Forum home› Unconventional / Alternative weddings

pom poms :)

katiejones2bkatiejones2b Posts: 996
in Unconventional / Alternative weddings
I heart these image keep seeing them on off beat bride in american weddings but don't think the craze has rreached the uk yet image

thinking of hanging them from celing at our wedding..anyone else doing pom poms/ have top tips?



http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias
«1

Posts

  • Natalie091009Natalie091009 Posts: 321
    Oh I love these and am planning on making some for our wedding in October. The person you really need to speak to though is Bennic. She made loads for her wedding and they looked brilliant.
  • MrsRedRufflesMrsRedRuffles Posts: 2,409
    wow i had never thought of doing them out of paper like that, Ive been making mine out of fabric. going to have to give this a go!
  • bennicuk1bennicuk1 Posts: 933
    Nat is correct, I did pom poms for my wedding at the beginning of may. I tried making the larger ones, but they looked weird. Could'nt get them globe like or as fluffy as the Martha ones... I did wonder if using a few extra sheets of tissue paper would help. They were also a bugger to store anywhere, they crushed themselves under their own weight - so if you plan on making them, you'd probably have to fluff them out on the day as your decorating. I had a few hanging around the house on hangers, but it was a bit out of control.



    Thankfully where I was planning on putting them didn't work in reality so I ditched making them.



    I made around 500 dinky ones for napkin rings. They are fiddly, but look really cool. Just make sure you allow yourself a stack of time. I used green garden wire from Homebase instead of florist wire - I think it worked out cheaper in the end and the wire was more bendy.
  • SkipulaSkipula Posts: 1,763
    Mrs_Anilokin made them for her wedding last year. I've had a look at her report but the photos are gone. They looked good though.



    I think DustyMoth is making the pompoms too. Bennic made a whole host of the smaller flowers for her wedding and they looked great.
  • SkipulaSkipula Posts: 1,763
    I found a photo of Mrs_Anilokin's (courtesy of NaoCat - I hope she doesn't mind!)




  • DandMDandM Posts: 1,788
    I love these and will definately be looking at them for napkin holders, and might put them outside for some fun decorations! x
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    You're right Skip - I am making them for ours!



    What the Martha directions don't tell you, is that if you make them out of a full sheet like she says, they end up BIGGER THAN YOU. Well. Dave and I could hide behind our heads behind one and it wasn't far off the width of me. We're splitting a sheet into 4, and using 12 sheets. They end up fluffier and smaller - and abut 30cms wide rather than a good 60-70! If you like, I'll try and take a photo of my test ones for you which I did in two colours so you can see the size of them.



    We're going to make them up in advance and then fluff them up the day before, attach them to twigs and make sort of pompom trees. A bit like big blue alliums.



    This was the easiest link I found to follow the directions- I like pictures image



    http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2006/04/making-giant-paper-pom-poms.html



    :\)



  • honeystarukhoneystaruk Posts: 105
    This look really lovely, but sound very tricky to make in advance!



    Coloured paper lanterns might be easier for you with similar effect: http://www.paperlanternstore.com/nylonlanterns.html
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    They are actually really easy to make - we're up to about 20 pre made so far in front of the telly (my sister got delegated too and she's at home unwell at the moment!)- just not frouffed. It's basically just a concertina of tissue paper tied in the middle. Frouffing does take a bit of time though.



    Our problem is that we can't hang anything from the marquee roof... I do like the lanterns though!



    Forgot to add - don't buy tissue paper from hobbycraft. SO expensive in there. I've got a few reams off of a company on ebay called jwspackaging who are really good value:



    http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/JWS-Merchandising__W0QQ_armrsZ1



    I'll get my camera out for you this afternoon!
  • bennicuk1bennicuk1 Posts: 933
    I got my tissue paper from JWS too! I also got some from the Wrapping Ranch on ebay (where I needed cream and lime green paper)
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    Pictures! I have a cat infestation, they rather like having their photo taken it seems. Still, helps to demonstrate size. These are my trial goes, and in 2 colours, so not quite right, but gives you an idea of what they look like as a human, not a Martha!



    This is the big one, with cat for scale...








    This is the smaller one, with watch!








    And (can I get three in a post or just two?) here are both for comparison. I coudn't get Esme to keep out of the way, but it gives an idea, anyway. She's now gone to sleep in a bag. Bless. Why she couldn't have done that earlier, I don't know!








    Turns out I exaggerated about the sizes - smaller one is just over 20cms and the big one is about 55cms. We can both hide behind the big one though!
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    Ah, you can't. Here:








  • SkipulaSkipula Posts: 1,763
    image DM, we love the pictures of the cat (mmmh, more than pompoms?)
  • AJSuk1AJSuk1 Posts: 133
    Hi katiejones2b,



    First I book the same venue as you and now I discover I'm also doing paper poms same as you!



    I discovered these looking on the US stylemepretty website (which is great for ideas) and it led me to the Etsy website and a seller called PomLove. I contacted her to see how much I'd be looking at for her to make a whole load of poms to send over from the US and she directed me to a seller in London who I've emailed but not heard back from....to be honest I hadn't even thought about making these myself. I'm SO uncreative but maybe I should give it a go rather than paying someone else to put them together - how hard can it be!?!



    Question though - once you've opened them up and made them into the pom shape to hang, how to you store & transport them? Or would I have to make them all up but not actually open them up until we get to the barn the day before to hang them as we open them up?! That sounds like a lot of work to me katiejones!!!



  • bennicuk1bennicuk1 Posts: 933
    With the smaller ones, you can fluff them up as you make them and store them together in bin bags. Once they get to a certain size though, they crush themselves under their own weight - these would require fluffing up on the day of decoration.



    The most time consuming bit is getting them to the pre-pouf stage. The first batch of 120 took me the evenings of about a month. When at the last minute we needed more, I made the other 380 in about 4 days! I was speedy!
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    Our plan is to open them up the day before, I have to say. They take over I think otherwise!



    Those PomLove ones work out about £5.50 each - and you still have to unfurl them!!!



    Seriously, they aren't hard at all - the unfurling is the time consuming bit I found - but Bennic is probably better placed to confirm this :\)
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    Ah, posting at the same time.... Interesting to know about that. I was thinking about maybe doing napkin rings too like it and I think you're slowly dissuading (sp?!) me! Did you need two for each ring?
  • AJSuk1AJSuk1 Posts: 133
    Wow Bennic that's a lotta pom poms!!!



    I was just planning on doing the big ones to hang from the beams in the barn. If the most time consuming bit is getting them folded etc maybe I could make about 80 in advance then enrol someone the day before to help me unfold them...although I haven't even chosen my theme, colours or anything yet so God knows why I'm thinking about pom poms already! Ha! x
  • DustyMothDustyMoth Posts: 1,528
    AJS - if it's any consolation, I started with Pirates and PomPoms. You could be in a weirder placeimage
  • ChoccyaddictChoccyaddict Posts: 655
    Can you make them out of crepe paper too? I'm definitely going to make these to hang from the beams in the drinks reception room-they really add a splash of colour!I might make smaller ones to hang on the back of the chairs on the aisle!
  • happilyengagedukhappilyengageduk Posts: 188
    I love the pom pom idea, i have seen them on etsy but didn't realise how straight forwrad they would be to make - thanks everyone.



    however it has led me to have another pom pom related thought - do you think you could make woolen poms poms like you did in brownies but bigger - is this a mad idea and do you think the cost would be prohibitive (sp?), maybe i am just getting a bit carried away!
  • bennicuk1bennicuk1 Posts: 933
    For the napkin rings, you just need half a pom pom - tissue paper 5x10 I recall, 4 sheets, 1 length of wire.



  • DandMDandM Posts: 1,788
    Dustymoth - loving your pom poms! defo think im gonna have to have a go!
  • katiejones2bkatiejones2b Posts: 996
    yay good to see and hear lots of fellow pom pom people image the many tips sound great..I love all the techinical bits..the 'froufing stage'hehe image I'm hoping to enlist me very arty sister when it comes to pom pom time image



    AJS - you obviously have great taste image hehe image Id be interested in knowing how much the london peoplecost if they do get back to you...and any tips they have on storing image

    xx
  • lizbertlizbert Posts: 192
    I did these for my wedding! The plan was to have them hanging from trees in the garden for the drinks reception, but the storm kind of put a halt to that idea. Instead we hung them in hall for our drinks. Didn't have quite the effect that i wanted to them to, but certainly lifted an otherwise fairly dull room. We had a production line going on the day before the wedding at the venue!









  • ChoccyaddictChoccyaddict Posts: 655
    Ooh Mrs Lizbert- off topic but what length is your veil?
  • lizbertlizbert Posts: 192
    Quoted:
    Ooh Mrs Lizbert- off topic but what length is your veil?


    haha - it's a 2 tier, shoulder length veil with ribbon edging.
  • ellieanessellieaness Posts: 146
    I really want to do this, in fact the Martha Stewart image was on my mood board (just goes to show how sad I am) and I am also potentially having pompom dahlias in my bouquet too.



    The only problem is our venue. We're having the reception here http://www.6stchadsplace.com/ and whilst they have perfect beams for the job we can't get in earlier in the day to do any decoration - anything I want will have to be brought in the night before and they'll set the tables before they leave - so i can't imagine they would be too chuffed to be on ladders hanging up pom poms at closing time on a Friday.



    I think I'm going to make smaller ones in the right colours and attach them to my table settings instead.
  • pompomqueenpompomqueen Posts: 1
    if you dont fancy making them let me do it for you

    www.specialcreations.co.uk



    £24.99 inc postage for 20 lots of colours usually posted same day if ordered by 12
  • ashpo85ashpo85 Posts: 48
    I'm making these pom poms in various shades of purple and then putting them in vases for my centrepieces. I'm also going to attempt to make topirey trees by making the wire that goes round the paper longer and sticking it in to oaises on a broom handle in a nice pot.
Sign In or Register to comment.