Vases come tumbling down

What's the first thing to catch your attention when you walk into a room where a wedding reception is held? Is it the color scheme or flowers or the wedding cake? The answer could vary from person to person. But for me...its the centerpieces on the tables. I think they bring a true essence of the wedding all together. I have seen some seriously interesting ones, as well as some that I would even consider using for my own wedding some day. One night however, the center pieces brought disaster rather than beauty to the dining tables.



For this wedding, the couple decided to use these skinny, 3 foot vases. They were filled up less than half way with marbles, 3/4 filled with water and had a stand on top that held a basket of flowers. Just by reading that, anyone can tell that the weight was not evenly dispersed and something was bound to happen. Our staff noticed it and didn't like how wobbly they were, so we just crossed our fingers and hope for a disaster-free night. We didn't get it.



Less than an hour into the reception, 2 vases had cracked due to the weight on them and exploded on the tables and the guests sitting at them. One broke during the toasts and speeches, so myself and the rest of the staff had to quietly clear and redo the tables while the best man was speaking. Talk about embarrassing even though it wasn't our fault that they broke.



No more vases broke that evening, but it was a night spent in constant fear that no more would fall and ruin someone elses night.



Tip for people planning a wedding: keep the centerpieces simple, yet elegant. Do not to something so over the top that your guests are paying more attention to the disaster is caused rather than the best man speeches about the newlyweds. Check out this website for more ideas and tips!