There are many unique wedding centerpiece ideas to help develop nearly any theme or decor choice. Yet how often do we see the same old centerpiece ideas being recycled in wedding after wedding. It is not necessary and it certainly does not help in creating a memorable event for one of the biggest days in a young couple's life. Most probably this is because there are so many details that go into planning a wedding that by the time the bride gets to planning the centerpieces for her reception she simply does not have the time or energy to waste seeking something fresh.

Yet a fresh and unique wedding centerpiece can be just the thing to make the decor of a reception click.

Glass Rock Gardens: Choose a glass bowl of any dimension or shape that fits the reception tables, fill it roughly one third full with decorative rocks, add a small quantity of water, then plant a wide assortment of succulents (from your local nursery) for a striking attraction that will not be just like every other wedding reception centerpiece you have ever seen.

Mini Lanterns: Evocative of the romantic days of the horse and buggy, these chic lanterns add style and character to a wedding reception table without interfering with the guests' ability to see one another. Tie in with the theme by arriving and / or leaving the reception in a horse drawn carriage and give mini lantern favors to help them remember the romance of the day.

Breakaway Centerpieces: Position a proportionally sized mirror in the center of the table and place the wedding favors that table in an eye pleasing arrangement on the mirror. With a little practice this can be very tasteful. It also has the added benefit of making a brides budget stretch by taking care of both her centerpiece and your favors with the same money!

Wedding Cake: This is especially useful if the couple opts to use some other element as the focal point of the reception, something such as the ice sculpture, or a string quartet, or the grand piano with the professional jazz pianist at the keyboard, anything... Have the pastry chef create a small cake designed to fit the theme of the wedding for the center of each table and place instruction cards asking that the cake not be cut until the formal cake cutting ceremony.

Floating Citrus Candles: For colorful variations on the floating candle theme have someone halve a variety of citrus fruits just in time to insert candles and float them in bowls of water on the reception tables. The look is as refreshing as a burst of fresh citrus right off the tree. But practice a few times. It looks simple, and it is, but trial and error while the guests are waiting to be admitted is not the preferred method.

Balloon Artwork: We are not talking about the balloon animals the clowns make at kiddy parties. A true artist can work wonders with balloons that will look spectacular and elegant.

The best advice is to play with multiple wedding centerpiece ideas and see what works. Consider edible centerpieces. There is no such thing as right or wrong, only what display best achieves the desired look within the framework of budget and resources.