Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Hacks & How-to's

21OAK may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

3 interesting outdoor table centerpieces perfect for dinner outdoors

By

Your al fresco dinner party is shaping up to be stellar. It’ll be filled with all your favorite people and all your favorite foods. You have your dinnerware and glasses, your tablecloth and napkins, and now, the only thing you need to turn an average set up to a truly amazing table is the perfect centerpiece.

When dining outdoors, your centerpiece options are extensive, ranging from a traditional floral arrangement to a dramatic ice sculpture. Check out these unique centerpieces that are sure to get people talking at the table and well after the event has ended. 

Recommended Videos

Floral outdoor table centerpiece 

For the traditional route, elevate your flower arrangement with a few small upgrades. Make the bouquet more dramatic by placing it in a large, vibrant, uniquely shaped vase. Pay attention to detail and match the style of your flowers to the event itself. For a simple, casual gathering, opt for bouquets of gerbera daisies, sunflowers, or wildflowers. An engagement party? We recommend lush bouquets of roses, peonies, and greenery to up the romance.

Related

For a different take on the common floral centerpiece, consider this rustic one. This piece uses a hollowed-out log as the container and an array of dainty wildflowers and greenery as the bouquet. Fill in sparse areas with clover or other types of ground cover to keep the arrangement lush and full. Add a personal touch and fill the log with flowers picked directly from your own garden. This will create an outdoor table centerpiece that’s integrated with the entire yard.

Fruits take center stage

Summer is a perfect time to incorporate fruit into your table setting. After all, summer offers a bounty of colorful ripe fruits and veggies, all bursting with color and delicate fragrance. Our favorite fruit for outdoor table centerpieces is lemons. With their bright yellow color and tantalizing citrusy smell, lemons enhance any casual backyard event. 

You can create a beautiful centerpiece in just minutes using nothing but your favorite fruit. Create a vertical centerpiece with clear glass cylinders of varying heights, filled from top to bottom with ripe lemons and limes. Otherwise, pick an oversized bowl overflowing with brilliant and fragrant citrus fruits. Integrate farmhouse-style elements using a plain white wooden crate filled with lemons, white blossoms, and sprouting greenery. Simple, easy, and quietly elegant. 

Something Different

Flowers are expected, and fruits are seasonal. So, what if you want to create a DIY centerpiece that doesn’t include either? This is a great opportunity to try something out of the ordinary for your outdoor table centerpiece. Particularly if you’re hosting a ‘themed’ event, there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate something that’s neither flora nor fauna. 

Here are a few ideas you might want to try.

  • Clear glass cylinders or ‘goldfish’ bowls can be filled with colorful sea glass, delicate shells, or sand, then topped with a votive candle to create a beach-ready centerpiece that will be sure to impress your guests. 
  • Hosting an evening gathering? Create a centerpiece of candles in varying colors, shapes, and sizes. The trick is to have an array of short, tall, wide, and thin styles, housed inside hurricane holders to protect them against the wind.
  • Create a centerpiece that’s pretty enough to eat… and then follow through by doing just that! A cupcake tower, fondant-covered tiered cake, open-top boxes of iced cookies, or jars of colorful candies, are all desserts that are pretty enough to put on display, and they will keep your guests excited for the final course. Be mindful of the weather and don’t put out anything that’s prone to melting. 
  • Give new life to empty wine bottles by adding LED cork lights inside. For optimum effect, choose bottles (with the labels removed) of different shapes and colors, then arrange them in a cluster at the center of the table. It’s a simple and easy centerpiece to make, but one that always gets rave reviews.  

When hosting an event, it’s all about the details. These few outdoor centerpiece ideas will inspire you to think outside the box and DIY something that will truly be a conversation piece. Without spending a fortune at the florist, you can create something just as spectacular on your own. All you need is a little imagination.  

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Kim Renta
Kim Renta
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kim has written for Bloomingdales, Movado, and various e-commerce wine sites. When she's not writing about wine and…
This 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe is insanely good
You can make these easy peanut butter cookies even with the kids
Homemade peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet

Although peanut butter itself was first made by the Inca hundreds of years ago, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that peanut butter became an ingredient for cookies. These cookies were met with so much acclaim in the United States that they now have an official holiday: National Peanut Butter Cookie Day is celebrated each year on June 12th.

As one of the easier classic cookies to make, even the most complicated peanut butter cookie has only a handful of ingredients. But, for novice bakers or those baking with younger kids, sometimes even a handful of ingredients can be too many. That’s why we went on the hunt for a super easy — yet really yummy — cookie recipe that virtually anyone can make. With just three ingredients, you can create the most delectable dessert, starring everyone’s favorite nut butter spread. Here's how to make the best 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies.

Read more
How to make perfect rice in the Instant Pot – every time
The best tips and tricks for cooking with your Instant Pot
Instant Pot on a table

We all know that an Instant Pot can be a lifesaver in the kitchen. On those days when you really don't feel like cooking, but also don't want to waste money on high-calorie takeout, you can always depend on your trusty Instant Pot. It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, and even a yogurt maker, but the best feature of an Instant Pot is its ability to speed up cooking time.

Wondering how to cook Instant Pot rice? Cooking rice, regardless of the method, still requires a little skill to reach the right texture that's perfectly sticky and tender. So what's the secret to making perfect rice every time, especially with a high-powered machine like the Instant Pot? Stick with us as we walk through the best Instant Pot rice cooking trade secrets, starting with our go-to rice recipe. Your family will rave about your Instant Pot cooking — we promise.

Read more
Add some flavor to your Independence Day bash: Our 8 favorite 4th of July drinks
Your guests will love these 4th of July cocktails and mocktails
Friends making a toast to celebrate 4th of July holiday

Don’t you just love summer? The long hot days, the laid-back fashions, and the endless array of weekend barbecues, watermelon, and corn on the cob. In our opinion, every summer party is a good party, but few rival the fun and festivities of  Independence Day parties. 

Whether you’re hosting this year’s gathering, or you’ve been invited as an honored guest, if you’re searching for 4th of July party ideas, you’ll find dozens of DIY hacks, decorating tips, and oodles of recipes for salads, slaws, grilling, and red, white, and blue desserts. 

Read more