Instructions for a Wedding Wishing Well

Learn how to make a replica wishing well for your wedding cards.

Traditionally, a wishing well exists to throw money into while making a wish. The wedding wishing well is used at the reception for guests to deposit their money gift cards, perhaps while saying a wish for the couple. The wedding wishing well serves as both décor for the gift table, and as a useful item to hold the wedding cards so you can easily carry them away from the reception. Rather than buy a wishing well or other receptacle for wedding cards, build your own with items from around the house.

Things You'll Need

• Laundry basket, round, white or ivory
• Tulle or fabric, white or in the wedding color scheme
• 2 Paper towel tubes
• 1 Poster board, white
• Scissors
• Wedding-themed wrapping paper, tulle or other decorations and embellishments
• Ribbon, ¼-inch
• Word processing or desktop publishing program
• Printer
• 5 x 7 piece of white card stock
• Glue dots
• Tape

Instructions

1. Wrap the laundry basket in the tulle or other fabric. Arrange the fabric so that it covers the bottom inside of the basket and goes up tightly along the inner sides and outer sides of the basket. Use glue dots to hold the fabric in place. Wrap the fabric down to the underside of the basket. Use glue dots or tape to hold the fabric to the bottom of the basket.

2. Create the wedding wishing well roof. Fold one piece of poster board in half. Press down on the line in the middle of the poster board to create a crease. Open the poster board slightly so that it forms a pyramid when you set in the floor.

3. Wrap two empty paper towel tubes with wedding wrapping paper, fabric or tulle. These tubes will attach to each side of the laundry basket to attach the roof to the well portion of the basket.

4. Find the handles of the laundry basket, under the fabric. Use the scissors to make two small slits in the fabric, on the inside and outside of each handles. Feed a piece of ribbon through these slits, one piece of ribbon for each handle. Feed one end of one ribbon upward, through a paper towel tube, then pull down the ribbon and tie it in a decorative bow near the handle. Repeat for both sides.

5. Create a double-sided, slanted roof for the wishing well. Cut a piece of poster board into a rectangle, one which is wide enough to attach to both pillars. Fold it down the middle. Use glue dots to attach the poster board at its fold to the two pillars.

6. Decorate the roof. Cover it with fabric or wrapping paper. Create a "Wishing Well" sign on a 5 by 7 piece of card stock, using a word processing or desktop publishing program. Afix the sign to the front panel of the roof with glue dots.

References

• Chiff: How to Make a Bridal Wishing Well