A Nerd Geek Filled Wedding

We didn’t want to have specific table numbers at our wedding. We didn’t want someone to wonder why they were at Table 10 while So-And-So was at Table 5. So instead we had an individual theme for each table based on our individual and shared interests – a nerd geek filled wedding!

I drew out a map of our table layout and placed in the center of the table circles a symbol or logo for that table’s theme. The place cards that were set up on the map also had that symbol next to the name of the guest. In the center of the table, we placed a Harry Potter Sorting Hat.

Each table had a ceramic pot that was made specifically for the wedding. I used three different shapes (round, triangle, and square) and three different clay bodies (b-mix, soldate, and Columbia white) to give the centerpieces variety without unlimited options for me to choose from. Everything was fired to Cone 10.

I made plaster molds for my three shapes and rolled out clay into slabs that I pressed into the molds. This took me almost two years between the mold making (and curing), dry time, only having so much working space, and remaking pots that failed.

Once all of the pots were complete, I planted live flowers into each. The flowers were selected to fit the theme of the pot: buttercups for Princess Bride and red carnations for James Bond, for example. Because of the very hot summer we had, the plants did not thrive as much as we had hoped. But they were lovely gifts for those guests that wanted them and nice conversation starters during dinner.