It's Finished!

It's finally done!!! The 4' by 8' white paper flower wall is finally complete. It was such a great feeling to glue that last flower on! My mom and I celebrated with a drink and some deck time in the sun- we deserved it!
Here it is outside in the sun just like it will be on the big day... there will be no rain! ; )

We ended up using 1x6 pieces of wood to create a 4' x 8' frame that we then stained with a charcoal grey solid wood stain. Once the wood frame was made and stained- with bracing pieces spanning the 4' across the back- we cut the rigid foam insulation board down a little so it would fit inside. Before putting all the flowers on, we peeled the protective coating off the styrofoam board (the protective cover was green and we didn't want it showing through the flowers). That left us with a raw white styrofoam. We ended up covering the entire foam board with the white paper we used to make the flowers before we started gluing them on. It was similar to wallpapering. This just helped ensure that any gaps or spaces you could see between flowers and leaves would look cohesive and wouldn't stick out at all. I'm really glad we did that.

Then it was a matter of laying all the flowers out in a pattern we liked and filling in with smaller flowers as needed. Once we had a layout we liked, we started in one corner and started to fill in with leaves around the flowers and started gluing everything down. We did it in stages and yes- it took some time. I love how it turned out though. For those of you new to the program- this flower wall will be standing at the end of the aisle for our wedding. We will be standing in front of it to say our "I do's". Behind this and to each side there is another piece to the back drop- a wood wall of sorts. I haven't shown that yet but it is completed. Maybe I can snap some photos one of these weekends so you get a better idea of the whole picture. The wood adds a little more rustic and masculine touch to the more feminine and delicate flower wall- it's a good balance.

And now for some more photos!! (I wish I had a better camera but this is the best I can do right now).

Currently it's in storage in my parent's basement safely covered to prevent dust and damage. It was definitely a great thing to get crossed off the list! If it survives the wedding in one piece I'll have to find something to do with it. There have been a few ideas including hanging it up as a big art piece (with a sheet of glass in front to prevent dust issues), turning it into a table top or someone even suggested a headboard. Who knows where it will end up- I'm just glad it's done and ready for it's main purpose- the ceremony backdrop.