Destination weddings certainly bring out the creativity in brides! This DIY is actually courtesy of two of our past real wedding brides, Amy and Keri, who thought of this cute idea to honor the distance their guests have travelled. One of the brides even decided to dismantle her sign and give each guest the board that represented their destination.
Even if you’re not a destination bride but you have guests coming in from out of state or families from different locations and you’re looking for a way to honor that, this DIY is definitely for you! All of these items can be found at your local craft and hardware stores.
What You’ll Need
- Wood Boards – Enough to match the different locations your guests represent. A pallet can have about 6-8 boards on them (try hardware stores!) 1/2″ thick x 3 1/2 ” wide.
- Sand Paper
- Saw
- Paint Stain – In different colors of your choice
- Glitter, Seashells or Decals for decorating (optional)
- Paint Stencils (optional)
- Acrylic Paint for lettering – go color crazy!
- One medium sized paint brush
- A fine-tipped paint brush for lettering
- Wood Glue or wood nails (from 3/4 in to 1 1/4 in depending on the thickness of boards)
- Drill (if you plan on using nails)
- Wooden plank to hold sign – Use your desired length and width depending on how tall you want the sign. A slim board is preferred.
- Gloves (To protect your hands, you have a wedding ring to show off!)
- Measuring tape or ruler.
- Pencil (optional)
Feel free to ask a helper at your local hardware store or craft store for help with wood and nail dimensions. One of our brides scored a wooden palette from a warehouse that she was able to use for her different pieces of boards.
Instructions
Step 1- Make sure all of your pieces of wood are splinter free. Using your saw cut your pallet boards into your desired lengths and shapes. If you plan on giving your palettes an arrow point, use a pencil and ruler to draw an arrow point on your boards before sawing. For a smooth finish to your wood, before painting, sand down the wood boards you plan on using.
Step 2- Using the paint stain of your choice and your medium sized paint brush; paint your boards and your plank front and back, ensuring you cover all of the wood. You may need one or two coats. Make sure your boards are completely dry between coats. You can also choose not to paint or sand your boards at all and go with a weathered beach look.
Step 2- After your boards have dried completely; get as creative as you want to be to add the names of the different destinations to each board. Using your finer paint brush and your different color acrylic paints, paint your destinations and designs on one side of each board. If you don’t really trust your own handwriting, use paint stencils for precise lettering. Add your glitter, decals or whatever you fancy to get your boards looking exactly how you’d like. We suggest saving a board for the actual date and destination of your wedding to go in the middle of your sign.
Step 3- Once all of your boards and your plank have dried and you’re ready to assemble, lay your plank flat and line up your boards, good-side up on your palette in the order you desire with your preferred spacing.
Step 4- Holding your board securely, drill two holes at the top and bottom of your boards that lay directly on the plank. Drill your nails in to secure each board to the longer plank. You want a snug fit, so drive until the top of the screw is nearly flush with the wood surface.
Optional Step: Using Wood Glue. Know that your wood glue won’t be as secure as using drills and screws. We recommend using wood glue to assemble either the day of or the night before the wedding. Apply your wood glue liberally to the back side of each plank of wood and secure to the plank. Press board down firmly for 5 -10 seconds and allow it to dry.
Step 6– After securing your boards, stand your new sign up to make sure all of your palettes hold. Make any finishing touches with your remaining paint and design elements!
Enjoy!
Note: Both destination brides brought the painted boards with them and had their signed assembled at the resort before the day of their wedding by very helpful staff members. The boards were packed in a box or bag and flown down with them as luggage. Be mindful of the weight of the box or bag before checking in.