D.I.Y. Wedding Day Flower Wall

Jeremy and I had so much fun making this flower back drop for our wedding ceremony. Since sharing photos we've had dozens of requests for an in-depth tutorial on how we created this back drop. It's actually really easy and would be fun for a photo booth too! 

There are a lot of different types of tissue ornaments in the mix. First there are paper fans or accordion flowers. I purchase a bunch of these and these from Bake It Pretty. They are inexpensive and usually around 12 inches wide, so they cover space well. The biggest bulk of the back drop is made with tissue paper pom poms. I learned to make paper pom poms in girl scouts (YEAH!) and more recently a prettier version from my friend Rachel's blog. She kindly gave me permission to share her beautiful photo how-to with you here...

1. Gather five or seven or nine (must be an odd number to get this look) pieces of tissue paper in two monochromatic shades (pinks & yellows, greens & blues) that compliment each other and cut them three times as long as they are wide. You'll also need some twine or embroidery thread. 2. With your papers stacked, fold them into a fan like so. 3. Trim off the ends at an angle for a petal effect. 4. Tie it together in the middle with your knot and extra string on the edge of the color you want at the top. I wanted yellow at the top of mine. 5. Fan out and pinch around the knotted area in between the folds to help it stay fanned. 6. Very gently, start peeling your layers down. Do them one side at a time so it all looks even when you're done. Your middle layer should stick out in the center but you can peel it to the top or bottom a little here and there to make it look a little more like a flower.

The pom poms we made for our backdrop are just a slight variation of this method. You don't have to fluff out both sides, because one side will lay flat against the wall. Also some of the flowers on our backdrop have a more rounded (scalloped) petal or a deeper fringe. You can experiment with slightly different techniques when cutting the petals to create different looks.

To hang the pieces we nailed and adhered them directly to the wall. Since this isn't possible on most walls, I recommend cutting a huge cardboard backing (as wide and tall as you want your entire piece) and the using hot glue to adhere all your flowers. Then you would only need to use a few nails to secure it to the wall, causing minimal damage. Other elements that we included in our backdrop were fringe flowers cut from plastic bags, feathers and fabric squares. I recommend sticking with a general color scheme (we chose jewel tones) that has some room for variety.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful! Remember, a smaller scale version would be super cute for a photo booth or party table. xo. elsie 

Photos by Kinsey Mhire, Arrow & Apple and Rachel Denbow. 

Comments

[Loulou]

You selected really pretty colours for this neat project! It looks great.

Loulou @ Loulou Downtown

[nileta]

oh, this is so pretty! and i love diy weddings! seems like everyone is spending a lot of money on weddings, when they could make something beautiful themselves! thanx for sharing!

[Susanne Tyree]

My comment is that I congratulate you both on the simplicity of it all and thank you for showing that a couple can get married anywhere on this earth without all the fanfare and glitz. You have shown that the only thing of importance is the couple who are pledging their love to each other. My husband and I have been married 41 years by a Justice of the Peace. We had 2 witnesses who we didn't even know. The focus was on us. Congrats to you and your man. May you always be as happy as you were on your day.

[Kylee]

I remember making those tissue flowers in art camp..many, many years ago. who would have thought you could incorporate them into that!!! Beautiful! You had the most creative/adorable wedding ever!

[Hillary]

That's so cute! And it seems affordable too!

http://www.thoreausdaughter.com/

[Jennifer]

Oh, I really like Rachel's version of the pom pom. I made some "regular" ones for our wedding reception, but I like the different colors and unique shape of Rachel's. So cute!

[Katie]

This is like the prettiest wall ever! I love it!
do
Katie

Katiediditt.blogspot.com

[Julie]

So pretty!!! I think I might use that tutorial for the flower pom poms for my mom's birthday in January! She would be so excited!!

http://julies-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

[Ida May Bueno]

This is such a colourful and cool idea for a backdrop. It definitely made the wall look so interesting! It added a lot of character to it! I really love your creative ideas!!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. :-)

xoxo
Ida

http://asplashofida.blogspot.com

[Laura]

I love the constrast it adds to the worn down building. It completely puts the focus on the people and the flowe wall. Awesome spot to have a wedding!

[Loren]

Thanks for this I was wondering what exactly went into you backdrop. We used to make flowers like this in my youth group all the time, I think they are kind of awesome.

[Caitlin]

So pretty! I used the same technique to make a wreath of black flowers to wear on my head for a Day of the Dead party but tied the centers with pipecleaners that made connecting them easy. We also made bouquets and corsages. Very fun and quick project!

[Magda]

The flower wall was beautiful, but the rest of the room... so ugly. Why did you choose this place?

http://sztukastudiowania.blogspot.com/

[rachael adele // for the love of design]

your wedding decor was absolutely magical!

http://www.fortheloveofdesignblog.com

[The life after]

It is such a great idea! Love it!

[Jordan Marie Schilleci]

THANK YOU!!
This was one of my VERY many favorite parts!
So happy for y'all!

<3xojo

[Ashley Fine]

The most beautiful wedding ever! I just love that there was so much creativity and personality incorporated into your special day. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

[Deb]

i actually did a version of this for a window display and for my sons brithday

[Lina @ Chopping Vegetables]

I love love love this! I have a huge blank wall in my apartment and I think a smaller version would be perfect.

[Cora]

I used this same method as a backdrop for my photobooth at my wedding! I should have ordered/made more but it still looked great!

You can see it below!

http://tinyurl.com/cxj754h