Decor
Wedding Centerpieces on a Budget: Cost per Table
Wedding centerpieces on a budget can start around $5.40 to $6.25 per table for a cluster of jar-style candle holders, or $16 to $24 for five bud vases with fresh roses. Choose candles if you want a flower-free table, single-stem vases for scattered blooms, or two stems per vase for more flowers. These are supply costs for the combinations below; tax, shipping and setup are extra.
The prices come from store listings checked on October 24, 2026. Local prices and availability may differ. The flower totals assume you can buy the required number of dozen-rose bunches at the listed price, without extra stems for damage or replacements.
Wedding centerpieces on a budget: three supply totals
I priced three builds at 10, 15 and 20 tables. The first is a cluster of five mason-style candle holders with a tealight in each. The second is five bud vases with one stem each. The third is the same five vases with two stems each. Costs are rounded up to whole packs, because nobody sells you 47 jars.
Each cell shows the total purchase cost, followed by the cost per table.
| Build | 10 tables | 15 tables | 20 tables |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 jar-style candle holders + 5 tealights | $62.50 ($6.25) | $84.90 ($5.66) | $107.30 ($5.37) |
| 5 bud vases, 1 stem each | $174.20 ($17.42) | $243.88 ($16.26) | $313.56 ($15.68) |
| 5 bud vases, 2 stems each | $238.20 ($23.82) | $339.88 ($22.66) | $441.56 ($22.08) |
What goes into those numbers:
- Acopa’s 16-ounce mason candle holders with handles are sold for use with tealights and cost $11.20 per case of 12 at the four-case tier. Ten tables need 5 cases and leave 10 holders over.
- Target’s Room Essentials tealights cost $6.50 for 100. One pack supplies five per table for up to 20 tables, with no replacements at that size.
- Acopa’s 6-inch Bala bud vases cost $20.49 for 12, or $18.84 per case at the four-case tier. Both flower builds reach that tier.
- Target’s Good Little Garden premium red roses cost $16.00 per dozen, or about $1.33 a stem. The flower rows use that specific rose price; substitute your own bunch price and stem count when comparing other flowers.
Fifteen tables seats 120 guests at eight a table. The single-stem build at that size is $243.88, and the 84 vases you must buy leave 9 spare.
Where the money actually goes
At 15 tables the candle holders cost $78.40 and the tealights $6.50. In the flower builds, the vases cost $131.88, and the roses add $112 for one per vase or $208 for two. Flowers account for 46 percent of the single-stem total and 61 percent of the two-stem total. At one stem per vase, the containers still cost more than the flowers.
One more stem per table at 15 tables uses about $20 worth of roses: 15 × ($16 ÷ 12). The checkout increase depends on the stems left from whole bunches. Going from five to six roses per table means buying 8 dozen instead of 7, so the purchase cost rises by $16. Doubling from five to ten stems per table costs another $96 in bunches.
If you want flowers for less than the five-vase build, reduce the number of containers too. Three single-stem vases per table at 15 tables need 4 cases of vases and 4 dozen roses: $75.36 + $64 = $139.36, or $9.29 per table. That gives you fewer blooms spread across a smaller cluster.
Candle costs beyond the first pack
The Target tealight listing is inconsistent about duration: its specifications say 3 hours, while its description says approximately 4. Don’t base a longer reception on a guaranteed four-hour burn.
For a longer listed burn time, Target’s 10-inch white tapers cost $7.00 for 12 and list approximately 6 hours. Two per table at 15 tables means 30 candles, three packs, $21. That’s the candles alone; suitable taper holders are an additional cost.
A bulk case isn’t automatically a lower unit price. Hyoola’s 10-inch tapers are $88.49 for 144, with a listed 8-hour burn time. That’s about 61 cents each against Target’s 58 cents, though the listed burn times differ.
Confirm that your venue permits the candle setup before buying. The National Candle Association recommends stable, heat-resistant surfaces, sturdy holders and at least 3 inches between candles. Use the jar-style holders above for the candle build; borrowed canning jars can serve as flower containers instead.
Use what you own, then budget the remaining purchases
Borrowing flower vases or reusing ceremony vases removes those purchases from your list. At 15 tables, supplying all 75 vases yourself would cut the single-stem build from $243.88 to $112 for roses. Thrifted glass only saves money if its total cost comes below the new-container line you’re replacing.
Enter the supplies you still need in the wedding budget spreadsheet. Keep flower costs in that centerpiece total rather than adding them again under flowers, and add tax, delivery and any setup charges to reach your actual budget.