DIY Wedding Arch and Flower Cones

One of the first DIY projects that I attempted, back in September of last year, was making flower cones to hang from shepherd's hooks at the ends of the rows of chairs. When I first made them, the wedding was still a year away. With only a few weeks to go, it was time to add some finishing touches.

My mom has a natural talent for silk flowers. She purchased a bunch of silk violet, green, and ivory hydrangeas last summer. She used the flowers to make mini-arrangements to put in each cone. We opted to use silk flowers for ceremony decor so that we would not have to worry about flowers wilting in the afternoon sun. The flower cones are hanging on simple black shepherd's hooks that I purchased from the dollar store. I love how the hooks are so thin that they disappear into the surroundings. Overall, I would have to say that my alternative to the traditional pew bow came out beautifully. I can't wait to see them in action at the ceremony.

Next on my list was the wedding arch. By far, the biggest pain in the you-know-what to make. I started with a green garden arbor that I picked up at Michael's a couple years ago. I draped tulle over the arch, and stitched it to the "rungs" of the arch with clear thread. From there it was a matter of adding things and taking them off until we got the look we wanted.

My goal was to create an arch that looked as though it was made out of materials found along the beach. I think we pulled it off. Sadly, the pictures really are not able to do the arch justice because I was unable to get the entire arch in one shot.

We started with some curly willow. I purchased it because it looked kind of like drift wood. Tom got the idea to twist the willow around the front and back of the arch. My mom found some silk grasses at a steal at local discount store, so we wove those into the willow as well. My mom also added some leftover hydrangeas from the flower cones to mesh everything together. Two entwined starfish sit at the top, Tom had to attach those, I was at my breaking point. A seashell and crystal garland hangs from inside the arch, attaching the garland was the reason for me reaching said breaking point.

Everything is attached to either the arch or the tulle with clear thread, and so far it seams to be really sturdy. The whole thing fell over twice (and was thrown once) during assembly, and everything remained in tact. We are going to stake it to the ground for the actual ceremony.