These can be as elegant or as funky as you like. They can be any size- tiny to go over fairy lights or strikingly large. Or try a combination of many sizes, some for your tables, others for hanging from strings or ribbons from above. Make a quick one from that pile of scrap paper first to try it out. You could make these long before the reception and then keep them flat and finish assembling when you decorate later- but try assembling a few so that you know what you are doing.

Materials:

1. Ruler
2. Hole Punch (if you’d like to weave the lanterns with ribbons or strips of paper)
3. Glue or Tape
4. Twine, string, lights, etc…
5. Scissors
6. Stapler
7&8. Foldable paper, rectangles (though you can try any shape to see how you like it)

 Step 1:

Fold the paper in half. Cut even, parallel lines in from the fold toward the opposite edge, leaving a margin of about a quarter of the paper.

 Step 2:

Open the cut paper and curve it together, stapling top and bottom

 Step 3:

Add a strip at the top, stapled on both sides, as a hanger

Now that you’ve tried it and “get” it- think about how you want to use the lantern- should it be tiny, huge, various sizes?

You can make them from elegant paper or simple paper, or even recycled paper- from bridal magazines or society pages. The larger the lanterns are, the heavier the paper needs to be; the smaller, the more delicate. You can make them very simple or vary the cuts and try some patterns.

Instead of stapling, you can use double sided tape or glue that won’t show- or punch holes and thread a strip of paper through for a woven pattern- or try a combination- thread the paper OVER staples, so your lanterns will stay together while you decorate.

Remember that paper can burn (I don’t want to hear on the news about your wedding going up in flames!) so don’t use these with candles- but you could put use them with LED candles.

VARIATION: You can paint your paper before you cut. Test your paper to see how it responds to paint- some papers buckle when wet- you may even want to use a watercolor paper. Even brushing lightly with a wide brush dipped in a little gold acrylic can give a nice effect.

Download a pdf of these instructions here: PaperMoonDIYPaperLanterns

Provided by Paper Moon Weddings

Ms Gingham says: This is a blast from the past! I’m sure I remember making these at school and I had totally forgotten how to do it! Thanks to Paper Moon Weddings for this awesome tutorial!

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