If you love the look of lightweight, delicate décor, consider folded paper. The minimalist elegance of a simple folded sheet of paper carries a graceful beauty. Supplies are inexpensive if you’d like to fold your own origami, whereas already-folded paper sculptures can be purchased from artists in bulk online.
Origami sculptures make beautiful venue decorations as well as substitutions for flowers in bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. They also make fun favors for guests to take away after the wedding.
Paper Flowers
If you’re looking for a unique alternative to flowers, origami blossoms can make an unforgettable artistic statement. Carry a bouquet of white paper roses down the aisle, or stud your bouquet with gold-foil tulips, lace-edged carnations, or imaginary flowers of your own making.
The type of paper you use is important. It will contribute to how light or heavy your flowers look. Pay attention to paper color, pattern, and texture. You can find paper that’s marbled and veined like the leaves and petals of real plants. There are also metallic papers and even translucent papers to add visual appeal to your arrangements.
Some origami paper is colored differently on the front and back of the sheet so, once folded, it becomes two-toned. If you’re using a shape that requires a single sheet of paper but you want to add more complexity of color, this is a good way to do it. You can also paint your paper by hand to have any color or pattern you like.
Want to give your paper flowers a special boost? You can fold origami flowers out of paper that has been studded with wildflower seeds. Encourage each guest to take one home after the ceremony and plant it in their own backyards. Flowers will grow as a lasting reminder of your wedding.
Three-Dimensional Invitations
One of the best ways to incorporate paper sculpture in your wedding is in your Save the Date cards and invitations. Pick a design that folds flat smoothly in an envelope for easy travel. Paper cranes are classic shapes and they will do well for bird-themed weddings, which are seeing a resurgence this year.
Origami invitations work best when the information is presented in an easy-to-read manner. Hold a blank sample sculpture in your hand and think about which part your eye is drawn to first. On a paper crane, for example, you’ll probably want to print the most important information on the tops of the wings and print secondary information on the wing undersides.
With a pen or pencil, sketch directly on the paper sculpture where you want the wording to go. You may have to use several sample sculptures before you get it exactly right. When you like how the sample looks, unfold the paper so you can see how the wording is arranged when the paper is flat. Some of the wording may be on the back of the sheet.
While it’s possible to create your invitations on a computer in a word processing program, graphics programs (like Photoshop or Illustrator) are more convenient tools for rotating and positioning the text where you’ll need it to go. If you’re not familiar with using graphics programs, you can either draw every invitation out longhand (hope you have a small guest list!) or give the job to an experienced graphic artist.
Print out more sheets of paper than you think you’ll need, so you’ll have some wiggle room if you make a mistake while folding one. Your three-dimensional invitations will be the talk of the town!
Delicate Decorations
Origami is a beautiful art that can transform a room. Using lightweight clear thread or fishing line, hang strings of folded cranes or flowers from the rafters of your venue or from tree branches outside. If you don’t want to make them all yourself, you can host an origami-folding party before the wedding and invite your friends to learn a new skill while contributing to your wedding décor.
Paper decorations also look beautiful around lighting fixtures. You can fold paper lanterns, or just use multicolored lighting to set off the shapes of your folded décor.
Use folded paper fruits and cupcakes to adorn your dessert table. You can even use folded figurines to top your wedding cake!
Depart from Tradition
Do you have some paper folding ideas of your own? Origami doesn’t have to follow strict Japanese tradition. In fact, similar arts of paper folding evolved in Italy, Germany, and Spain, just to name a few countries. Where there is paper, there have been artists who loved to fold it–and this elite group now contains you. I
f you want to glue multiple papers together, or skip the creases and edges altogether and mold paper into shapes with water, go for it. Your wedding decorations and accessories should be completely, uniquely your own.
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