There are thousands of potentially amazing centrepieces out there, and here are my top 5 show stopping centrepieces.

5. Water:

Water adds an elemental, fluid, feeling to the table. It has connotations with new life and the cleansing of the body from sin. Marriage is the beginning of a new life so they merge perfectly. Water works well when combined with flowers (particularly submerged gerbera I find), with floating candles or with a waterfall type effect.

4. Candles:

Candles are deeply symbolic, connected with the idea of the light and warmth of love. They add a certain intimacy and conjure the idea of romance. Fire also has connotations with purification and new life, perfect for a wedding as you begin your new lives together.

It is practical for the candle to be covered (particularly if there are children at the wedding), perhaps in a stylish votive holder or be original with an old fashioned style lantern.

3. Crystals:

Crystals have links with good luck and healing so are a good omen at a wedding. More than that they provide an interesting and different centrepiece which encourages people to touch and interact with it. Weddings with a lot of children are a great chance to use crystals, children love them and can often be encouraged to sit playing quietly (well....quieter) during speeches and toasts.

2. Themed Centrepieces:

Themes don't have to be all encompassing - little hints of a theme can work well without overloading the senses. Use an objective friend or a wedding planner to make sure you don't get lost in the theme or it can end up looking massively overdone.

Examples of themes are:

Seasons ? For Autumn using leaves and pine cones look great, especially with leaf shaped confetti scattered around the table. This looks great and is environmentally friendly. You can also ?spice it up? a little with glitter.

For winter, its pure whites teamed with clear crystals and icy tones. Lights and glitter really set off this look.

Cultural - Take inspiration from your own background. With an Irish background you may consider using elements such as greens shamrocks (a bit predictable but always festive), the heraldic harp, Celtic cross, Celtic love knot, and the Claddaugh.

Oriental style themes could use red and black colours (for luck), Shoji lanterns, black or white pebbles and, of course, chop sticks.

Beach theme- While it does sound rather tacky, this can be done in a variety of ways. The restrained way generally involves quite muted colours such as blues etc, pebbles or shells, sand and maybe even faux beach debris.

It all sounds a bit much but, when done well, can look amazing. Now, if you're planning on a more outgoing take on the beach theme why not go all out with brightly coloured shells and maybe even a tiny fake palm tree or two.... tacky yes, but definitely different and memorable.

1.Photos:

Photos can be a great way to make everyone feel involved, particularly in smaller weddings. A place setting with a photo on (or a baby photo if you're feeling cruel!) makes the extra effort.

A great idea is to leave disposable cameras on the tables and develop the pictures later. A variant on this is to get Polaroid cameras with somewhere to stick the resulting photos in the centre of the table. It's great to get people chatting, particularly if respective families haven't met before. It also leaves you with a great keepsake.

What's important to remember is that these can all be combined in any number of variations. Photos obviously go great with anything (except water!) while candles add to any number of themes (especially Oriental). But the important thing is, when everyone is giving you ideas, take other peoples thoughts on board but ultimately be led by your own vision....and don't be afraid to experiment!