Paper Cranes: Icing on the Cake

(By Abbey Fowler of 6.25 Paper Studio, Grand Rapids, Michigan)  — As winter warms to spring, Old New Borrowed Blue turns to handmade ideas in paper that turned a brand name into a theme.)

I started thinking of this feature after learning about a detail in one of my 2012 weddings. One of my wonderful couple’s used paper cranes as decor in their wedding. This is a unique detail for Western culture, but filled with so much history that I am excited to share it. It’s truly those personal wedding details that make a wedding more meaningful for the couple and memorable for the guests.

In traditional Japanese couture, it’s believed that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane. Some legends say that you are granted eternal good luck, not just one wish. This makes the act of giving one thousand cranes to a sick friend or family member common in Japanese history.

Why a thousand? In Japan, the crane is considered holy or mystical, and said to live for a thousand years. In the realm of weddings, the cranes are traditionally given by the father as a wedding gift. In my couples case, I think it was a real good lesson on patience. If you can sit together folding one thousand paper cranes over the course of 6 months (10-15 minutes per crane!), then it’s pretty apparent the marriage will be a lasting one!

Suspended Animation:  The couple followed tradition by creating a senbazuru which is 1000 paper cranes folded and put on 25 strings of 40 cranes each per string. They are now hanging in the front window of the the bride’s family business in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 The couple said that having the cranes meant a lot to both of them. So important in fact that we created her wedding stationery around the design of the cranes. And while they haven’t necessarily been visited by a wish-granting crane, the bride said, “We’re still both very happy so I think the crane has granted our wish!”

Hey!?! What’s the Big Idea

The invite was printed using Neenah Paper ENVIRONMENT® Cover Dessert Storm 80C and ESSE® Cover Espresso 80C . 

“Nothing is better than those sheets that take and make a fine impression,” says Abbey. Got see  6-25 Paper Studio’s for abundant ideas using eco-friendly paper for wedding décor, gifts and printed elements. Abbey has also suggests these links:

Check out these other “wedding crane” examples on http://www.stylemepretty.com/2012/03/30/mt-pleasant-wedding-by-kellan-studios/ and Project Wedding http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/1000-paper-cranes

 

Show Them the Love

Editor’s Note: According to Abbey Fowler of Syd Design in Grand Rapid, MI, if you are looking to create a more eco-friendly wedding, the best solutions lie in the most minute of details. Overlook no opportunity that can make your wedding celebration one that honors not only your future as couple but also your relationship with Mother Earth.  Below, she shares with ideas that are creative, sensible and delightful. See far, far below for links to some of Abbey’s favorite wedding related sites.

By Abbey Fowler of Syd Design

It’s a little disconcerting when you think about it. Wedding invitations, decorations, reply cards, ceremony programs, seating place cards, thank you cards, mailing envelopes and menus.  Too much wedding “stuff” gets tossed in your county landfill. So much for a bright future, right?

But. It does not have to be that way. There are many stationery vendors, paper suppliers and printers working to reduce the environmental impact of paper and printing.  All it takes is a little awareness and creative thinking. Your local stationer today has a wide range of eco-friendly options to offer. They are on top of the latest information. Put them to work so that your special day is as green as it is white.

Sure, there are the obvious choices, options such as plant-able seed paper for programs or re-using your grandmother’s cake topper. But look deeper. By carefully considering other details you can drastically reduce environmental impact of your printed materials and decorations making you and your guests feel even better after the party is over.  Consider the classic poem:

Something old, something new; Something borrowed, something blue; And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

In the Victorian era, each of these items represented good-luck tokens a bride carried or wore at her wedding. Each “something” would ensure that her marriage would be long and happy. This timelessness of the poem’s message is relevant today because it is a great way to think about sustainable options that honor not only the wedding couple’s future hopes but also their hopes for their friends, family, community and planet.

Something Old: Family Wedding Photo Display

One popular idea that honors family heritage is to display wedding photos of past generations at the reception.  Watch delighted and curious guests flock over to view and discuss them. Hang the photos by clothespins from string or ribbon. Attach them to branches of a tree or decorative branches. For a more rustic look, use an old doorframe or window shutter as a display element. If the reception venue has a nice shelf or mantel, do a little antiquing and display the photos inside unique vintage frames. Your display elements can then be reused and incorporated into your home décor later!

Something New: Invitations

It’s difficult to “borrow” or reuse old wedding invitations. Your wedding invitations should be newly made just for your wedding. That does not mean they cannot be eco-friendly. There are many sustainable options in stationary products. Here, I use the Levi suite from my studio collection, a casual and organic set is shown printed on Neenah’s ENVIRONMENT 100% PC Desert Storm, Neenah’s ENVIRONMENT PC 100 Natural paper and a wildflower seed-embedded paper from Of The Earth. Any fine stationer can help you source a quality sustainable papers that suits your style and sensibility, whether its natural, modern, glamour or classic.

Something Borrowed: Confetti

Confetti can be a horrible waste of paper. Unless, of course, the wedding couple uses paper that is destined for recycling bin anyway. “Borrow” it to make confetti. Ask your stationer if you can have scrap paper from other wedding materials. Then, use shape punches on them to enhance reception, wedding shower or bachelorette party decor such as, say, snowflakes for a winter wedding or shimmering circles for a New Years wedding.

Something Blue: Paper Flower Wreaths or Bouquets

For the bride, bridesmaids or flower girl, you need floral bouquets. If you cannot find an organic or locally grown flower supplier, I recommend using flowers made from 100% PCW paper. This beautiful and fun alternative also will last longer than a real flowers! With a little advance planning, your stationer can fashion for you a custom bouquet that matches your wedding stationery. The flower girl bouquet shown here was made with Neenah’s ENVIRONMENT PC100 White, ENVIRONMENT Green Tea, CLASSIC CREST Welsh Blue and Windsor Blue.

Good Luck!

Like any successful wedding plan, the solutions are in the details. Plan ahead. Your biggest day can become not only a celebration of the beginning of a life long marriage, but also a celebration of a healthier future through sustainable living. Your wedding guests will leave with memories of a love-filled day, but also a wedding that reminded them to love the earth as well. Talk about a wonderful souvenir. You will be surprised how easy this can be.

Syd Design is a locally owned stationery company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that endeavors to promote and support its community by developing printed-paper solutions that help make our planet healthier. Says Abbey Fowler, Syd’s Creative Director, “Our role is to translate a client’s individual style into paper solutions for their unique events.” Syd’s specialty is custom stationery and fun greeting cards that fit everyday occasions. Abbey suggests these wedding related sites to visit for ideas, inspiration and info:  Pearls Events,  Wedding Chicks,  Snippet & Ink,  Once Wed,  100 Layer Cake,What Junebug Loves, Style Me Pretty