Create a one of a kind table display with homemade centerpieces that will add a wow factor without breaking your budget.

The perfect centerpiece can set the mood and ambience of your party and create an unforgettable eye-catching focal point. From a touch of elegance to a splash of fun, you can choose ideas that will add creativity and charm and make your party decor unique.

While the effects of that absolutely perfect centerpiece cannot be underestimated, the cost is often significant, eating away the majority of your decoration budget. But, by gathering together a few simple and easy to find supplies, you can create your own table decorations for a fraction of the cost while also adding your own personal touch.

Flowers and Candles

The versatility of flowers make them the ideal centerpiece choice. The right combination can create elegance and sophistication, charm and comfort, or celebration and fun. Add the warm glow of a candle to create a relaxing atmosphere or a touch of luxury and romance. For a country feel, fill a ¼ bushel basket with flowers or a potted plant, or fill a large mason jar with snapdragons and wildflowers. Glass vases or tumblers filled with water, colored stones, silk flowers, and topped with a floating candle make an elegant centerpiece that is both inexpensive and easy to assemble.

Are you hosting a Thanksgiving party? By simply hollowing out a pumpkin and filling it with seasonal flowers, you can create the perfect table decoration for your Fall gathering. Or, clean out mini pumpkins and gourds, put a tea light inside each, and arrange artistically on a mirrored tile. Scatter a few small pine cones or acorns, and you will have a beautiful centerpiece that will complement your Thanksgiving décor.

Planning a ladies tea? Fill teapots and teacups with dainty flowers and arrange the cups elegantly around the teapot to design a beautiful focal point. Enhance your Valentine's day table with a centerpiece created with a large glass bowl filled with scented water and floating roses.

Flower-filled metal watering cans make great centerpieces for a garden party, or for an even more affordable option, wrap a terra cotta pot in ivy and place a flowering plant inside.

Balloon Arrangements

Balloons make beautiful centerpieces and can be made into small bouquets or larger arrangements that float above the table and don't obstruct the view of guests during dinner conversations.

For a Valentine's Day celebration, tie a few heart-shaped helium balloons together with a long ribbon and anchor them inside a vase or champagne glass filled with cinnamon hearts or candy grams.

Star-shaped balloons arranged in a metal bucket or wicker basket make the perfect centerpiece for a birthday, anniversary, or retirement party. Personalize with a floral pick and add in a few sprigs of glittery ribbon to match your color scheme, and you will have a simple, yet beautiful, arrangement.

Planning a kids party? Make a bouquet of cheery, bright colored balloons and then have a little fun drawing a smiley face on each balloon. Are you celebrating a new graduate? Use small balloons to build a tower and attach pictures of the guest of honor. Place a grad cap on top, weave in a few ribbons and you will have an amazing centerpiece that your guests will admire.

Other Unique Ideas

While balloons and flowers are a popular centerpiece choice, with a little creativity you can use other items to make your table decorations truly unique. For a baby shower, simply build a pyramid from large baby blocks and place a stuffed toy on top. Fill a large bowl with water, cover the bottom with rocks, add a little greenery, and float a few rubber ducks on top.

Treasure chests filled with chocolate coins and draped in costume jewelry and beads make the perfect centerpiece for a pirate themed party. Pin colorful buttons to small pumpkins, add a few silk leaves, tie a raffia bow around the stem, and watch your Thanksgiving table come to life.

Fill a sand pail with lollipops for a kids party. Wrap a ribbon around a stack of classic books and place a grad hat on top for a special graduation decoration. A vase filled with peacock feathers, willow branches, cattails, and twigs, makes a classic and versatile centerpiece that can be enjoyed long after your party is over.

Using simple and inexpensive items, you can design and create beautiful homemade centerpieces that will enhance any party table.