Seasonal Fruit Centerpieces

Much like I'm not tied to the idea of cake, I'm not tied to the idea of centerpiece flowers either.  In fact, the only reason I'm tied to the idea of centerpieces at all is because I think the tables will feel bare, and therefore uninviting, if we don't have something fun on them - be it candles, a handcrafted centerpiece, flowers, or whatever else.  But as much as I love flowers for their intrinsic beauty, they feel too wasteful (hundreds of cut flowers that will just wilt in a few days without anyone to properly love them), too expensive (in the food vs flower budget breakdown, food wins), and too time consuming and stressful (DIY might be okay, if I found local organic flowers, but the idea of effectively storing and transporting all the arrangements makes me queasy with stress already).

Since I know I want centerpieces, I'm trying to think through simple, sustainable, can't-mess-them-up centerpiece ideas that my friends and I can throw together that morning, on site, for a bit of flair and not much fuss. (I'd rather spend time with my girls, not stressing about decor, thank you very much.)

Since I'm going apple picking this weekend, I've got apples on the brain (and the associated pie recipes, crumble recipes, and baked apple recipes).  And since I've also got weddings on the brain, somehow apples and weddings crossed paths and I got to thinking about using seasonal produce as an inexpensive, colorful centerpiece idea.  Google then provided me with the images below (seems other people have also thought about the produce-as-centerpiece idea.)  Overall, I think it's a fun concept that plays with shape and color, therefore lending itself really well to either a more rustic wedding or a modern loft-type wedding, depending on presentation. And it's fast, affordable, simple, and lasts for a week (although yes, it's somewhat wasteful on the food side.  sigh.)

source 

A more rustic or outdoorsy wedding in the fall might be best served by something like the photo below (find very easy how-to instructions here.)  And it lends itself very well to hungry guest snacking (during or post-party, I don't really care).

And from Real Simple, enough apple centerpiece ideas to fit any party style, cost, convenience, and eat-it-up considerations:

Simply Stated, a Real Simple Blog

Although the apples this weekend are going straight into my tummy via cider, pie, and other forms of deliciousness.