Mom will love these charming Mother’s Day decorations for your Mother’s Day table decor or anywhere! Get the details on turning vintage family photos into the sweetest Mother’s Day centerpieces.

You don’t have to spend a fortune at the party store for Mother’s Day decorations! Learn how to create the sweetest, most sentimental photo vases to work into your Mother’s Day brunch – the perfect gift!

mother's day photo centerpiece on table set with white dishes and glassware
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This post was originally published in 2012, updated with fresh photos and tutorial details April 12, 2021.

Mother’s Day is just weeks away! While I wish it was going to be an excuse for brunching with family, that might not be the case for many this year.

I thought it would be fun to share these Mother’s Day decorations that are perfect for gifting, even if you can’t be with the ones you love!

While I have always enjoyed entertaining, it’s not as easy as I wish it could be – regardless of current circumstances.

With three kids, I try to keep centerpieces and decorations as effortless as possible. I love using staples, easily accessible flowers and sourcing from our own home rather than a store to save valuable time.

mother's day flowers

I’ve written about Mother’s Day celebration ideas before – find the full details of this Mother’s Day brunch here, and this pretty lavender Mother’s Day table here.

Why You’ll Love this Project

  • So simple
  • Comes together in minutes
  • Easy to personalize
  • Sentimental
  • Double use: a centerpiece and a great gift!
mother's day table decor of a vase of flowers with a vintage photograph on a table set for brunch.

Mother’s Day Decorations

I usually purchase Mother’s Day flowers at grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. This means that I never know what I’m designing until I make a trip to the store, which can be a little limiting at times.

However, there are a few staples you can almost always count on – white hydrangea and roses are among them, so you never have to fret. They make a great base for any arrangement!

Get all the details about Trader Joe’s flowers and where to buy flowers if you’re planning your own Mother’s Day decoration ideas this year.

Even if we can’t celebrate with a full sit down brunch, I know she will adore this Mother’s Day centerpiece for her own table.

chamomile hydrangea and peonies in yellow and white

Mother’s Day Table Decor

I arranged these flowers for Mother’s Day using hydrangea, peonies {but you can substitute roses}, chamomile and chrysanthemum.

However, anything thin and wispy will work in their place, including the always accessible babies breath. You can watch this video to see how I arrange flowers here!

The method is exactly the same, I just broke up large heads of hydrangea by inserting chamomile between the hydrangea blooms.

Mother's day decor idea of a photo vase filled with flowers on a mother's day brunch table.

One of my favorite staples that you may have noticed I use frequently is a cylinder vase. It offers a little height, requiring fewer flowers, but not so much height you can’t see one another across the table.

Once your brunch is over, it becomes a beautiful accent on a kitchen island, end table or coffee table, which means this is so much more than just Mother’s Day table decor!

This is the perfect way to use your Mother’s Day pics! I’m going to start a tradition of taking photos with the girls each Mother’s Day. I realized that I, like my own mother, end up in very few photographs.

mothers day ideas

For the full tutorial, please see the how-to card at the bottom of this post!

What You’ll Need

How to Make these Mother’s Day Decorations

You can integrate photographs of your mom, mother-in-law and/or grandma to create beautiful one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day Decorations using my easy diy photo centerpiece idea I’ve been doing for years.

To recreate this look, simply print your favorite photographs {5×7} professionally and insert into a vase filled with water before creating your Mother’s Day flower arrangement.

  1. Using whatever photos you choose, print them into a 5×7 size. You can have them printed at Costco, Walgreens, CVS, or online through services like Snapfish, but do not print them at home, home printed photos bleed.
  2. Gently curl the photograph to insert the photo into the vase.
  3. Fill with water. Yes, they are just everyday photographs submerged in water.

Variations

  • You can also simply submerge a photo and add floating candles.
  • For my brother and sister-in-law’s rehearsal dinner, I created photo centerpieces that also doubled as table numbers. They’re incredibly easy to make – just add a number to the image in a photo editing program!
  • I first created these for a client’s 40th birthday party, used them for a friend’s grandparent’s landmark birthday and then my brother and sister-in-law’s rehearsal dinner.

Check out this inspiring list of my favorite handmade Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!

The photographs become more vibrant when amplified by water and subtly hide flower stems. It is a very simple photo centerpiece that anyone can create for a shower, milestone birthday party or anniversary party!

Hope you enjoy a Happy Mother’s Day!

A table set with mother's day decorations of a simple vase of flowers with a vintage photo inside.
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How to Create a Photo Centerpiece for Mother’s Day Decorations

Mom will love these charming Mother's Day decorations for your Mother's Day table centerpiece or anywhere! Get the details on turning vintage family photos into the sweetest Mother's Day centerpieces.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Total: 6 minutes
Servings: 1
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Ingredients  

  • Cylinder vase
  • 5 x7 photos printed professionally, not at home
  • Fresh flowers

Instructions 

  • Using any photos you’d like, have them profesionally printed. You can have them printed at Costco, Walgreens, CVS, or online through services like Snapfish, but do not print them at home, home printed photos bleed.
  • Gently curl the photograph to insert the photo into the vase.
  • Fill with water. Yes, they are just everyday photographs submerged in water.

Equipment

Floral clippers

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2 Comments

  1. Such a beautiful and nostalgic table Julie! and the photo-trick! Brilliant! I didn’t know you could just submerge them in water and they stay looking awesome!Â