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For a wedding or house, arch puts garden overhead
Dear Sandi: My daughter is getting married in September, and we are planning an outdoor garden wedding. She wants some type of overhead arch or pergola that she and her fiancé will stand under as they take their vows. I could use a bit of help. Genie T., Salem
Dear Genie: I love outdoor weddings. If the weather cooperates, there is no nicer place to tie the knot with the person you love.
As I am sure you are aware, there are all types of overhead structures you either can buy or rent. Most wedding shops have sources, as do the regular rental stores, although you sometimes have to have something ordered, so it is a good idea to be looking well in advance.
I am going to assume you already know what is available to you commercially and are looking for other possible options. So, here are some ideas.
You didn’t say where the wedding was going to take place. If it is a public place, you obviously will have to take into consideration the rules and restrictions that are applicable. If it is your, or a friend’s, private garden, then your options are a bit more open.
My first suggestion would be to take a tour of the outdoor space. Is there someplace that a natural arch either is formed or easily could be formed with a bit of manual manipulation? I have two Japanese maples outside our back studio door that I have coaxed, perhaps tortured, into forming an arch over the stone pathway that they flank. I did this a couple of years ago, and now they have agreeably entangled themselves in each other.
Are there any existing small trees or large shrubs that possibly could be gently drawn together to form a natural garden arch? If not, would you want to consider buying or renting a pair of large potted trees? I would think that you could probably work with a local nursery that would be willing to transport and rent several large, specimen-sized trees for just such a use. Of course, if you purchased them, they always could be planted later (a great idea if the couple is being married in a close friend’s or relative’s garden, as the trees would always be a living reminder of their very special day).
If you don’t want to use live trees, you could create your own natural arch using twigs and vines. This is an idea that I have used in our shop, and it is a fun and easy project.
Gather together a good selection of cut twigs and vines. I have used the suckers that spring up all over our filbert trees. These are long and very flexible. Grape vine is a good choice, as are the long tendrils that kiwi plants shoot out. Whatever you have that is long and flexible will work, and you will be surprised at the possible material that occurs to you as you start looking at your plant material in this way.
I took all of the different twigs and vines, stripped off the leaves, and sorted them into similar types. Then, in groups of three, I twisted and braided them together, adding wire twists along the way to keep them tight. This left me with one third the amount of individual pieces that I started with. I then worked these groups into new twists and braids.
You need to judge for yourself how flexible, thick, etc., the material is getting, and this obviously will depend on what you have available. There is no one right way to do this. The basic idea is to work a large amount of thin, individual pieces into a smaller number of thicker ones.
Since I was using my arch indoors, I anchored the whole business down at one end in a large pot, then shaped and fashioned the structure with assists on the one wall and ceiling, letting the other end stay free.
Since your arch will be free-standing and outside, you will need two sturdy poles for anchoring your material, and each pole should have approximately the same amount of material attached to it. All of the ends can be brought together at the top and gently braided and tucked into each other to create a natural “grown together” appearance.
Now comes the fun part – decorating it. Our arch has been festooned with everything: ornaments at Christmas, hearts in February and, currently, it is a summer flower garden with real and artificial hydrangeas and other silk flowers tucked in. At night, strings of tiny lights turn it into a twinkling fantasy.
Moss, flowers, gilded leaves, ribbons, tiny favors: Your choices are unlimited. If the bride has specific colors, you might even want to consider painting some of the structural twigs and vines before they are woven into the arch.
If you opt for making your own twig arch, Genie, I think you will have so much fun with it that you may find yourself looking for other places you could possibly use one – it is just so hard to see all those vines going to waste.
So, my best wishes to the new couple, and may the weather divas grant you blue skies, fluffy white clouds and 80-degree weather!
Dear Genie: I love outdoor weddings. If the weather cooperates, there is no nicer place to tie the knot with the person you love.
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I am going to assume you already know what is available to you commercially and are looking for other possible options. So, here are some ideas.
You didn’t say where the wedding was going to take place. If it is a public place, you obviously will have to take into consideration the rules and restrictions that are applicable. If it is your, or a friend’s, private garden, then your options are a bit more open.
My first suggestion would be to take a tour of the outdoor space. Is there someplace that a natural arch either is formed or easily could be formed with a bit of manual manipulation? I have two Japanese maples outside our back studio door that I have coaxed, perhaps tortured, into forming an arch over the stone pathway that they flank. I did this a couple of years ago, and now they have agreeably entangled themselves in each other.
Are there any existing small trees or large shrubs that possibly could be gently drawn together to form a natural garden arch? If not, would you want to consider buying or renting a pair of large potted trees? I would think that you could probably work with a local nursery that would be willing to transport and rent several large, specimen-sized trees for just such a use. Of course, if you purchased them, they always could be planted later (a great idea if the couple is being married in a close friend’s or relative’s garden, as the trees would always be a living reminder of their very special day).
If you don’t want to use live trees, you could create your own natural arch using twigs and vines. This is an idea that I have used in our shop, and it is a fun and easy project.
Gather together a good selection of cut twigs and vines. I have used the suckers that spring up all over our filbert trees. These are long and very flexible. Grape vine is a good choice, as are the long tendrils that kiwi plants shoot out. Whatever you have that is long and flexible will work, and you will be surprised at the possible material that occurs to you as you start looking at your plant material in this way.
I took all of the different twigs and vines, stripped off the leaves, and sorted them into similar types. Then, in groups of three, I twisted and braided them together, adding wire twists along the way to keep them tight. This left me with one third the amount of individual pieces that I started with. I then worked these groups into new twists and braids.
You need to judge for yourself how flexible, thick, etc., the material is getting, and this obviously will depend on what you have available. There is no one right way to do this. The basic idea is to work a large amount of thin, individual pieces into a smaller number of thicker ones.
Since I was using my arch indoors, I anchored the whole business down at one end in a large pot, then shaped and fashioned the structure with assists on the one wall and ceiling, letting the other end stay free.
Since your arch will be free-standing and outside, you will need two sturdy poles for anchoring your material, and each pole should have approximately the same amount of material attached to it. All of the ends can be brought together at the top and gently braided and tucked into each other to create a natural “grown together” appearance.
Now comes the fun part – decorating it. Our arch has been festooned with everything: ornaments at Christmas, hearts in February and, currently, it is a summer flower garden with real and artificial hydrangeas and other silk flowers tucked in. At night, strings of tiny lights turn it into a twinkling fantasy.
Moss, flowers, gilded leaves, ribbons, tiny favors: Your choices are unlimited. If the bride has specific colors, you might even want to consider painting some of the structural twigs and vines before they are woven into the arch.
If you opt for making your own twig arch, Genie, I think you will have so much fun with it that you may find yourself looking for other places you could possibly use one – it is just so hard to see all those vines going to waste.
So, my best wishes to the new couple, and may the weather divas grant you blue skies, fluffy white clouds and 80-degree weather!
August 4, 2006