Candles

• Use pillar or floating candles to create inexpensive, elegant centerpieces suitable for wedding receptions and formal parties. Fill decorative or plain glass bowls with water and add floating candles in your wedding colors on top. Add colored glass marble or flower petals to the bowls to provide a little something extra. Arrange pillar candles of varying heights on a decorative or glass platter to catch any dripping wax. Add flower petals to the platter or tie ribbons around the candles to make these centerpieces stand out.
  
  

Flowers

• Dried and artificial flowers are cost-efficient and beautiful materials to use when creating your own centerpieces. Add bouquets, or even single silk flowers, to decorative or plain glass vases, which you can fill with anything from dirt to decorative stones in the bottom. Silk flowers, with the stems removed, and dried flower buds look beautiful floating in bowls of water. Purchase Styrofoam shapes, such as half-spheres, at craft shops and use these to provide a base for a variety of dried or artificial flowers.
  
  

Fruit

• Fruit can be used in several different ways for do-it-yourself centerpieces. A simple, visually appealing option is to fill glass vases or bowls with slices or sections of colorful fruits such as watermelon, mango, pomegranate, grapes and oranges. Fruit centerpieces can be enhanced with the addition of candles or flowers. You can also cut a watermelon in half and, after carving the flesh out of the bottom, fill it with slices of fresh fruit for a brightly colored, edible centerpiece that guests will love.
  
  

Balloons

• Balloons are fun, inexpensive and available in a wide variety of colors. Purchase balloons that match or complement the decor of the event, such as a reception or birthday party. Inflate and seal the balloons before tying matching lengths of ribbon around the bottoms. Fill squares of netting in a coordinating color with small candies or chocolates and fold the four corners up. Tie the ribbon attached to the balloon to the square of netting so that it holds it closed. This netting acts as a weight for your homemade balloon centerpiece.