part with the table decorations. Where we saved money on the jars I chose to spend our money on beautiful chair covers and Hessian lace table runners to really bring the room together. Everything complimented each other really well and having a friendly face to do the chairs and table runners really helped with the preparation. No matter how organised you are you will need help leading up to the big day, big or small any help that is offered don't be afraid to say yes please! :-)
Being a creative person I felt a great sense of achievement once the table decorations had been completed. However I think anyone would feel the same, creative or not so creative. Adding that personal touch to your wedding day really makes it feel more special, even if it's the smallest thing. Now I bet you're thinking what did I do with all those jars after the wedding day?! Well they made great wedding presents, favours or whatever you want to call it for our guests. People were very welcome to take a few jars as souvenirs and if they weren't taken on the day I handed them out to friends and family after. Jars may not be your thing but I hope this read inspires you to think what you could make and create towards your own wedding day or what potential table decorations you could find?
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