When fish are used as centerpieces at wedding, what happens to them afterwards?

[Ember]

It's been bugging me for a few weeks now, but when couples use fish as table centerpieces, what happens to the fish after the wedding? I know they didn't go home with the bride and groom, because they don't have a fish tank and didn't acquire one after the wedding. They didn't go home with guests either. When I asked the bride before the wedding what would happen to them, she didn't seem to know. So what might have happened to them??

I'm probably silly to be worried about fish, but it really has been bugging me.

 

[meliss8599]

Maybe a guest w/a pond offered to take them home? I know I wouldn't mind getting free fish for ours.

 

[Feralpeg]

Chances are the fish didn't make it. I saw something similar recently. The centerpieces consisted of two large vases filled with these really tall mums. Swimming in the clear vases were two pretty fish. Of course, fish tend to be pretty sensitive to things in their water. I don't know for sure, but I have to assume that mums may not be on the list of approved plants for aquariums.

I think this is a sad trend. I hope it doesn't continue.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Fish as centerpieces? Huh? What were they in?

I know every wedding/function I have gone to that had centerpieces, there was always a "contest". Usually it was the person at the table who's birthday is closest to X day. (Usually me, since the X day is almost always Christmas or News Years LOL)

 

[Jennasis]

Generally speaking, any centerpieces are usually awarded to somebody at the table, to take home. No clue what happened in the case you speak of, but my sister toyed with the idea of fish in bowls for centerpieces at her wedding in 2 weeks. She planned to give them away after. Ultimately she decided on floating candles in the fish bowls.

 

[luvmy3]

Maybe they were served at the next reception? I'm sorry I couldn't resist.

I have never seen a centerpiece that contained fish, but I'd probably wonder the same thing. I generally sit with the same people at weddings, since its either family or friends and I don't know any of us that would be willing to take a fish bowl home. Maybe they are given to a local fish/pet store?

 

[Imzadi]

The florist takes them back if the guests don't take them. What they do with them, I don't know.

 

[7beasley]

I did beautiful fish bowl centerpieces with beta fish as my wedding centerpiece 10 years ago. They were really nice bowls with glass rocks in the bottom and the fish swimming around. We played a game and gave the centerpieces away as the prizes. We also gave the winner with a container of fish food. The centerpieces were a great conversation piece and we got lots of compliments on them. My husband and I kept one of the fishes/centerpieces and he lived for over 2 years and my brother won one as well and his lived for 3 years! The guests were clamoring to take them home and those that won were very excited! We did not have any extra fish bowls at all.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since the bride didn't know before the wedding, I think I sense doom for those fish.

You could contact her florist, but then...my maid of honor went looking online for all my vendors b/c I refused to tell her how much things cost, and it felt really gross that she was doing that...so maybe you should just pretend they all went home with the florist.

 

[Ember]

The florist takes them back if the guests don't take them. What they do with them, I don't know.

Well, I'm going to hope this is what happened. It makes sense, seeing as the bride wasn't sure.

 

[Handbag Lady]

We've have a few "fish" centerpieces at some family weddings. In our family, we take them home and take care of them.

My niece has three beta from a wedding three years ago. The fish are old and we expect them to go any time. I assure you, they lived a happy life.

I don't know what other people do, though.

 

[Julia M]

I did this for an event 2 years ago. We used feeder goldfish, We paid for them (they were very cheap, maybe 12 for $1). We stored them in an aquarium and then put them in the bowls. After it was over, we put the fish back and brought them back to the fish store the next day.

Julia

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

To me...it is kind of gross to have a fish on the table looking at you, pooping, etc while you are eating. It just doesn't seem appetizing, in a bowl of stagnant water.

One year, our school carnival gave away bags of goldfish as prizes for a certain game. It was disgusting, watching kids walking around with bags of half dead fish at the end of the night, seeing the bags of dead and half dead fish in the garbage can after the carnival was over, etc. A few parents complained, and they never did that again, thank goodness!

 

[luvsJack]

If they were beta then they could have gone back to the florist and she could just use them in another arrangment or sell them in the store or something.

Beta do not require a clean bowl or even a lot of water and can live well with most plants. The pet store where we bought one for dd told us that they orginate in the sewers in Japan so can pretty much live through anything.

So she could very well have put them in different arrangements in the store (assuming there is an actual florist shop that she works out of)--a popular way to display Beta is in a vase with a plant growing on top. Or she could have them in individual bowls for sale.

Goldfish are a different matter though, we have never been able to get one to live. In fact I talked our church into using Beta at the fall festival instead of gold fish. It has worked pretty well and the pet store helps us out.

 

[Rora]

Let's hope the florist reused them for another event?

 

[browneyes106]

I have never been to a wedding in which fish were used as centerpieces. Sometime last year my boyfriend and I were talking about our proms. My boyfriend said that goldfish were used as centerpieces at his junior prom. At the prom they announced that if anyone wanted goldfish they could pick them the next day at the school. My boyfriend said he got two but one died a few days later and the other one only lasted a month.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

If they were beta then they could have gone back to the florist and she could just use them in another arrangment or sell them in the store or something.

Beta do not require a clean bowl or even a lot of water and can live well with most plants. The pet store where we bought one for dd told us that they orginate in the sewers in Japan so can pretty much live through anything.

So she could very well have put them in different arrangements in the store (assuming there is an actual florist shop that she works out of)--a popular way to display Beta is in a vase with a plant growing on top. Or she could have them in individual bowls for sale.

Goldfish are a different matter though, we have never been able to get one to live. In fact I talked our church into using Beta at the fall festival instead of gold fish. It has worked pretty well and the pet store helps us out.

I have a Beta now and had one before this one that lived close to 3 years. It was not a decoration. They do not originate in sewers but in fields and marshes where they can survive in somewhat shallow waters. That being said, some people think they can keep them in a cup, etc., which is cruel. They are very smart fish that not only have gills and breath in water but also have to have air to breath. We keep ours in a 5 gallon tank. They are fighting fish so don't put 2 together. You can keep them in a LARGE bowl and change the water weekly. Some people believed that you can keep them in a vase with a plant and not feed them, believing they can live off the roots and that is not so. Also if you do have a plant, make sure the beta can reach the top and have space for air, they need to also breath air. I would think twice about using them for decorations unless you had them in large bowls with instructions and food on how to care for them and knew people would properly care for the fish.

 

[lauralana9]

I have a Beta now and had one before this one that lived close to 3 years. It was not a decoration. They do not originate in sewers but in fields and marshes where they can survive in somewhat shallow waters. That being said, some people think they can keep them in a cup, etc., which is cruel. They are very smart fish that not only have gills and breath in water but also have to have air to breath. We keep ours in a 5 gallon tank. They are fighting fish so don't put 2 together. You can keep them in a LARGE bowl and change the water weekly. Some people believed that you can keep them in a vase with a plant and not feed them, believing they can live off the roots and that is not so. Also if you do have a plant, make sure the beta can reach the top and have space for air, they need to also breath air. I would think twice about using them for decorations unless you had them in large bowls with instructions and food on how to care for them and knew people would properly care for the fish.

My thoughts exactly. I can't tell you how angry it makes me when I hear about people using fish as decorations. On top of everything you said bettas are tropical fish. They need warm water, as in a tank heater. Its impossible to keep a vase at the temps they require.

 

[luvsJack]

I have a Beta now and had one before this one that lived close to 3 years. It was not a decoration. They do not originate in sewers but in fields and marshes where they can survive in somewhat shallow waters. That being said, some people think they can keep them in a cup, etc., which is cruel. They are very smart fish that not only have gills and breath in water but also have to have air to breath. We keep ours in a 5 gallon tank. They are fighting fish so don't put 2 together. You can keep them in a LARGE bowl and change the water weekly. Some people believed that you can keep them in a vase with a plant and not feed them, believing they can live off the roots and that is not so. Also if you do have a plant, make sure the beta can reach the top and have space for air, they need to also breath air. I would think twice about using them for decorations unless you had them in large bowls with instructions and food on how to care for them and knew people would properly care for the fish.

We have had one for several years also, he lives in a gold fish bowl. My father in law has one in a vase with a plant, the fish does have room to get to air and dfil does feed the fish the same Beta food that we feed ours.

The guy that owns the pet store is the one that said they come from the sewers. Maybe he said they live in them, not that they orginated there. But I do know that the bowl does not have to be kept squeaky clean nor do they have to have a deep container of water and I do know that they are not as fragile as gold fish.

I was simply saying if the fish being used for decoration were Beta that there were options for the fish other than flushing them or just getting rid of them. I am not sure what instructions you would want them to give people, our fish seems quite content simply being fed and the bowl cleaned fairly regularly. Not sure what would be hard to understand?

And no they do not have to have a heater nor an air pump like tropical fish tanks have. They are extremely easy.