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On the Friday evening before our Sunday engagement shoot, I decided that I would fold a mess-load of paper cranes for our engagement shoot. Initially, I was shooting for as many as I could get. In my over-achieving brain I thought “1000″, but that was more of a… nutso idea. Somebody would have to pick up said 1000 cranes each time we used them.
Why paper cranes?
They’re something we want to incorporate into the wedding, and there will definitely be (at least) 1000 for the reception. I’ve also been doing origami since I was teeny, and let’s face it, I (and we!) love color, and what better way to throw a whole bunch of color into an engagement shoot than a bunch of colorful paper cranes? I rest my case.
After almost 2 days of folding, I ended up folding, well, I lost count. But I did fold a whole mess-load. There are a bunch of tiny blue guys that are about 1.5 inches long, a whole whole whole bunch of rainbow guys that are about 6 inches long, and 5 cranes that are, no joke, bigger than the cat. It was so nice to finally MAKE something for the wedding and have it be so fun and colorful. It made me feel like a little less of a fail-bride.
I have a tutorial of how to make them coming up, so be super excited!
So, without further ado, here are a few beauty shots of the cranes in all of their post-engagement-shoot-smooshed-and-leaf-filled glory.
What last-minute decisions did you make before your engagement shoot (or wedding!) that ended up working out really well? Any other crane-lovers out there?
We did 1000 for our wedding. It took several months, but I did discover that they are very portable—I could get about 45 done on a typical 2-hour flight. But beware–many people will want to ask what you’re doing and why. Our guests loved them, and post-wedding, we used a bunch to make christmas ornaments (paper—first anniversary!) for our christmas tree, and will use more for our christmas cards next year. It’s kinda handy having this giant stash of origami cranes, although they do take up quite a bit of room!
I soooo want to do this for my wedding, especially because of the symbolism behind this tradition. I am pretty good at origami cranes - so perhaps if I get started soon I can do this for my own wedding. Thanks for the reminder and inspiration, Miss Scissors!
You should make some with like, butcher paper, or even bigger. That would be insane.
Aw, I love all the color! And your photography missy!
I made 1000 paper cranes for our wedding, actually my friends and family helped out a lot. We made a mosiac of lotus blossoms out of them.
@Miss Pretzel: Me. Too.
@ostara72: I folded 1,000 for an installation last spring, and somehow pulled it off in 2 weeks, if I remember correctly. I need to start folding so I don’t burn out. :p
@Valhalla: No problemo! 
@KMSull: The big ones were made with 18×24 paper cut down to 18×18, just because I was crunched for time. I’m either going to order some of that teacher-background stuff that’s 5′ wide, or some photo-backdrop paper that’s even bigger. The backdrop paper is SOOOOO expensive though, so I might just stick with the rolls of teacher paper.
@Mrs. Labrador: SKANX
Be careful with the backdrop paper! The kind we had in studio lighting was REALLY thick. It would be REALLY hard to fold. It was almost like vinyl (but it wasn’t).
I folded a bazillion for SIL HC’s wedding shower, and I think I still have carpel tunnel from it! 
You can donate all of the cranes post-wedding to the Paper Crane Project! They’ll donate 50 cents per crane to cancer research: http://www.theweddingco.com/events/index.php?event=5
i love the photographs. the colors are so amazing.
i once dated a guy who made a huge, larger than life claes oldenburg style oragami piece for a sculpture class. he also made beautiful little oragami boxes that he slipcast and fired.
didn’t marry him so opted for felt acorns at my wedding instead of oragami. after making a few i gave up and commissioned someone on etsy. i still have a big bowl of them, expect our cats keep trying to walk off with them!
@KMSull: I actually got that tip from a large-scale origami artist. I should ask him if there was a particular kind I should get. (If I go that route!) Thanks for the tip!
@Mrs. Hot Cocoa: For serious? Sweet! That’d be at least 500 bucks. It kills my carpal tunnel too. I’m still recovering from my end-of-semester carpal tunnel from wiping plates. *grumble*
@evahesse: Thanks! P.S. Those sound like pretty fun cat toys.
Oooh, nice work! You take such great photographs–I’m loving your posts, scissors!
Yay, I am also doing paper cranes and donating them to the Paper Crane Project. I thought it would be a nice touch to have some sharpies at each table so people can write their names on the cranes I use as escort cards, which will be sent as donations in their name. I’m going to use them everywhere - wall/ceiling decor, escort cards, hanging from the arbor where we’ll say our vows… great idea to use them in the engagement shoot as well. That means I have to fold a little faster!
i made the cranes too for my wedding. not 1000, only for the pen’s decoration
http://mfthewedding.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/1000-paper-cranes/
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Mrs. Scissors, LaGrange, GA Age and Occupation: 25, Photography & Graphic Design Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Engineering Grad Student Engagement Date: January 1, 2009 Wedding Date: June 2010 Venue: Ceremony - First United Methodist Church; Reception - My parents' house! About Me: I’m a six-foot-three bride with a fifty-foot personality! I love great art, fabulous design, intense color, tons of music, indie photography, watching movies on repeat, and being really awesome. This super-tall, Southern, loud, quirky, neurotic artist is marrying a German, quiet, silly, super-amazing roboticist in an eclectic, funky, fun, snazzy, technicolored June wedding. Anything is game for this shindig, for it is all about us! We’re bringing giant paper cranes, six-foot-tall portraits, fortune cookies, a photo booth, a club-circuit DJ, handcuffs, and possibly a kidnapping to this small Southern town. Watch out, y’all, and try to keep up!
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