Want your bridal shower to look like the Four Seasons, but (like most of us) can only afford Wal-Mart? Here are some inexpensive ideas for luscious centerpieces that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

The Bounty of Fruit

This decorative centerpiece idea is inexpensive and looks like a million bucks. For holders, you can either use a bunch of different kinds of glass containers (your mother's glass cake plate, terra cotta flower pots, etc.), or you can go and purchase matching containers. The size you buy depends on how big your tables are. Since you're filling them with fruit, you don't want to buy the containers too small - you'll only be able to display two or three pieces of fruit.

When you go to the store to choose fruit, consider your shower theme and the time of year. If it's autumn, you could get apples, grapes, figs, and other lovely autumn fruits. If your bridal shower is in May, however, strawberries, lemons, and other summer fruits will work best.

To assemble fruit arrangements, fill the bottom of each container with a block of floral foam. For a towering topiary, hot glue a cone-shaped piece of styrofoam to the bottom of the container. For the topiary, stack firm fruits like apples, pears, lemons in patterns around the cone, fastening them to the cone with toothpicks. For a square or round flat arrangement, just pile container with the fruit so it looks like it's spilling out the top of the container. Grapes work excellently for this look. If you're afraid of fruit falling out, hot glue fruit together as you're arranging it.