Planning wedding reception centerpiece

Risers are what all the upscale florists use to create drama. The centerpiece pictured was made with a riser, a 8" styrofoam ball and some ribbons and tulle.  I splurged on Roses and Carnations (to hold the cost down a bit) but in the past I have sprayed these risers white, used yellow and white tulle and ribbons with Daisies and it was very inexpensive and beautiful

If you need help email me at janycegranoff@hotmail.com  but note that I am NOT professionally trained and there may be easier and less expensive ways to accomplish the same impact

This is how I did the one pictured:
For the Grandstand collection I used a 21" riser
I do not know where you can buy silk flowers in bulk but you should do a Google search. Personally I go to my local craft store and buy when they have things on sale.

First I sprayed the risers black matte.
Then starting at the bottom (hot glued it in place) I wound a piece of 1.5 inch ribbon around the pole (spacing it attractively) about 3-4 times and then again hot glued it into place. Don't worry about it begining or ending neatly as it gets covered.
Then I tied some black 6" tulle around the top of the pole (covering the top of the 1.5 in ribbon justglued in place) and made a bow with 4-5 loops working the loops to look even and pretty.
Ditto at the base of the pole only this time making 6 loops and bigger. On top of this bow I tightly surrounded (hot glued) the pole with dry oasis and stuck some flowers in.
Then I tied a series of 6-7  small regular 2 loop bows up and down the pole each facing another direction so as to be attractive from all directions.
The ball on top is 8" and the trick to using less flowers is not to stick them in too tight. Rather cut them with a 1.5 inch stem and just get them to barely touch. Experiment with the length but just as long as they are all the exact same size and stick them in the exact same amount you will create the ball. I used cheap Carnations with just a circle of Roses to add texture and make it look richer.