Centerpiece buy or DIY?

Chrissymm1976

Hi, I am newly engaged and thinking about my wedding reception. I have been in many weddings but never paid attention to the in depth planning or details now its my turn and I am not sure what is best. Do most brides make their own centerpieces or do you order them assembled already? Thanks!

mbcdefg

If you're newly engaged, then hold off on centerpieces and decorations for a while. You don't want to buy something now (especially if you haven't booked the ceremony and reception sites yet) and then change your mind later on. I'm five months out and only settled my centerpieces last week. What "most brides" do? I'd say that's a pretty even mix. I've seen people here make their own centerpieces - flowers, candles, vases, floating/submerged flowers in water, photos, etc. - and some people just pay a florist or a decorator to do it for them. Totally your call. Look at some pctures, price things out with a florist and decide for yourself what you want to do. But this is low on the list of priorities right now, so only gather ideas and don't spend money yet. I bought some votive lanterns from a local Knottie because I thought I was going to make my own centerpieces because I figured flowers were out of my budget. I met with the florist last week and gave him my budget per table and he said he could offer me fresh flowers for that price. So he will come to the hall and set up the centerpieces (I will buy the vases myself for him, to keep costs down), and I will bring the votive lanterns to the hall a few days prior and they will set those up for me.

Chrissymm1976

thank you so much!! I am just looking right now.. I realize that I have to book the ceremoney and receeption first, which I am close to doing!!! Anyway, I don't want to get ahead of myself, but just a quick question... Did you bring a picture of what you want your centerpiece to look like to the florist and then they make a model for you to "approve" or not?? Just curious.. thanks again!!

mbcdefg

I brought photos of what I wanted my bouquet, the BMs' bouquets, FI and the groomsmen's boutonnieres to look like. For the families' corsages/boutonnieres I just said to do something with white flowers. I didn't originally think we could afford centerpieces, so I didn't bring in any photos. I said, "We can only afford $X per table, so can you even do anything for that amount?" He replied that he could do hydrangeas and gerbera daisies for that amount, so I said, "O.K., go ahead and book it."Go in with a rough idea of what you want, a price quote and an open mind. You don't need to know exactly what you want, or even a general idea of what you want. Florists (usually) know their stuff ... not only are you paying for them to actually create your arrangements, but you're also paying for their expertise. You don't have to micromanage every aspect of your wedding ... it's perfectly O.K. to say to some vendors, "Here's the overall idea of our wedding, and here's what I want to spend, so go for it."

Catwoman708

You don't need to worry about centerpieces until you've booked your venue, know what your budget for centerpieces is, how many guests/tables, what kind/color of tablecloths, and more details about colors and the style of the wedding. It usually depends on the budge as to what kind of centerpieces and whether to DIY or have a florist do it. If you can afford it, have someone else do it, to reduce your headaches. There are many alternatives to expensive floral arrangements. Lanterns, candles, simple DIY flowers, or seasonal potted flowering plants (tulips, daisies, mums, poinsettias, etc...).

danieliza1127

I bought my own vases and then had our florist make the flowers to go in them.  Those went on half of our tables.  Our venue had centerpieces available to use for $2 per table, so I used those on the other half of the tables.  Those were hurricane vases with big pillar candles inside, on a mirror, surrounded by votives.  I bought my own silk rose petals to put on all of the tables.  Pics in bio.

T_P

Once you have picked the date and location then worry about that. As per should you buy them or DIY that is up to you. We are making ours. Our wedding is a Christmas theme. I am making a Christmas wreath. Not to big. I will be using pine cones, some flowers and a few different things that I got at Michaels craft store. Then we are putting a round glass vase in the middle with a tall fat candle.