When it came to centerpieces, I wanted to add a special, whimsical touch to our wedding in which our Cinderella theme was evident. The challenge was making a finished product that did not look like it belonged at a child's birthday party! Having no success finding themed centerpieces at online shops or on E-bay, I decided to create something on my own.
My plan was to create pumpkin coaches. I began by searching for the pumpkins. Since our wedding was in September, I knew it would be too early to find pumpkins on the market, and did not want to wait until the last minute to look for them. I also wanted to create something that people could bring home and use later. Ceramic pumpkins seemed to be a costly and delicate prospect, so I decided that I would use candles in the shape of pumpkins.

Finding Pumpkins
I lucked out and ordered large pumpkin candles on clearance at an online store. They were technically Halloween clearance, but they were plain and had the appearance of a real, uncarved pumpkin. I haven't seen this particular store offer the product since, but you can search the internet with "large pumpkin candles" or similar queries (try Yahoo! Shopping Search). An alternate option is purchasing a pumpkin mold at a craft or specialty store and creating the candles yourself.

Getting Started
I started by wrapping the pumpkins in a single layer of white tulle, which can be purchased by the roll for only a few dollars at a craft store. This toned down the orange color of the pumpkins and gave them a softer appearance. I then attached small, artificial floral wreaths to the top with scotch tape, which I kept hidden underneath them.

Making the Carriage "Wheels"
I used metal solder, which is available at any hardware store such as Home Depot. If you are familiar with the material, solder is a thick but easily bendable metal wire used for plumbing and electrical work. It can be a little pricy, depending on how much you buy at a time and where. Use wire cutters to cut about 2 feet of solder, and bend each end into the curl form of wheels. Leave about 6 inches between the wheels so you can attach the pumpkins (depending on the diameter of the pumpkins). You can paint the finished wheels with craft or spray paint. Attach the flat, unbent portion of wire in the middle to the pumpkin with a strong household cement, and allow about 12 hours for it to dry and stick completely. Then, you can decorate the top of the pumpkin as desired (I used small, artificial floral wreaths.)

Enjoy! You have created a wonderful centerpiece for your wedding.

© 2001 Laura Sateriale, Laura@Wavgirl.com.