When brainstorming what in the world I could make for the main project, it initially felt like a huge, daunting blank canvas. So I started to narrow down what I wanted to get out of this project and eventually settled on the following:

1. I want to be challenged by this project. Specifically, I want to big something LARGE in scale. I’ve made a lot of small, intricate projects, but I’ve always been a little afraid of scale. So here we go. Go big or go home.
2. I want something that I’m going to use. If I build with purpose, I think the quality of my work and my general excitement for the build increases dramatically.
3. I want to build something for my wedding. I’m getting married in July and honestly it is so exciting, especially for DIY enthusiast.

And so, after adding some qualifiers, it was easy for me to settle on what “it” will be: a wedding arch!

One of the most refreshing parts of wedding planning is how creative and unconventional weddings can be nowadays. In fact, my bridesmaids will not match dresses, neither in color nor style. My dress isn’t bright even white: it’s champagne with white accents and details (don’t tell my fiance!). We aren’t having a wedding cake, we are getting gourmet cookies. The opportunities for creativity are truly endless!

This class and its content has aligned perfectly with my wedding planning process. I have gotten the chance to choose an aesthetic and explore all of the ways to achieve it! Also, I’m trying to do everything on a budget, so it’s been a fun challenge to make it everything I could dream of without costing too much.

With all of this in mind, my initial research regarding wedding arches was enlightening! There are plenty of examples of brides foregoing “traditional” arches for more interesting alternatives that fit their aesthetic. Whether it is geometrically intriguing, minimalist, rustic, or something completely different, there are so many ways to integrate an aesthetic into every detail of a wedding!