How to Decorate Bird Cages for Wedding Centerpieces

Attach flowers to a white bird cage for a wedding centerpiece.

You can spend an inordinate amount of time and money choosing your reception decorations. One way to save a little of both is to decorate bird cages for your wedding centerpieces. This do-it-yourself project is easy to complete and will leave your guests in awe of your creative prowess. Check out local antique shops and thrift stores for old bird cages you can refurbish with paint and floral decorative touches.

Things You'll Need

• Small, domed bird cages (about 15 inches high by 6 inches wide)
• Sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• White primer
• Paintbrushes
• White or silver metal spray paint
• Silk flowers
• Floral wire
• Ruler
• 1-inch-thick silver ribbon
• Silk flower petals
• Battery-operated, non-flaming votives

Instructions

Prepare the Bird Cages

1. Sand the metal bird cages with 120-grit sandpaper to remove any old paint or rust.

2. Wipe away the residue left by the sandpaper with a tack cloth.

3. Paint metal primer onto the bird cages with a paintbrush. If the bottoms of the bird cages come out, remove them and paint them separately. Let the primer dry for two hours.

4. Spray paint the cages with white or silver metal paint. Let the paint dry for three to four hours.

Decorate the Cages

1. Determine the kind of flowers you want for your centerpieces. If roses are the main flowers in your wedding arrangements, stick with that theme and obtain silk roses in the same color scheme.

2. Trim the stem of each rose with floral shears, leaving 1 inch of stem from the bud. Cut several 4-inch pieces of floral wire. Wrap a wire around each stem two to three times to secure it. Use green wire so it matches the stem color.

3. Wrap the floral wire attached to the roses around the wire bars on the bird cage. Begin at the top of each cage and attach four to five flowers around the dome. Move down to the sides and sparingly attach the roses in a sporadic fashion. Don’t go overboard--one or two on each side will suffice.

4. Measure an 18-inch-long piece of silver ribbon for each bird cage. Cut the ribbon and trim an angle at each end. Run a ribbon through the center wire on the top of each cage and tie a bow.

5. Place a battery-operated, non-flaming votive candle in the center of the bottom of each bird cage. Surround each votive with silk rose petals.

Tips & Warnings

• If the wedding takes place outdoors during the spring or summer, add craft butterflies to the bird cages. Use high-quality craft butterflies made of silk or satin, rather than plastic or cotton butterflies commonly used in children’s crafts.

• You may be able to find decorative bird cages at craft stores or hobby shelves and save yourself the time it takes to refurbish old cages.

References

• The Parrot University; Painting and Repainting Bird Cages; Steve Hartman
• The Knot: Vintage Bird Cage Decor