Inside the box

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This centerpiece inspiration from The Knot was similar to the cupcake decorations in that oh-my-goodness-how-could-my-wedding-exist-without-this? kind of way. Like the cupcake-veggies, I have searched high and low for shallow wood boxes like the inspiration photo. (The father and the groom of that bride made the boxes from scratch - lucky girl!) I love how understated they are, with the lantern giving it a little bit of height. I was thinking about 12"x12" would be great, though I don't really care if it's perfectly square, and I'll put 3 jelly jar votives on each table. The chalkboard table "numbers" will either lean on the corner of the box or get some height with a small dowel rod - I'm thinking that might be better, since the centerpieces are so low. I just don't want to commit the age-old sin of blocking guests' views of each other... I was at a wedding recently at which guests were taking the stunning but giant centerpieces off the tables! No, they weren't as big as this:

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One of the first promising finds I found (through Elizabeth Anne Designs!) was this BJURON "plant pot" from Ikea. The wood is pretty, and it has a galvanized bottom that makes it great for... well... plants. But it's taller and deeper than the inspiration, and the dimension options are approximately 6" x 6", 8" x 8", or 9.5" x 5". If it were either shallower *or* bigger, I might be happy with it, but it's just not the right feel.

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Then I found several things like this terra cotta plate. Terra cotta is also great for live plants, so they had that going for them. The color, though, could be kind of obtrusive with the purple/dark red/teal color scheme. I thought about painting them, but since they still were neither the shape nor the material I wanted, I kept looking.

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In my head, I had already ruled out Jamali Garden because of price or shipping distance, but it turns out I was totally wrong. Not only do they ship from NYC (4 hours from me - not too bad), their prices are actually pretty reasonable, especially for these wood trays that can be re-used by us and by guests. The wood is less distressed than I would have liked, but I think that makes them more usable in the future.

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I decided against the version that actually is 12" x 12" (my hoped-for dimensions - this one is 11" x 8") and has a galvanized liner, because it's twice as expensive. I know this choice limits my options as far as what to fill the tray with, but honestly, I'm sort of glad not to have to worry about growing stuff for the centerpieces given my black thumb. I'll fill them with different varieties of moss that comes pre-packaged, and that can all be assembled the week before the wedding. I'll probably stick a few flowers in there for color (with a little foam), some rocks, and/or a few pieces of fruit or veggies. When I'm home from my travels next month, I hope the trays will have arrived so I can do some mock-ups. 

What do you think? Any other ideas for low-maintenance, rustic fill, or for a way to create some textural variety with different mosses/similar materials? 

These are the lanterns I purchased from eBay seller K&R Gifts. I was thrilled with how meticulously they were packaged and how quickly they arrived, in perfect condition. I decided against the teal version because, even though it's so pretty and is in our color scheme, I thought the light from these would be a little nicer. I might buy a few of the teal ones to hang from shepherd's hooks near the ceremony tent.

I also purchased long-lasting, cleaner-burning soy tealights from Etsy seller Worthy Soy Candles (who only lives 80 minutes from me!), although I'm still thinking about going with LED votives for safety reasons. The candles are SO great and burn for such a long time that I'd be more than happy to have 100 for personal use were I to go with the LEDs.

Have you "cheated" on any of your original grand plans by taking an easier route? Do you deem yourself guilty or not guilty? (For the record, I plead not guilty. Anything that makes it easier/lower-maintenance but equally attractive is legal in my book!)