Handmade Archways for Weddings

Wedding arches you make yourself can save you money and be elegant.

During harsh economic times, brides scrap big budget wedding plans for more modest ceremonies. Brides can cut corners while still giving the impression of elegance that big budget weddings deliver by making items such as floral arrangements and ceremonial archways. Archways, or arches, can either serve as a form of outdoor altar, or as a decorative "ceiling" for a dance area. Several forms of handmade arches can be inexpensive and not very labor intensive.

Balloon Arches

Balloon arches can be elegant, particularly in white, black or even silver and coordinated with the wedding theme. Bend a wire into the shape of the arch and tie the balloons around the wire to a desired thickness. Some products are available on the market that coat the inside of balloons to slow the helium from escaping, thus giving the balloons additional buoyancy so that you can assemble the arch a day before the wedding and still last.

Flower Arches

For outdoor weddings, the theme is typically based on nature, and nothing's more natural than a living flower. You can assemble a flower in the same manner as a balloon arch, with a wire serving as the foundation for the arch and the flowers tied to the wire. The difference is that the flower arch will last much longer, be fragrant and lend a more natural feel to the ambience. Alternatively, you can add silk flowers to the wire foundation of a flower arch, which results in a colorful and natural looking arch.

Wood Arches

Natural arches made of either wood or bamboo can give an outdoor wedding a sense of nature that will elevate it to a level of elegance matching an indoor wedding. While assembling a wooden arch can be as basic as having a home supply store saw a few pieces of wood that you can nail together, a bamboo arch can look more natural and be assembled with some bamboo poles, screws and twine. Top off the bamboo arch with some ribbons or flowers to make it even more festive.

Metal Arches

If the natural look isn't a major concern, you can craft a metal arch of metal tubing that you drill and screw together. You can twist flowers or live plants such as vines around the metal tubing to make it more festive. Also, the basis for many floral archways is metal wiring.

References

• Wedding Flowers and Reception Ideas: How to Make a Wedding Balloon Arch
• Sunset Bamboo: How to Make a Bamboo Wedding Arch
• Favor Ideas: Top Ideas for Adding "Wow" to the Wedding Arch