Origami And Folded Paper | Origami And Folded Paper Guide

Creating your own wedding favors is one way of making sure you have unique favors which are personal to you. Origami is a simple craft involving paper folding to make various simple and intricate shapes, it is also very budget friendly and good fun!

Origami is a Japanese art and is actually an important part of Japanese weddings. A Japanese bride would make hundreds of paper cranes for her wedding to use as decorations and to give to the guests.

Learning origami is not difficult and there are many simple objects you can make when you first start. Do some research online for simple instructions and practice making progressively harder things until you can make something that you are happy for your wedding favors. Here are a few ideas:

Cranes as mentioned earlier are very traditional in Japanese culture, although you do not have to be Japanese or be having a Japanese influenced wedding to give them. Strings of paper cranes also make lovely decorations for your reception venue.

Windmills are very easy to make and you can actually purchase windmill making kits. Personalize them by writing or printing your names and wedding date and even a thank message on the inside. These are a great favor idea for a beach or garden wedding.

For something a little trickier look at making origami favor boxes! Although they may be tricky at first you will have great fun watching your guests trying to figure out how to get into them!

Simple paper planes are probably the easiest paper shape to make and your guests can have fun zooming them around the reception. Alternatively why not let them make their own paper planes by giving them some paper and a set of folding instructions. You could then hold a contest to see who's plane flies the furthest. Have a bottle of wine or champagne on standby for the winner.

If you want to use origami for your wedding favors I recommend purchasing a book to help you. Look for one which has plenty of nice ideas in it but which can help you as a beginner. Craft stores will hold a stock of specialist origami papers which come in a wide range of colors and designs, but you can use other papers as long as they are recommended for origami as they will need to create nice crisp folds to hold the shape.

There are many beautiful shapes and objects to made with origami and the paper folding art is also known as a good way to relax and de-stress, perfect for when all that wedding planning becomes too much!

Asian style or inspired wedding favors are becoming increasingly popular. It doesn't matter whether you are having an Asian themed wedding or not, the style & elegance of these wedding favors means they can fit into many different schemes & themes.

If you want some inspiration for your Asian wedding favors then here as some suggestions:

1. Chopsticks are probably the most popular choice. They are simple, stylish & above all cheap! You will discover them in many different designs from plain natural wood through to more elaborate lacquered styles. You can even get personalized versions from many wedding favor retailers. Chopsticks on their own may look a bit meager so why not add a noodle recipe book or even a packet of noodles to accompany them?

2. Fortune cookies are another popular choice & not just for Asian inspired weddings. These wonderful delicacies are a great way to wish your guests good fortune or have your own fortunes made for you! Look for customized ones that come in different flavors & different colors. This makes them easy to coordinate with any wedding theme.

3. Bamboo is integral to Japanese culture & is believed to bring good luck. Small potted bamboo plants are available to purchase as wedding favors & are ideal for personalizing with a tag which conveys wishes of good luck & prosperity.

4. Tape - this is a fermented sticky rice or cassava & is a popular Indonesian dessert. Give your guests cassava cakes as wedding favors presented in small card boxes which you should decorate with batik designs.

5. Cranes are a traditional symbol at Japanese weddings. They are said to symbolize peace & long life. Traditionally the bride would make hundreds of paper cranes before the wedding & give one to each guest. Make your own with decorative origami papers & aside from giving them as wedding favors, use them to decorate your reception area too. You will also come across ceramic cranes in favor stores which can be also be used to prop up you name cards on tables.