DIY Tutorial – Watercolour Wedding Sign

This easy step-by-step DIY tutorial shows you how to make a DIY watercolour wedding sign to style your watercolour-themed wedding dessert table, hang as wedding reception decor, or give to your ring bearer to carry as he trots down the aisle.

If you’re thinking of adding a handmade touch to your wedding, this DIY watercolour wedding sign is a fun, easy project. Watercolour is great for easy DIY wedding crafts because smudges are totally okay! Craft a wedding banner with your favourite love quote or your initials, or DIY your own ‘Here Comes the Bride’ wedding sign simply by swirling some watercolour paints around. Add some metallic calligraphy or cute tassels and you’re done!

You’ll need:
Acrylic paint in three or four colours
Cotton fabric
Plastic trays
Paintbrushes
Wooden dowel or twig
Ribbon

Time taken: 1-2 hours plus drying time
Average cost:About $30 for paint (which you can use again) and $5 for the fabric and wooden dowel

1: Cut your fabric to your desired size. I made my wedding banner about 12 inches wide and 20 inches long. Mix your paints with water. This will create a watercolour effect. It’s best to start with a more watered, lighter colour and then build up the tones. For my banner, I daubed mint green in patches across the cotton, then painted the whole cloth with a watery blue wash. Blend the colours together when they’re still wet by swirling your brush in a circular motion.

2: Mix your darker colours, and build up in patches across your wet cloth. The paints will spread beautifully! To create a balanced look, space out your darker patches. Blend the colour outwards, or leave the paint to bleed out for a different effect.

3: After your wedding banner is dry, plan where you would like to place your text. Using a ruler as a guide, lightly sketch out your text in pencil on the banner, to see if you are happy with the placement. Don’t worry, the light pencil marks can be erased!

4: Add a drop of water to your metallic paint, and trace the pencilled text. For a calligraphic font style, add pressure to your brush when making downward strokes, and lift up the brush to its tip when making upward strokes. To help you picturewhat the letters should look like, search for some calligraphy online.

5: Sew, glue, or tape your wedding banner to a wooden dowel. I found a pretty branch, so I used that instead. Tie on some complementing ribbon, and you’re done! You can also use yarn instead of ribbon, and add some tassels to decorate the sides. Now your DIY watercolour wedding banner is ready for your adorable ring bearer to carry, or to hang over your dessert table!

Now your DIY watercolour wedding sign is ready to flutter in the breeze of your spring garden wedding. I can imagine lots of possibilities for these watercolour banners. They’d add pretty colour above a dessert table, welcome people to your wedding venue, bear inspiring love quotes, or make great Bride and Groom chair signs.