Hanging colored lanterns from the ceiling is a perfect way to add a splash of color to your wedding without breaking the budget. Liven them up with a color-blocked pattern to give them a bit of a modern twist. Grace each one with dip-dyed tassels to add even more stylish flair to your Living Color Wedding!
Begin creating dip-dyed tassels by removing each of the tassels from the neutral tassel garland. Set the gold and beige tassels aside.
Next, dilute roughly 1 tablespoon of fabric dye in 1 cup of water in a pint-sized glass jar then mix thoroughly. The more dye added to the jars will result in a deeper color on the tassels. I chose light coral, darker coral and lemon yellow for my three dye colors.
Wearing gloves to protect your hands from the dye, submerge the fringed ends of a white tassel about three quarters of the way up in a jar of dye. The longer the tassels remain in the dye bath, the darker the color will turn out.
As you pull the tassel out of the jar, gently squeeze out the liquid, and then set them on an old sheet or towel to dry. I found that placing the tassels on a baking sheet in an oven set at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes sped up the drying time.
Tip: using a steamer will help "iron" the wrinkles from the tassels.
While the tassels are drying, assemble a white paper lantern by carefully inserting the wire frame inside. Using a wide paint brush, paint a solid, diagonal line across the lantern. Paint half of the lantern a darker coral color. Once that side dries, paint the other side with a lighter shade of coral.
After the coral paint has dried, mix a couple drops of water with gold paint, and then lightly tap the gold paint/water mixture with a thin tipped paint brush to splatter the paint over the whole lantern. Set aside to dry.
Once the dip-dyed tassels have dried, string one light coral, one dark coral and one yellow tassel onto gold baker's twine. You'll also want to string the gold tassels that were originally set aside in between each of the freshly dyed tassels. Be sure to string them closely together so that the top of each tassel is covered with the fringed bottom of the one immediately before it. Tie the newly created tassel garland to the color-blocked lantern.
Finally, hang the Coral Color Blocked Lantern behind a bar or cake table at your Living Coral Wedding to wow guests with your DIY skills! For more coral wedding inspiration be sure to check out the full Living Coral Weddingalong with the tutorial for the Color Blocked Acrylic Wedding Dessert Sign and the recipe for a Pink Grapefruit Elderflower Rosé Cocktail.