For summer weddings, especially when held outdoors, it is common to provide wedding guests with a fan to keep them cool through the ceremony. These wedding fans are not only practical, but they are a great opportunity to add your own personal touch to the ceremony. Many brides choose to make their own wedding fans and use them as personalized favors for their wedding guests.
Paddle Wedding Fans
This style of wedding fan is one of the easiest versions to make. For the fan itself, it's important to use a very heavy paper, preferably card stock. Choose any shape and color you prefer. Some of the most popular shapes include rectangles, ovals and hearts, while some of the most popular colors include white, black and wedding-specific colors. For the rectangle shape, you will just trim the edges to an appropriate size or round the corners for a softer look. For each fan, you will need two identical pieces of card stock. Next, choose what each side of your fan will look like. Many people choose to decorate one side with their wedding program, and the other side with a picture of the couple. Once you have settled on your design, print these out on card stock as well. For a more pleasing visual effect, make these prints smaller than the original card stock and preferably on a color that contrasts nicely with the original card stock. Glue each design onto the middle of the original card stock.
Next, choose a handle. A thick wooden stick, such as a paint stick or tongue depressor, works well. Spray paint the stick to match or complement the card stock. Once the paint is dry, position the stick in between the two pieces of card stock. Use a heavy glue or rubber cement to affix the sticks to the two sides of the fan. Once the stick is in place, glue around the inside edges of the cardstock, sticking both sides of the fan together.Consider decorating the stick for added style. Some options include tying a ribbon around the stick or gluing buttons or little treasures to the stick.
Segmented Wedding Fans
If you want a segmented wedding fan, the process may take a bit longer. A segmented wedding fan consists of 5 to 6 different pieces of card stock ("cards") fastened together at the bottom. These segments will then open up--or "fan out"--to create a full fan look.
First, decide how many segments you want and what design each piece should display. You will probably want to design about five or six different cards (which will be each segment once the fan is complete). It is easy to incorporate a wedding program into this type of fan. The first card could have your names and wedding date, followed by your wedding party, wedding songs, personal messages, pictures and any other information you may want to share with your guests.
Once you have settled on the design for all of your cards, you'll want to print these out onto a heavy card stock. It's important to keep these cards at a small to medium size; once they are fastened together and opened up they will become quite large. After printing your segments onto card stock, cut them into rectangular shapes with rounded corners. Remember that each segment should be the same height and width.
Punch a hole through the bottom middle of each card. Arrange your cards into the correct order and slide a decorative ribbon through the holes. Knot the ribbon tightly so it will hold all the pieces together tightly. For a more decorative look, tie the ribbon into a bow.
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