Diorama Tutorials: Wedding Furniture and props!

Let's make furniture and accessories for a Wedding or large scale party!

From Ryan and Richelle's wedding, here is the Bride and Groom's head table, and one of the party tables. I knew that I would be doing a bar and party venues, so a few years ago, I started collecting black wrought iron candlesticks from thrift stores.  They are the perfect height for tables. 

I paid anywhere from $.99 cents to $2.99. The wood circles were from craft stores for $.99 to $1.29 each unpainted. The columns under the long table are cake decorator columns available in the Wilton aisles at your favorite craft store or online.

A finishing touch for the head table was a strip of sparkle foam secured by double-stick tape. The brides and bridesmaids bouquets were placed in glass jar vases.

Vases were decorated with stickum doodads are from the scrapbooking supplies, in pearl and iridescent  plastic rhinestones. Easy vases, and quite realistic for table decor. Secured to the table by re0moveable stickum.

The Dollar stores often have sets of tiny jars with lids or corks...really reasonable at $1.

The table top is a strip of craft wood covered in contact paper. on all sides. This is to make sticking things and clean up, easy.

Cake pillars are perfect for a wedding table.

I needed 8 dolls to be able to sit at this table. (It was tight) So I spaced the legs staggered, upside it was quite sturdy and didn't get knocked over once, despite, some straight-leg dolls.

I use cheap super stick foam to secure things. It really sticks but is still re-moveable. 

Once I figured out my dolls' positions, I measured out where the posts needed to be.

For packing away after use...I reattached squares of contact paper backing. Everything is taken down and easy to store now.

I opted to not paint the bases (candlesticks) as I will use them in a bar. Ideally, I will have black table tops for the bar scenes. The white wood table tops were painted on both sides(important for warpage) with 2 coats of satin enamel craft paint.

To secure the top and still make it removeable, I used stickum tape again.

Center and press and you have a banquet table for 6 dolls.

The dark bases disappear and you only see the tops and decorations.

The simple cake table setting also worked out perfectly.

Cake was a Mattel damaged vintage cake with the top piece missing. I repainted it white (2 coats) and lightly dry brushed some lavender iridescent craft paint.

 I ringed the base of the cake(on a built in cake plate with double stick foam tape), covered in the same rhinestone/pearl stickum used on the vases. It simply looked like another layer. I hot glued coordinating flowers onto the cake. This was then all placed on another purple cake plate to give more importance to  the smaller cake.

Napkins are the same napkins used for the furniture, (split in half from 2-ply to 1 layer. Squares folded like regular napkins onto a strip of scotch tape...to keep them from blowing around. Cake plates are all my white/ivory vintage and new plates in a stack. Lavender circle is glitter foam cut in a circle. 

Coordinating the chairs, couches and settees.

How do you make lots of miss-matched furniture look cohesive...color of course.

I had three different sizes of chairs, and other lawn furniture to use for the seating. The goal was to have 30+ seats available for the guests.

I finally found a package of 2-ply luncheon napkins in lavender, the perfect color. Double stick tape, regular tape, and a spool of 6" wide of white tulle are all you need to make a lot of seating look the same.

Here you see the actual chair and the covered chairs next to them.

Open up your napkin, and make your first fold for the front of the chair. Make the fold the height of the legs deep.

Place some double stick tape or round folds of regular tape on the seat and back.

It really doesn't matter where you put the tape, it is just to help secure the napkin.

Placing the feet of your chair legs on the first fold, fold again over the seat and to the back press the napkin to the tape in both places. Turn it over.

Set your chair up, seat forward, take the excess at the side, fold and bring it to the back. Don't worry about all the extra at the bottom. 

Tuck excess under into the folds at the back.

Cross the ends in the back center.

Do the same on the other side, loosely covering to the back. 

Tuck a bit of tape between the two folds in the back center where it won't show.

Tie a bit of tulle into a square knot around the seat and to the back. This will secure your paper cover. Now, trim the paper at the bottom of the chair legs, carefully, all the way around 

This works for all unarmed chairs. 

I had several styles of lawn chair/couches to cover. The smaller couches could still be covered with one napkin.  If they are larger use two with the center being where they are folded together. This time I started at the back and placed the couch on the already trimmed corner.

Placing tape on the back and front cushions and on the seat. Carefully roll the paper forward across the couch to the front and down. 

Press in the corners, and the fold the sides toward the back.

 

Showing here how I taped under the folds.

With no arms, the tulle is wrapped across the lower back behind and tied. You can also wrap along the outside seat edge, if the tulle doesn't want to sit on the couch or has small arms.

Trim excess across the bottom.

Here I showed using ribbon...on a 

Finished couch.

The wicker couches were the lowest, so I used those in the front for the families' pews so to speak. Using taller chairs towards the back. I also decided to just do the seats. Cushions of course are the easiest to wrap and cover.

Just wrap up and tape a single cushion, keeping excess underneath.

A double cushion is wrap up and then folded and taped.

Cut long lengths of tulle for the couches.

I treated both couches the same with the tulle and wrapped from front to back and tied a bow---it's for family and I made them special. I did the small matching chairs the same way, just the cushions in the paper, and matching tulle tied in back.

Here's the finished effect....a wedding venue all ready for lots of guests.

We actually did this for a real life garden wedding, using plastic table cloths for each chair (Rounds work well) and long plastic table clothes for loveseats, all covered in white. This was actually seating for 34, and the wedding party standing for the ceremony (8 more staff and singers)

Everything is re-useable and the entire wedding, flowers included in one small tote.

Materials Costs for what we did here.

Furniture I already had. Craft paint ---satin white enamel/

Tables: bottoms $.99 to $2.99, 7 tops .99 to 1.29 plus paint

glitter foam 1 sheet at $1.99 (1 head table and 7 round tables)

Mini jars 6/1.00 (Dollar store)

Skinny bottles 6/1.00 dollar store

Glittery stickum for cake, bottles,  $1.99 on sale.

Pillars, 4 for $6.99 regular price. on sale for 20% off. 

Table top...scrap wood for head table + white contact paper (I always have this, I buy removeable white at $5.99 a roll, it's miles in doll scale.

Tulle: $3.99 regular price at half off bridal sale.

Napkins: Pack of 50, $2.99 and then 20% off.

Stickum and double stick tape---LOTS....from Dollar store. 

Tools: scissors, measuring tape, pencil, paint brush

I'll be happy to answer any questions, or inquiries! 

What's the biggest party 

your 

Dolls have had???

Thanks for viewing and feel free to ask me any questions or inquiries. I'll be doing a tutorials on the StoneWalls Venue, soon.

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