40 Simple Wedding Centerpieces for an Elegantly Minimalist Reception

Simple doesn't have to mean boring.

Photo: MAX CLEARY, Floral Design: PACWEST BLOOMS

Updated Oct 18, 2023

When envisioning what your wedding reception will look like, your wedding centerpieces are likely one of the first things that comes to mind. While some couples might choose absolutely elaborate displays to decorate their tables, it's very possible to create an amazingly beautiful display with simple wedding centerpieces. Taking a minimalist approach to your tablescape design can place an emphasis on the items you choose to place on the table. Don't believe us? Just take a peek at The Knot Pinterest page to see how many couples embraced a stunning "less is more" approach to their reception centerpieces.

Our Favorite Trending Wedding Centerpiece Ideas

Want to get some amazing inspiration for your own celebration? Whether your wedding aesthetic leans elegant, rustic, boho, or vintage, we rounded up 38 simple wedding centerpiece ideas to inspire your own soirée.

Our Favorite Trending Wedding Centerpiece Ideas

Simple Centerpiece Ideas In This Story:

Elegant | Rustic | Boho | Vintage

Elegant, Simple Wedding Centerpieces

Want to host a wedding reception that feels elegant and timeless? See these simply beautiful centerpiece ideas ahead.

Pretty in Pastel

Credits: Photography: Kapsule Co., Floral Design: The Flower By Yoori

To easily make a tablescape feel cohesive, find a palette to tie everything together. This beautiful table uses pastel florals and napkins as a dreamy accent to neutral linens and glassware.

Play With Color

You can also have fun with color by using it in small doses. These minimalist centerpieces look so chic thanks to sparse arrangements of a few colorful blooms in colors like yellow, pink, and orange balanced with taper candles in glass hurricanes.

Ground a Bold Tablecloth

Emerald green table cloth with white flower centre piece

Want to use colorful tablecloths at your reception? Try using simple white arrangements of baby's breath and roses to ground the design.

Have Fun With Height

Make your simple centerpieces more dynamic by playing with height. Here, tall taper candles create a stunning contrast with lower floral arrangements.

Let Your Florals Shine

You don't need to fill your table with tons of decor pieces to make it look beautiful. Just a large gorgeous floral arrangement and an on-palette, patterned napkin can do the trick.

Tie in a Tone

A great way to make your simple centerpieces feel elegant is to tie the look together with a neutral color. At this wedding, a gray hue is used in the taper candles, glassware, and on the menus to create balanced cohesion alongside white and green florals.

Embrace Hydrangea

Hydrangea are a classic floral that always looks chic on a reception table. You can't go wrong by pairing a simple, white arrangement of the bloom with a patterned blue and white tablecloth.

Use Organic Materials

Integrating natural materials like wood, greenery, and light florals is a timeless way to decorate a tablescape. You can elevate the look further with gold accents for an elegant event.

Choose Chinoiserie

If you want to keep your wedding centerpieces simple, choose a vessel that can make a statement. Chinoiserie paired with simple white florals like tulips or roses can bring beautiful patterns and color to a table.

Covered in Candlelight

Want to create a simple candle centerpiece for your wedding? Arrange clusters of taper candles in trios along the table to bring a warm glow throughout your reception space.

Rustic, Simple Wedding Centerpieces

If you have always envisioned a rustic wedding, check out these charming rustic centerpiece ideas that aren't too elaborate.

Play With Texture

A touch of texture can add a rustic flair to your centerpieces. We love how this wedding tablescape includes fluffy dried grasses and stone place card holders to accentuate a classic table arrangement.

Accent a Wood Base

A textured wood table is always a welcome sight at a rustic wedding. Let the table do most of the talking and accent it with pretty florals in simple glass vessels.

Use Autumnal Leaves

Hosting a fall wedding? Incorporate leaves in orange and red hues to give your arrangements a beautiful warmth.

Create a Garden

For a more casual affair, create a garden display on your reception and cocktail hour tables. Clay pots provide a rustic touch to arrangements of fresh herbs and succulents at this outdoor celebration.

Go With Bark

Raw bark accents can definitely lend a naturally rustic flair to your centerpieces. If you're looking for a fun DIY project, use paint on found wood pieces that can serve as your table numbers.

Set in Stone

Embrace texture in your floral arrangements and choose vessels made from stone. Placed upon a burlap runner, these centerpieces provide an elegant edge to a rustic celebration.

Adorn Your Lanterns

Want to use lanterns throughout your wedding reception? Have your florist create organic arrangements to accent the rustic item for your centerpieces.

Summer Camp Vibes

Hosting a camp-inspired wedding in the summertime? Lanterns can serve as fun table numbers in centerpieces full of loose greenery.

Decorate a Wooden Box

Wooden planters are a go-to vessel to use in a simple rustic wedding centerpiece. Since their rectangular shape can take up some space, there's plenty of room to fill it with beautiful on-palette flowers.

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Go for Garlands

Lush greenery used for centre piece design

A simply chic way to decorate a long rustic reception table is with a greenery garland. If you're hosting a spring wedding, add a few florals along the table to celebrate the season.

Embrace Whimsy and Garden Vibes

chamomile and lisianthus centre piece design

How lovely are the simple and elegant chamomile and lisianthus blooms in this wedding centerpiece? Although the design included a variety of flower types, the decision to keep the color scheme to white and green ensured the entire look felt cohesive and graceful.

Boho, Simple Wedding Centerpieces

If you have a modern, earthy, and natural style, a boho wedding might be right for you. Get inspiration for your simple, bohemian wedding centerpieces below.

Go Bold With Blue

This couple kept their color palette simple and settled on monochromatic blue for the tablescape. Keeping the color simple left them with the flexibility to play around with texture artfully without things feeling cluttered.

Intersperse Votive Candles and Bud Vases

This entire boho tablescape is a masterclass in minimalism. The couple skipped linens in favor of showcasing the beautiful wood of their reception tables. Atop the tables, they mixed votive candles with petite bud vases for a simple centerpiece design.

Create an Eclectic Arrangement

A bohemian wedding design will often be quite creative with its decor choices. Channel this tablescape for a simple yet eclectic centerpiece made from an assortment of items like succulents, citrus fruits, bud vases, and candles.

Think Tall

Want to have a tropical feel to your wedding? Leave the table sparse except for a tall arrangement full of palm leaves for a bold yet modern feel.

Embrace Color

Bright Poppies used in centre piece design

Bohemian couples don't have to stick to neutrals. Poppies in bright neon hues like pink and orange can add some fun to your reception space.

Weave in Rattan

Woven place mates and pink floral centre piece design

Since rattan is a beloved material to use in bohemian designs, it would have a perfect place in a boho tablescape. We love how these woven rattan placemats add natural texture to this head table's arrangement with pretty pink and white florals.

Camp Vibes

Hosting a summer camp-themed affair? Use collections of books, archery arrows, and flags to create a sweet centerpiece installation at each corner of your banquet tables.

An Organic Display

Embrace nature at your bohemian wedding and let your décor spread out organically across the tables. Wildflowers, vintage vases, and light cotton garlands create a unique yet simple display at this boho desert wedding.

Use Simple Vessels

You don't need to max out your budget on the vases for your simple wedding centerpieces. Take a cue from this boho wedding and place colorful blooms in glass water bottles of varying heights for a beautiful display.

Tropical Touch

Palm and banana leaves don't need to be arranged dramatically at a tropical wedding to create an impact. At this minimalist reception, the tall greenery was placed in high glass vases while white rocks grounded the centerpieces at the base.

Floral Focal Point

Placing one dynamic floral arrangement in the center is a great way to make your simple round table centerpieces shine. Filled with textural flowers and greenery at varying levels, this boho display is an absolute stunner.

Go Geometric

Accessorize your table with geometric accents at your bohemian affair. We love how these table numbers play with shape in a fun way.

Vintage, Simple Wedding Centerpieces

Give your wedding a retro flair with these vintage wedding centerpiece ideas that lean towards simplicity.

Embrace Ikebana Inspiration

This couple leaned into minimalistic ikebana vibes for their pared-down centerpieces. Just a few sprigs of botanicals were placed in each cut-crystal vessel for a dramatic end result.

Curate Vintage Lanterns

Using real vintage pieces is one of the best ways to lend a nostalgic touch to your reception centerpieces. Try using vintage lanterns to serve as a vessel for your floral arrangements.

Warm Winter Glow

Want to create a simple winter wedding centerpiece that evokes a vintage royal dinner party? Line your table with tall white taper candles to create a dreamy glow.

Gravitate Towards Texture

bronze candlestick holders with white floral design

An easy way to infuse your wedding reception with a vintage feel is to find glassware and other decor items with textural accents. Patterns on vases and even a slight tarnish on bronze candlestick holders can help bring out this design aesthetic.

Retro Crafts

Infusing popular craft items from yesteryear like needlepoint and embroidery can definitely give your simple wedding centerpieces a vintage touch. Hand-stitched table numbers at this reception absolutely make the centerpieces stand out.

Choose Unexpected Shapes

Tree stump with silver-wear used as centre piece

A vintage teapot might not be the first thing that comes to mind when selecting your wedding centerpiece vases. But, the creative shape allows for a whimsical display of florals at your reception.