wedding project [seven]: the L-O-V-E sign

As promised, here are the details of our LOVE sign, one of the most well-received (and well-photographed) elements of the reception. 

It must be noted that this project was a last minute a decision but a decision I am very glad I made. After seeing this tutorial, I became obsessed with incorporating Jordan's fabulous Marquee letters into the reception. "LOVE" was the opportune word. 

details: 

I assembled the supplies and enlisted the design talents of my friend Angie and the fabrication help of my amazing aunt Cath and creatively-inclined cousin Nico. We cut, scored, folded, and taped in the August sunshine, adapting Jordan's tutorial as we went based on the tools we had available. We ended up using the following supplies:

- a string of 25 globe lights

- poster board (x3)

- foam core board (x3)

- exacto knife/ steak knife/ scissors/ pen (for shaping the holes for the lights)

- duct tape

- scotch tape

- rulers

- cutting mat

- spray paint

Once I printed out Angie's template (which printed on 24 letter-sized pages) we taped the letters together and used them to trace onto the foam core board with pencil. There is a "front" and a "back" of the foam core board (one has a slight grid pattern). Once it's spray painted the grid pattern will still be visible; this may or may not be a big deal to you. Consider yourself warned. 

Once the letters were cut out with an array of cutting tools (we got creative) we were left with letters that had somewhat sloppy edges. This is OK as they'll be covered with the strips of poster board. 

Folding the poster board to wrap cleanly around the letters is the tricky part. We followed Jordan's steps which were very straightforward and logical (scoring is KEY). That being said, I recommend that you not attempt this project alone as the logistical/ mathematical/ fabrication part (this includes but is not limited to measuring, determining what part of the edging is the front vs. the back, scoring, folding, holding-in-place, and taping) is a feat in and of itself. Cath and I bounced ideas off of each other, laughed at each other's confusion, and - in the most general of terms - kept each other sane. I couldn't have done it without her.

Another modification we made had to do with the placement of the lights. The string of lights I ordered off of Amazon didn't come with the template that Jordan refers to; therefore, Cath and I divided the total number of lights [25] by the number of letters we had [4] and spaced them out accordingly (the "E" received two extra lights).

Once the letters were sprayed and the lights added it became an instant piece of art. Initially I planned on using the lights in the backyard but I've since decided to keep the letters intact for C Star Headquarters. I love this sign so much and I can't wait to experiment with this project again in the future. Anyone up for craft night?

up next:

Incredibly fun place card holders.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... Go!