20+ Budget Summer Table Centerpieces: Creative DIY Ideas

Want to impress your guests with unique table centerpiece ideas as you entertain this summer? See over 20 creative summer centerpieces that include budget-friendly, thrifted, and DIY centerpiece ideas for your summer parties. All of these ideas are easy to put together and won’t break the bank.

It’s summertime, and it’s time to plan your summer parties. This centerpiece for party ideas can create easy and fun tables. From casual get-togethers to themed party ideas, you will find inspiration that will have you sending invitations to your guests.

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Themed Summer Centerpieces For Party Ideas

Planning a fun-themed party? Here are a few centerpieces for party ideas based on the party theme.

Tropical Themed Centerpieces

Do you love a tropical theme? I can’t wait for you to see these tropical table centerpiece ideas.

Below are two of our supper club party centerpieces.

First, the Luau Party Table Centerpiece consists of dried palm leaves and eucalyptus stems inside an ironstone pitcher. A fresh pineapple completes the simple table centerpiece. To see all the DIY and thrifted finds used to complete this table, see Luau Party Table Decor Ideas.

You’ll love this tropical party centerpiece we used on our Hawaiian Cocktail Party Table. I lucked up and found these live tropical flowers at Trader Joe’s. It was easy to arrange them in the thrifted basket vase. To add to the centerpiece, I decorated the light fixture above the table with tropical straws sporting flamingos and pineapples. They were an inexpensive Dollar Tree Find. To see the full table ideas, check out A Guide To Throwing A Tropical Cocktail Hawaiian Party.

Next, let’s check out some patriotic ideas.

Patriotic Centerpiece Ideas

For a themed party, you can create a patriotic centerpiece. Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination.

First, planning a patriotic picnic party theme is a fun way to celebrate. You can create a patriotic summer centerpiece with your picnic basket filled with flags, red and white flowers, and a blue throw blanket. You’ll never guess what happened. It rained, and we had to move the picnic party to the screened porch. See more about creating Patriotic Picnic Ideas here.

You will love how simple this patriotic table centerpiece is. Just gather a few green plants inside a thrifted basket and stick in a few American Flags. Ta Da, instant centerpiece. You can see more details at Made Easy Patriotic Tablescape located inside the greenhouse.

An easy Patriotic Outdoor Centerpiece for a 4th of July table consists of a red cake stand and several vases filled with gathered red geraniums and flags nestled at the center of the table.

The greenhouse sports a vintage American Flag, and a brass boiler pot filled with red geraniums occupies the center of the table. For more ideas, see Patriotic Ideas for She Shed/Greenhouse.

Father’s Day Old Fashioned Cocktail Themed Centerpiece

You will love how easy this favorite centerpiece idea is. I used free liquor bottles to create an old-fashioned bourbon Father’s Day celebration. My husband loves old-fashioned bourbon cocktails. To create the centerpiece, I used a couple of vintage bourbon decanters and bourbon bottles filled with fresh herbs from the garden. See the Toast To Dad: Old-Fashioned Party Ideas for more details.

Up next, let’s get crafty with some DIY centerpiece ideas.

DIY Centerpiece Ideas

Next, let’s check out some creative DIY Centerpiece Ideas for your summer tables. These table centerpiece ideas are easy to make and create a one-of-a-kind table.

Talk about budget decorating ideas. I used only free materials to make the DIY Sunflower Centerpiece. To make the centerpiece, I used a wooden base made from reclaimed wood. I used free pinecones to make the sunflowers. I used repurposed clay pots to make the candleholders. You can make this easy DIY project within a few hours and customize it to suit your party theme or table size.

Check out Easy DIY Sunflower Centerpiece with Pinecones and Reclaimed Wood to see the full tutorial.

Next, I’m sharing these rustic candle lanterns, a Ballard Design-inspired DIY project. I made them from a Dollar Tree Garden Fence, and they are very budget-friendly at only $3.00 for two. The lanterns are great alone or grouped with a plant for a table centerpiece. You can see Rustic Candle Lantern DIY for details.

Napkin Decoupage for Creative Centerpiece Ideas

This DIY centerpiece, made from recycled tin cans, is simple to customize and perfect for your decor. All you need to do is save a few tin cans and find the napkins you choose to create a stunning summer table centerpiece. See the Recycle Tin Can for a Gorgeous Centerpiece for the full tutorial.

You can easily replicate this upcycled thrifted ginger jar centerpiece with just a few supplies. All you need is a cheap ginger jar and blue and white napkins. Filled with wispy faux greenery and flowers, the upcycled ginger jar sits on a vintage cheese board with additional blue and white ceramics for a Chinese-themed dinner party DIY centerpiece.

You can see this easy napkin decoupage centerpiece on the Budget Blue and White Chinoiserie Tablescape.

More DIY Centerpiece Ideas

Want more centerpiece ideas? Take a look at these DIY Boxwood Topiaries. I made them for our Italian-themed dinner table. I used the topiaries to flank both ends of the Italian tablescape. To complete the centerpiece, a thrifted brass tray with a small boxwood topiary, candlesticks, and lemons is located at the center of the table. If you’d like a more detailed view of the table centerpiece check out – Creative Italian Dinner Party Ideas.

If you’re looking for a creative way to enhance your party centerpieces, consider adding a decorative rod above the table. We created a DIY decorative rod to use over our outdoor table. It is easy to attach and remove, making it a great accessory.

See how we enjoyed using the table stand on these two dinner tables. You can see How To Make A Sturdy Over the Table Decorative Stand to create charming summer centerpieces.

There’s nothing like free decorating ideas. Next, check out these easy free summer centerpiece ideas.

Gathered From The Garden: Free Summer Centerpiece Ideas

Would you like some free summer centerpiece ideas? “Then, there’s no need to look beyond your own garden. Here are a few of my favorite ideas that I gathered from the garden.

Fresh Flowers From The Garden

You won’t believe how easy this Peachy Keen Summer Tablescape centerpiece is to make. I began by filling the bottom of a round glass vase with fresh greenery. Next, I added a smaller vase in the center, filled it with water, and stabilized it by surrounding it with fresh peaches. “Finally, gather fresh flowers from the garden to fill the center vase.””The black-eyed susans made a stunning centerpiece for a late-evening party.

One of my favorite ways to save money on table decor is to gather fresh flowers from my landscape and garden. Think outside the box and use greenery and whatever happens to be in bloom. The budget-friendly arrangement consists of a thrifted basket and dried palm leaves from a previous arrangement. You can see more details at Easy & Free Outdoor Dining Table Centerpiece using black-eyed susans and hydrangea blooms.

A bouquet of fresh crepe myrtle blooms creates a dramatic centerpiece for the Country Garden Dinner Party. I filled a large ironstone vase overflowing with blooms and added it to a wood slice riser with my favorite vintage brass bird salt and pepper shakers.

For this fun picnic table centerpiece, I used freshly gathered zinnias and black-eyed Susans in a mason jar. The meal is served in vintage wooden berry baskets, and one is used to elevate the mason jar. To complete the centerpiece, I added two repurposed copper lanterns. This fun picnic idea can be seen at 5 Inspired Picnic Table Setting Ideas.

Fresh Herbs and Garden Centerpieces

This Easy, Budget-Friendly Outdoor Centerpiece is fresh from the garden. To complete the easy summer centerpiece, fill a basket with garden plants and add a few vegetables. If you don’t have plants in your garden, consider purchasing them. It’s a budget-friendly way to increase the number of plants in your garden.

If you have fresh herbs in your garden, you can easily combine them in creative containers for a money-saving centerpiece. Here, fresh herbs fill a chicken feeder, and white milk glass bud vases hold additional herbs and flags. The fresh herb centerpiece tutorial gives you more budget tips.

Preserve Dried Flowers For Centerpiece Arrangement

I recently made a dried floral arrangement using hydrangeas I had gathered and dried a few years ago. Gather your fresh blooms and allow them to dry for a stunning centerpiece you can use year-round. Check out Create Easy Dried Flower Rustic Hydrangea Centerpiece.

You can save a lot of money by shopping thrift stores for tableware. Let me show you how.

Thrifted Table Centerpiece Ideas

One of the best ways to create unique and attention-getting table centerpieces is to use thrifted decor. I love combining vintage and thrifted treasures, saving money, and creating more creative centerpiece ideas.

Thrifted Baskets

This thrifted woven basket vase is everywhere in my house. I originally shared it in this post: Easy Basket Centerpiece & Tablescape Vignette Ideas. Next, I added it to the kitchen island centerpiece for my Country Chic Spring Farmhouse Tour.

I know you’ll agree that the thrifted basket makes a great statement centerpiece. Plus, you will love it on my mantel and entry table.

Thrifted Vintage Milk Glass

If you collect vintage milk glass, there is an array of stunning milk glass summer centerpiece ideas. You can create stunning summer centerpieces by combining large vases, cake stands, bud vases, and other collected milk glass. I have 10 different milk glass centerpiece ideas for you to choose from.

I can’t wait for you to see this Natural Rustic Centerpiece Idea. It combines thrift store finds to create a unique vignette on the porch table. You’ll notice the vignette has bunnies for Easter decorating. You can easily replace the bunnies with birds or other summer decorations, allowing you to use the centerpiece all summer long.

You’ll not want to miss this sunflower centerpiece. It begins with a large thrift store basket filled with a large fern and faux sunflowers. Add the thrifted concrete bird statuary for the perfect summer centerpiece for the greenhouse decorated with sunflowers.

I hope you enjoyed today’s round-up of Summer Table Centerpiece Ideas. I am excited to share my next adventure with you and grateful for your continued support.