Useful Techniques

Basic Techniques

No doubt you have trawled through Wedding magazines, Wedding Directory websites, and a multitude of websites and brochures selling wonderful wedding favours readymade.

Your are sure to have also marvelled at the apparent complexity of some of the designs, or wondered just how long it took to create all those lovely ribbon loops - no wonder they charge so much for the finished wedding favours.....

Well, wonder no more as below we share some of the trade secrets used in creating stunning Wedding Favours.

Ribbon loops

Very many of the stylish (and costly) wedding favour designs include these extravegant and very pretty loopy ribbons - "it must take hours to do all that" I hear you say. Well, here's the secret: pull bow ribbon. Simply cut a length of ribbon, pull it up the strings, tie the ends and voila!

Spiral flower stems

These have become almost compulsory for any flowers added to a Wedding Favour - wire flower stems made into cute little corkscrews. All you need to achieve this effect is a very small diameter length of wood or metal (I use a watchmaker's screwdriver, but a wooden skewer or even a matchstick will do). Just twist the wire stem round and round and then just slide out the tool and you're done!

Bows

"Please tell me you're not going to show us how to tie a bow....." - no, don't worry, we're not that condescending, but I feel it is definately worth warning you that however many times you've tied your shoes, nothing prepares you for tying 'pretty' bows on cards or favours.

You sit there with your beautiful organza ribbon and your delightful little box, and go about your bow-making. Next minute, you are totally dejected because it just looks hopeless!

BE PREPARED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME PERFECTING YOUR BOWS.

This is no reflection on your crafty capabilities, it's just the way it is: we've all been there (though many either won't admit it, or just don't remember what it was really like) and yet here we all are now, lovely bow-makers one and all! Stick with it - you'll get there in the end.