DIY Stick Based, Moss Covered, Feather and Crystal Centerpieces

Back when we visited the wholesale warehouse for our decor elements, I never thought we would wind up with this...

but I'm not that surprised since That Mother is truly one of the craftiest people EVER! I don't have step-by-step photos of the process, since That Mother and Friend Patti were a little busy assembling these just a few days before the wedding to take photos. I did manage to grab a few shots of the basic elements before they were assembled however, which should give you enough of an idea to recreate your own version if you so choose.

Supplies

1. Vases
We originally were going to create these mounds of floral foam covered with moss (it doesn't really make sense to me now either), but That Mother stumbled on these "vases" for something like $2 each. We had lovely intentions of staining them a kind of bronze color, but that didn't happen, and I think they still look okay.

2. Sticks and Crystals
The crystals are threaded through a thin wire, and were purchased in a huge roll at the wholesale warehouse. We toyed with the idea of purchasing sticks at the warehouse, but the prices are insane! Instead That Mother and Friend Patti headed out to a nearby abandoned orchard with some wood cutters and snipped away. They then cut lengths of crystal and wrapped them around the sticks.

3. Feathers and Mossy Sticks
The feathers and moss were both found at the wholesale warehouse. The feathers were stripped from their sets to make them go a little bit farther.

4. Sparkly Doodads
I wasn't a huge fan of these when we purchased them, but That Mother insisted we needed some color and sparkle (she was right, as usual). They were also stripped down to smaller sections to be spread throughout the 12 centerpieces.

5. Moss
Several different kinds of moss were used, with this earthy, natural stuff being my favorite.

Assembly

Step 1: Insert floral foam (the soft kind that is fun to poke holes in) into vases.
Step 2: Poke crystal covered branches and moss covered branches into floral foam.
Step 3: Embellish with feathers and sparkly doodads (use hot glue gun when necessary to keep things stable).
Step 4: Use hot glue to cover the base with moss.
Step 5: Stand back and say "Look how pretty!"

The vases came pre-assembled, but there were still more centerpiece elements to be put together at the wedding so I created this little picture guide for my DOC to use.

My only advice in choosing centerpieces like this would be to make sure you have a way to transport them to the wedding! That Mother and I are definitely glad that stressful experience is over. :)

Remember that these centerpiece elements were chosen as we scurried through the wholesale warehouse picking things out at random. If you want to re-create your own version it would be very easy to switch out some of the elements to make it look perfect for your own wedding!