Butterfly wedding favors
June 26, 2008 11:00 AM Subscribe
I ordered 18 boxes of these butterflies for centerpieces/favors for my wedding. What can I do with them? I was thinking of clipping them to some sort of tree-like thing but the local craft store didn't have anything appropriate.
If it matters, the reception is indoors, in the fall, at a hotel. There will be ~100 people. Any other ideas for creatively displaying these at a wedding are welcomed. I am not very crafty.
If it matters, the reception is indoors, in the fall, at a hotel. There will be ~100 people. Any other ideas for creatively displaying these at a wedding are welcomed. I am not very crafty.
How about gathering (bare, fallen) real branches? A couple of interestingly-shaped branches anchored in something like floral foam, with your butterflies attached, might look quite nice. I wouldn't cut live branches from trees that don't belong to me, though. Some florists carry branches as well, but that might be more difficult to find in the fall.
Alternatively, they could be used to embellish napkin rings or wedding favours.
posted by vesper at 11:04 AM on June 26, 2008
Alternatively, they could be used to embellish napkin rings or wedding favours.
posted by vesper at 11:04 AM on June 26, 2008
What about clipped to large branches in a vase? Something like these?
I can't take credit for finding those - someone on the Knot message boards posted the link. Those message boards can be somewhat useful for things like this.
Good luck and congrats on your wedding. I love Paper Source, good choice.
posted by pyjammy at 11:06 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
I can't take credit for finding those - someone on the Knot message boards posted the link. Those message boards can be somewhat useful for things like this.
Good luck and congrats on your wedding. I love Paper Source, good choice.
posted by pyjammy at 11:06 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
You don't have to be very crafty to find pretty tree branches, manzanitas are nice, clip them, let them dry, strip them of leaves and put them in a vase or on some kind of stand. Russet fall colored glitter coating optional.
By then, there will also be falling leaves around. You can collect pretty ones and just sort of cram them into a thick bouquet, and either put them in an appropriately widemouthed vase or tie them with ribbon and leave them laying on the tables (with perhaps some filler like money plant, baby's breath, or sprays of glittery something from the craft store), and pin the butterfly on that.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:07 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
By then, there will also be falling leaves around. You can collect pretty ones and just sort of cram them into a thick bouquet, and either put them in an appropriately widemouthed vase or tie them with ribbon and leave them laying on the tables (with perhaps some filler like money plant, baby's breath, or sprays of glittery something from the craft store), and pin the butterfly on that.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:07 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
One thing - I can vouch for save-on-crafts.com, I ordered from them a few years ago for my own wedding. And they have other options for branches, not just the one I linked to. Or just browse the site for more ideas, maybe...
posted by pyjammy at 11:08 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by pyjammy at 11:08 AM on June 26, 2008 [1 favorite]
I have about a dozen attached to a metal garden cross in my house. If you were going to France for your honeymoon I would suggest getting mini Eiffel Towers to attach them too. i love the bare branches idea. Depending on whether it is an early or late autumn wedding you could use living witch hazel branches with the yellow flowers open. You can also attach them with near invisible fishing wire to the ceiling above the tables to create a floating display that doesn't take up table space or impede conversation across the table. That depends on how much access you have to the space beforehand and how much time you will have before the wedding. Since it is an autumn wedding you can use a single ghost (white) pumpkin with a butterfly attached to the stem and write the guest's name on the pumpkin itself as a place holder. You can make bookmarks are favours with the wire and butterfly replacing the traditional tassel.
posted by saucysault at 11:22 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by saucysault at 11:22 AM on June 26, 2008
At my friend's friend's bridal shower/bachelorette party, we hung a piece of gauze up on the wall against a window and pinned butterflies to that. We also hung them from the hanging lighting fixtures.
posted by Jeanne at 11:35 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by Jeanne at 11:35 AM on June 26, 2008
Best answer: Heavy clear glass vases, bottom filled with glass nuggets or marbles, curly willow to fill out the vase, and then the butterflies clipped onto the willow.
A relative did something similar with LED tealights hung in the branches instead of butterflies. It really was striking.
posted by Ostara at 11:49 AM on June 26, 2008
A relative did something similar with LED tealights hung in the branches instead of butterflies. It really was striking.
posted by Ostara at 11:49 AM on June 26, 2008
You can also get some thicker gauge wire, bend it in interesting shapes and then stick the wire into floral foam that's in a vase or something similar. Clip or glue the butterflies to the wire. The butterflies would almost look like they're flying.
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 11:57 AM on June 26, 2008
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 11:57 AM on June 26, 2008
If you can't find branches at your local craft store try a florist. Good ones can order you all sorts of branches from curly willow to manzanita!
posted by rosebengal at 12:24 PM on June 26, 2008
posted by rosebengal at 12:24 PM on June 26, 2008
You could use them as place card holders either on the tables themselves (at each place setting) or on the namecard table.
posted by Flamingo at 12:25 PM on June 26, 2008
posted by Flamingo at 12:25 PM on June 26, 2008
You can probably rent a potted tree from a local florist or from a company that rents them to offices.
posted by Iteki at 12:47 PM on June 26, 2008
posted by Iteki at 12:47 PM on June 26, 2008
Clip the butterflies to strings of fairy lights (or a fairy light curtains). Drape butterflied lights over foliage, twist around pillars etc., or hang up around the room.
posted by kitkatcathy at 1:42 PM on June 26, 2008
posted by kitkatcathy at 1:42 PM on June 26, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by gnutron at 11:03 AM on June 26, 2008