One of my favorite ways to design for a wedding reception, dinner party or just my kitchen table is to place a single or a few exquisite blooms in bud vases. It’s so simple and can go from whimsical to classy depending on your vases and blooms of choice. For my kitchen table I love to take whatever is in bloom from my backyard and snip a few stems of the best flowers or foliage available. Right now it’s Exotic Emporer tulips - after a long winter in Northeast Ohio I LIVE for my tulips to bloom. As soon as their pale little yellow heads started to pop out, I started snipping some stems. I drop a few stems into a tall bud vase and voila! Super simple and brings me joy every time I look at it. For a dinner party I may bring out more vases of varying heights and do more of an “arrangement”. But still keeping it very simple with 1 -3 blooms per vase. I love to use focal flowers with large heads like peonies, dahlias, garden roses. To add whimsy to a table setting look for anemones or ranunculus with their curvy stems that can go in all different directions. I love to have a curved stem anemone that faces directly out at your table guests rather than up.

Heirloom bud vases are very easy to find in antique shops or secondhand stores. I find most of mine for under $10 and love to mix and match different heights and finishes. My collection is growing because when I find a bud vase I never pass it up. You can place the vases on an antique tray to add more detail to your tablescape.

Dahlia bud vase centerpieces placed in front of each guest. You can vary the blooms for more fun.

For a wedding reception mixing bud vases along with votives and tall taper candles can add a lovely flow to the table. Everywhere the eye looks there is something beautiful to look at. If a couple has special vases from a grandmother or mother these can be incorporated to add a sentimental touch. Placing a small vase at each place setting will make your guests feel extra special.

This summer snip a few blooms from whatever you have growing in your garden and put it in a bud vase. You’ll be amazed at the simplicity yet big impact it provides for your next get together. If you are planning a wedding, consider using bud vases in place of long greenery garlands or large centerpieces. Your guests will love all the little beautiful things to look at and will be able to see each other without having their view obstructed. I can’t wait to see all your bud vases. Tag us @nicolemaefloral on instagram to show them off!

Nicole Mae Floral

All the Little Bud Vases