If you are the sort of bride who wants everything in her wedding to be a bit unique, from the bridal jewelry to the dessert menu, traditional wedding centerpieces may not be your cup of tea.
One interesting alternative is to design centerpieces around live fish.
It must be done with care and thought for the fish, but when done well, swimming fish centerpieces are quite beautiful and a great conversation starter.
Most wedding centerpieces with fish are done with either beta fish or goldfish.
Beta fish come in more colors and have beautiful tails.
Goldfish, on the other hand, are less expensive and easier to care for after the wedding.
Goldfish can happily co-habitate in a shared bowl after the wedding, but betas will need to be housed individually.
Either plan to keep the fish as pets in your new home, or make sure that you have guests lined up to take them home after the reception.
Don't assume that if you put out a note asking for someone from each table to take home a fish that they will! Carefully prepare the bowls for your fish centerpieces.
The water will need to be treated before putting the live fish into it with tablets or drops obtained at a pet store.
Think about what shape you would like to use for the bowls.
The traditional round fish bowl shape is a natural choice.
Another idea is a tall cylinder, as long as it is wide enough to give the fish some room to swim.
If using low open bowls, it is a very smart idea to cover them so that none of the guests are tempted to poke their fingers into the bowl.
This goes as much for drunken wedding guests as it does the young children at the wedding! The fish themselves will be quite beautiful swimming around, but you will still want some other design elements to complete your centerpieces.
For taller vessels, it looks absolutely beautiful to top the vase with a floral arrangement.
A green plant can also be used for a more affordable option.
This will be both decorative and will keep the fish protected from intruding fingers.
It also looks pretty to have rocks, pebbles, or marbles in the bottom of the fish bowls.
Choose smooth rocks so that the fish do not get scraped up.
Colorful glass marbles are a great way to bring more color into the centerpieces.
If you like the idea of earthy handmade bridal jewelry, smooth dark river rocks would be a gorgeous vase filler.
Fish centerpieces are interesting enough that you may not need too much more on the reception tables for decoration.
If you want to surround the fish with low votive candles, ensure that they are far enough from the fish bowls so that the water does not get hot! L.
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lights in a cool blue would be a nice alternative to burning candles, especially for an evening wedding.
You could create the feeling of a beautiful underwater grotto with your fish centerpieces and blueish lights.
For a tropical daytime wedding, skip the lights and sprinkle tropical flower petals in fuchsia and hot pink around the bowls.
Or nestle the fish bowls in beds of sand for a casual beach style.
If you are looking for an alternative to the standard floral centerpiece, a fish bowl centerpiece is a fun option.
As long as the fish are well cared for during and after the wedding, it is a unique and cute idea.
One thing is certain: your guests will be talking about your swimming fish centerpieces for a long time after the wedding!