Centerpieces

I am a super early planner as I am also DIYing all decor, invitations, etc. I did not start purchasing any decor DIY supplies until I had a final vision for my venue, wedding colors, and wedding style. Some will say that you should wait within a certain time period before your wedding because you may change your mind on colors and style. However, I am not one to change my mind once I have a plan in place. I purchased small quantities of supplies to make a sample centerpiece to ensure I like the style and I will make all of the decor approximately 3-4 months before my wedding.

Since you've already booked the venue, now would be an OK time to start thinking about the centerpieces if you wanted to! Come up with a few different ideas, and search Pinterest for more ideas. If you absolutely have your heart set on specific centerpieces, there is no harm in buying them now! However, if it's possible that your mind will change, I would hold off on buying them. Or, you could buy enough stuff for just one centerpiece, and then set it up to see what you think of it. You could also setup a few different options to compare them. I wouldn't go crazy with spending money on stuff right away, one thing I learned by having a longer engagement is that I changed my mind multiple times on various decor items. So, maybe wait before spending a bunch of cash until time gets a little closer (maybe less than a year before your wedding)?

Another good reason to start planning and shopping early is that you can take advantage of sales throughout the year (like Black Friday or any holiday sales)! Once you’ve figured out what decor items you’re interested in, you can find identify places that sell them and potentially plan ahead for future sales/coupons. I wish I had done a bit more of that last year since I’ve been engaged since 2019 and plan to wed in the fall of this year.

To me, the two big concerns about buying decor super early are that 1) you'll have to store everything (if you have tons of space, no big deal; but, if you'll be tripping over stuff for the next 18 months, I'd wait), and 2) you might change your mind.... Nothing purchased "on sale" is a good deal if you end up changing your mind and don't actually use it. Personally, I'd wait a bit. You can collect ideas and pay attention to what different stores/vendors carry that fits your vision, but unless you are absolutely certain you know what you want, I'd wait on purchasing. Congrats on finding your venue!

Depends on your personality.

We do everything DIY and are planning everything in just 3 months. And even with this super short time frame and lots and lots of research I've already purchased stuff that I won't use (most I can return). I had a very clear vision in mind for the centerpieces and went with my friend to Hobby Lobby. After spending 2 hours chosing everything I need for the centerpieces, I realized I wasn't confidend in my vision anymore and completely changed my mind and went with something different. Now I am pretty sure that I'll stick with what I have and I don't allow myself to change again. Only 5 weeks to go and it is what it is.

All that to say, I wouldn't start too early. Maybe six months in adavance maximum. I think otherwise you might just drive yourself crazy (at least if you are like me :-) )

Like the other ladies said pinterest is ideal but it will also drive you nuts too...I personally started purchasing items here and there and did mock centerpieces to see what I wanted..also don’t start too early either, I changed mine 6 times since I originally started and some of the flowers I got early on were no longer available🤦🏽‍♀️..but it never hurts to pinpoint your colors, get a general idea of what to diy and not, and what you want the overall look of your wedding to be like..as you can see I started out a little crazy and then kept evolving and then finally reached something I was happy with and made almost all in advance so I couldn’t change them anymore 😂..getting married in 6 months but I started purchasing items back in November

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Love your centerpiece evolution pictures! I love the first one but that's probably just cause me and my fiancé have a thing for lilies. It's fun seeing how lovely it ended up even though each variation would have been great.

View Quoted Comment Thank you..I absolutely love lilies too..my favorite flower I think it I had done smaller more of a boxed arrangement they would have been perfect..just all about playing around

I started brainstorming a little over a year before our original date. As of now I've been planning for over 2 years lol. I knew what I wanted so I started buying little by little. Our wedding is in October of this year and I have over 85% of my stuff bought. Big relief!

I think it's fine to start buying things early, as long as you have room for it in your apartment/house! It also helps to scope out the best deals: you might want to think about waiting until the fall when summer 2021 married people are trying to sell their decor. Fiance and I are scientists so I've begun slowly accumulating vintage lab equipment and glassware to use as decor, mostly through Facebook marketplace. The nice thing is that I also just like the look in general so it's inspired me to decorate our apartment with flowers in these little flasks! Brightens up the nasty February weather.