I’m having a hard time finding anything unique for my arch. It’s just a plain white, normal arch and I thought I would try to look up some cool arches and DIY it, but I havent found anything but flower-decorated arches. Any ideas?

-Kelsey

Oh boy, we have seen some awesome arches, gazebo decorations, and chuppahs. Folks are spiffing up their ceremony space with all kinds of things like paper pom-poms, signs, fans, lightsabers, ribbons, and some are even making their own arches. Check out some of our faves and put some bling on that naked arch.

Traditional arches, souped-up

Tribe member Beckyc crafted these amazing accordion pinwheel fans in all kinds of sizes, patterns, and colors to spruce up her arch.

Paula and Nicholas’ used twisted willow branches on wrought iron screens to give their arch a lovely, organic feel.

Michelle and Jacob’s dads helped build the leafy arch that stood at the end of their Spanish moss-bordered aisle. Taking your cue from the surroundings is always a safe bet, and in this case, makes for a lovely setting.

Annie and Johnny used a bamboo-style arch with white lilies, perfect for their ceremony in a wild animal park.

Alterna-arches

Some couples forgo an actual arch in favor of using various materials to create a backdrop, like in Jolie and Jason’s origami crane decor. You could use these cranes on the arch itself or let them fly free as… well, birds!

Jennifer and Bruce built on the existing foliage to create a fusion of garden and Jedi! It also led to some pretty hawt Photoshopping.

Tribe member Nula showed what a bad-ass, power tool-wielding chick she can be when she crafted this driftwood arch from scratch! Oh yeah, there’s a tutorial, if you’re up to the challenge.

Marina and Adam rocked out a vintage circus theme and had a handmade elephant archway to match. They also made photo cutouts and a kissing booth. After all that work, I’m pretty sure they would be a fixture in the living room.

Heather and Ben made the awesome choice to have their wedding in an amazing cactus garden setting, so all they needed were some flowing ribbons and hanging candles to make for a lovely ceremony site. Hang these on your arch for a similar look.

Bunting makes for a quaint addition to an archway, as seen in Stacy and Bob’s wedding. And boy do we have a fair few tutorials for bunting to get you started.

Gazebo embellishments

A lot of weddings end up using a gazebo as the archway, as in Laura and Jim’s ceremony. They used fairy lights and tissue paper pom-poms to give it a festive look.

Elle and Ben had a white gazebo in their cave ceremony and were worried it wouldn’t fit the theme. Ben’s mother went attic digging for supplies and covered the gazebo in hellebore, forget-me-nots, green foliage, and silver butterflies.

Sheryl and Eric’s beach ceremony had a decorated gazebo included, so they lucked out. But we can take inspiration from it with its gorgeous, sheer fabric. So beach-y!

Chuppahs

We’ve seen some amazing chuppahs, as so many couples customize them to match their themes. Juno and Noah used a pop of purple and bamboo in theirs.

Photo by Vosamo Photography. Design by EventScapes. Source: specialevents.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Check out this lucite chuppah with Calla Lilies and candles. There is a TON going on here, but somehow it becomes simple and clean.

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Hillary on Pinterest

I’m not completely sure what’s happening here, but it looks like fabric curls exploded in a sea of candles. That plus the industrial brick background makes for a gorgeous contrast.

Source: 100layercake.com via Olivia on Pinterest

Fluffy, shiny, colorful chuppahs make me smile.

Alissa recruited her knitter friends to make their chuppah and she sewed the squares together, while Eric built the frame himself. Here is a detail shot. Community effort rocks.

And then there is the big daddy of alternatives — this futuristic, Jetsons-style chuppah. Chris is an architect and experience designer, so he channeled his talents into an amazing backdrop for his and Tracy’s wedding.

Peruse these tutorials for more DIY ideas for that bare arch:

Offbeat Bride

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