Weddingbee Blog

I had originally written this post with the intention of it becoming my last published post before I became a Mrs. I failed. But the good news is, my “window in action” photo is actually—wait for it—IN ACTION! So that’s worth something, right? If you need a refresher, you can find it in Part I and Part II.

Three weeks had gone by since my tumble down the stairs, and as you may have gathered from my last post, my foot is full recovered. Now that all memories of my window disasters were starting to fade, it was time to resume my wedding-window-program. Here is the completed project in action:

(guest photo)

And here is how I got there:

• Find a window. Scour craigslist, flea markets, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, or if you’re in Portland, OR, the ReBuilding Center, for an old window you like. I ended up getting mine for $5 from Craigslist. If it’s not the right color frame, you can always repaint it.
• Clean your window. Carefully. Make sure the glass panes are securely in their frame. Scrape paint from the glass by dabbing the area with warm water with a drop of dish soap, and then [again, carefully] use a straight-edge blade to lightly scrape the paint from the glass. The best way to do this is to hold the blade as close to flat as you can, so as not to scratch the glass. After the paint is gone, clean both sides with Windex.

(source)

• Print the Program (or whatever the window will be used for). Be aware of text size and margins – it’s easiest to measure your window panes first, and then set your margins before typing. This will help to determine how large the text can be.
• Tape the paper, print side up, to the back of the window. Use painters tape so you don’t pull of the frame paint, and try to tape the sheets as tightly to the back of the pane as possible. This will make your next step much easier.

(personal photo)

• Faux-lligraphy the Text. Thanks to the Hive, I learned this technique for DIY paper calligraphy and modified it for my purposes. Turn the window over, so you are looking at the front and can see the text through the glass. Using a Liquid Chalk Marker (I found mine HERE), trace over the text.

(personal photo)

• Remove paper from the back, and display proudly!

(personal photo)

I love the way this project turned out. While I won’t go so far as to say it was worth the injured foot, I’m glad I didn’t give up on it completely. We displayed it on an easel at the mouth of the aisle, so guests could have have a look before sitting down.

What kind of ceremony programs are you having?