I was recently asked (allowed, more like) to help make centerpieces for one of my best friend's wedding. We made simple glass terrariums and accented them with some rustic wood slabs and moss, and LED lights. As a finishing touch we added Star Wars Micro Machines, because we are adults.
The terrariums are very simple and not really made to last very long. We put them together two nights before the wedding and they still looked great for the wedding, but their long-term prospects are likely not great. The glass jars have no drainage, so plants that don't do well with humidity (particularly cactus and succulents) are unlikely to do well long term. BUT they looked fantastic for the evening!
Supplies:
Terrariums
-Clean glass jars
-Garden dirt
-White pebbles
-A variety of small plants (flowers, succulents, cacti, etc) in 2" plastic pots (adjust size to fit size of jar)
-Accoutrements: Sea glass pieces, twigs, Star Wars Micro Machine toys, etc
Accents
-Oak slabs
-Dried moss (varying types/colors/textures)(they sell 'sampler' bags at Michaels which work well)
-20ct LED copper wire starry light strings (one string per centerpiece)
To make the terrariums:
1) Take the plant out of the plastic pot and break up the root ball. If the pot was particularly tall you may need to simply remove the bottom 30-50% of the roots. Place the plant in the jar.
2) Add dirt around the plant until the roots are covered and the dirt is level at the base of the plant. Shake gently to get dirt off the leaves and evenly spread.
3) Carefully add pebbles around the plant until the dirt is covered.
4) Add toys as desired.
Again, we made our Terrariums 2 days in advance and they looked great, but these aren't really designed for long-term survival of all types of plants. We gave the plants a VERY light watering after we put the terrariums together. Leave the lids off if possible until the event to let them breathe and get rid of excess moisture.
To put together the Accents
1) Place the Terrariums on wooden slabs
2) Unwind the LED lights and wrap them around the terrariums; they don't need to be wound tightly, just keep them nice and loose
3) Cover the LED battery pack with a large piece of moss. Add additional types of moss around the edges of the terrarium on the wooden slab to further hide the wire for the LEDs
This process will get dirt and moss bits on the linens; you can use the edge of a credit card to clean off the debris.
Congratulations! Your wedding is now beautifully nerdy!
