Even if you live in a city, you can still have your own patch of grass to play with this Easter.  Use wheatgrass or another potted grass for indoor decorating.  It’s a simple, modern look perfect for this spring holiday.  Scatter some speckled candy easter eggs in the grass or hide chocolate bunnies for a festive look.  Spring flowers are beautiful, but this centerpiece is a little unexpected and will last long after the holiday. 

Wheatgrass may be available at your local farmer’s market or from a florist (most can get it by special order if they don’t stock it).  Health food stores, both large and small, usually carry wheatgrass.  If you can’t find any in your area order some online and have it delivered right to your door. 

Happy Easter!

Flowers can take up a big chunk of your budget – whether you are buying them for a bridal shower or for your wedding reception.  A great way to decorate your table and save on flowers is to use mini place card vases at each setting.  Have your florist make mini arrangements for you or, if you are looking to save even more, buy an assortment of flowers from a wholesale florist and make your own mini arrangements.  If you would prefer not to have to worry about arranging flowers, buy a single type of flower and put one or three blooms (odd number look best) in each vase.  Place the flowers in mini vases that have a holder for place cards and your table will look amazing without costing a fortune.  Opt for a candle arrangement as your centerpiece instead of using more flowers since your table will already be in full bloom. 

An added bonus – use your mini vases as favors for your guest to take home.  Print a quote on the back of each place card so guests can display something other than their name after they take the vase home.   

Savings:  Lets say a typical centerpiece costs an average of $175 per table - they can obviously be hundreds more or a little less.  Instead, with 8 settings per table you spend $28 on place card vases (average of $3.50/ vase, shipping included) and $30 per 2 bunches of flowers (less if using in-season, basic flowers or a single stem per vase), which will be more than enough to fill 8 mini vases.  You spend an average of $58 per table if you use the mini vases.  A savings of over $100 per table.  You’ll still have the costs of a candle arrangement for the center of the table, but candles are often available from your venue or you can rent candelabras from a party rental company.   

 *These place card vases are great for any type of party – a Bar Mitzvah, Easter, Mother’s Day or a birthday dinner.

Place card vases are available at:

Ross-Simons for $35/ set of 12 vases ($2.92 per vase)
http://www.ross-simons.com/products/CTK851.html?freeText=PLACE%20CARD%20VASES&history=

Lillian Vernon for $17/ set of 6 vases or $30/ 2 sets ($2.50 per vase)
http://www.lillianvernon.com/catalog/product_display.jsp?pdId=3984&name=Clear+Place+Card+Vases+and+Cards+-+Set+of+6&parentCatId=1&catId=65

The Knot for $13/ set of 6 ($2.17 per vase)
http://weddingshop.theknot.com/weddingwarehouse/ProductPage.aspx?scId=Place%20Card%20Holders(KnotShop)&pId=P1401(KnotShop)&cId=Reception(KnotShop)&cTypF=

My Wedding Favors for $25/ set of 8 ($3.13 per vase)
http://www.myweddingfavors.com/vase-placecard.html

Wedding Things for $60 for 36 bud vase/ card combination ($1.66 per vase) – available in more colors/ patterns
http://www.weddingthings.com/product/1369/new_wedding_favors/

Who needs a whole basket full of candy?  Give your guests a small sweet treat with these mini jellybean jars.  They make great favors for kids and adults.  They are great for any time of year (you can vary the colors of the jellybeans to coordinate with your party colors) but are especially fun for Easter.  They also give your table a great festive look when you place one at each setting or line them up at the end of a buffet table. 
 

I used mini glass jars from Joann Fabrics (check Michaels or other craft stores for similar jars), filled them with jellybeans from Williams-Sonoma (key lime, grapefruit and guava flavors) and tied rafia ribbon into a bow around the lid. 

Looking for an easy centerpiece for Easter?  Put leftover scraps of ribbon to use by tying bows around white and colored glass or real (hard-boiled) eggs.  Place them on a small pedestal tray, cake stand or in a glass bowl and you will have a simple, festive and cheerful centerpiece.

If you have a long table or want to add extra impact, place a bunch of tulips or any other spring flower in a simple glass vase.  Use two pedestals and fill them with your ribbon-tied eggs on either side of the vase.