Archive for the ‘DIY wedding ideas’ Category

Dried fruit has been used in decorations for centuries. In simpler times, Europeans celebrated Christmas with dried cranberries and cinnamon sticks wrapped around the tree. Dried fruit is also a traditional, beautiful, and simple way to decorate your wedding. Today, I was inspired by adding a spring twist onto the idea of decorating with fruit. While it is easy to add apples and pears to fall wedding decor, I decided to try  grapefruit as a nice spring wedding alternative. I ended up making DIY wedding garland, which is pretty popular this year. Read more about wedding garland in my previous post, Wedding Garland Galore!

I don’t like to eat grapefruit, but I do like the tang in a cocktail, and the smell of a a fresh grapefruit. I have even been known to use grapefruit scented soap. It is fresh, clean, and has just a bit more character than the trusty old orange. Plus, the color is fabulous for spring and a popular wedding color for 2013. I love the idea of using dehydrated fruit to DIY your wedding decor! Just be aware, that depending on how big your wedding is you may need multiple ovens, dehydrators, or a whole heck of a lot of time for this DIY wedding project! The upside? Your house will smell heavenly!

You can dehydrate fruit in a dehydrator or in the even. Either one should be set to around 100 degrees. I have a VERY basic dehydrator that simply has an on/off switch. I like it this way, because it keeps me on my toes to make sure that I pull the fruit off when it is done to avoid over browning. Before you get started dehydrating, here are some helpful tips:

• Dehydrate only one type of fruit at a time.

• Try to buy similarly sized grapefruits or whatever else you are dehydrating.

• Do not buy overripe fruit. The firmer it is the easier it will slice and cut evenly.

How To Dehydrate Grapefruit For DIY Wedding Decor

1. Rinse and wash the grapefruit.

2. Find a good, large cutting board and a super sharp knife that will slice the grapefruit like a Kleenex.

3. Begin cutting the grapefruit into slices that are as even as you can get them and about 1/8” to 1/4” maximum thickness. This is difficult unless you are a trained chef. After the fact, I asked my brother (who is a trained chef!) for some slicing tips.

Cutting Tips:

• Use a mandoline. I don’t have one, but they are pretty inexpensive on Amazon.com and if you are doing a lot of fruit it would be a lot easier! They are around $30.00.

• Use a 2 stroke cut. Go forward half way through the fruit and pull back smoothly to finish the other half.

• Make sure your blade is longer than the fruit.

• Don’t saw the fruit in half, that will surely hack it up.

• If your knife isn’t sharp, you are actually crushing the fruit, not cutting. So sharpen your knife first.

NOTE 2: I messed up A LOT of my grapefruit by not getting a good cut. For the ones I cut very unevenly, I cut them again in half to make two separate pieces. Any of the pieces that were just way too janky (a word I believe is only used in Ohio), I removed the fruit and just decided to dry the peel to see what I could do with it later.

NOTE 3: I made a huge mess cutting up the grapefruits. My grapefruits were a little over ripe and extremely juicy. I made multiple puddles of juice dripping down the counter and to the floor. It also got all over my clothes as I leaned up against the counter. I am messier than the average gal, but still…be warned!

4. Arrange the sliced grapefruit on dehydrator trays according to size. Put any peels and smaller pieces at the top.

5. Turn on dehydrator and let it do the magic. After a few initial hours, be sure to check the fruit often and alternate the trays around so they dry evenly.

6. When you think you have some slices that are done, pull them off of the dehydrator. Place a couple in a plastic bag and wait a few minutes. If after a few minutes there is still condensation there is still moisture that needs to be removed. When the grapefruits are done they should be brittle but not brown.

ROOKIE MISTAKE: I only warn, because I have done this before! Be sure they are done and do not remove them early. If there is moisture left in the fruits, your wedding decor will be ruined with the growth of mold – EW! They should not feel gooey or gummy when you touch them.

7. Let the grapefruit cool.

8. Repeat # – #7 with other fruits you intend on using.

DIY Wedding Decor – Grapefruit  Wedding Garland

Now what to do with your dehydrated grapefruit? I have posted before about wedding garland. It is a huge wedding trend for 2013, and here is my very own DIY wedding garland using the dried grapefruit. The grapefruit ended up being a good choice, because they are generally bigger than an orange, so I liked the aesthetic they provided.

How To Make DIY Wedding Garland With Dried Fruit

What You Need:

• dehydrated grapefruits or other fruits

• dehydrated peels

• scissors

• ribbon

• twine (thin)

• buttons

• hot glue gun and glue

• a measuring tape

• glue

How To Do It:

1. Cut about 8-10 feet of twine. It is important to measure exactly so you can calculate where to tie things. So measure to whatever length you want or need. If you need longer than 10 feet, I suggest tying two 10 foot garlands together; the garland can be pretty unmanageable after 10 feet.

2. Decide the pattern you’d like to make. Measure it out so each object is 4-6 inches apart from the next.

3. Prepare all of the objects for your wedding garland. For example, if you are using bows, make the proper number of bows for your string length. My bows are tied around a piece of the grapefruit peel just to make it easier to tie to the twine and to add a tiny pop of color.

4. Now it is time to tie the objects onto the twine. This can be tricky, and after much trial and error I can tell you that it is best to start from the middle of the twine and work your way out to both ends. This reduces the frizz that will come from the twine rubbing against things as you tie them on. The tiny holes on the buttons can cause a lot of frizz if you aren’t careful!

5. Measure to the center and tie your first object, then work your way out. I recommend double knotting.

6. Check periodically that your spacing is how you want it. If you get to the end and don’t like it you will have to start over and the twine will be too frizzed out.

7. When you get to the end, make sure you leave enough room to tie it or hang it appropriately.

8. Hold it up and check it out! If you are happy, go ahead and use the hot glue to glue the twine to the back of anything you think might come loose. Use only as much glue as necessary to avoid any big blobs.

I made two different wedding garlands with my dehydrated grapefruit. Here they are.

Simple Grapefruit and Bows

Grapefruit, Bows, and Buttons

Wedding garland can be used as a photo backdrop, around a special table (cake table or gift table), on the back of the bride and groom’s chairs, or as ambiance along a walkway. If you are ambitious enough, you can make a whole lot of DIY wedding garland from a whole lot of fruit. One of the great things about using dried fruit is that it can be boxed away and brought out again years later for decor, you could sell it, or give it away after the wedding. There are great sites out there that will help you sell used wedding items, see a previous post, Budget Weddings: Recycled Wedding Items, to find out more.

Next up? We can also make centerpieces and other wedding decor with dried fruit. Stay tuned! 

Soooooo…which DIY wedding garland was your favorite? How do you feel about dried fruit in wedding decor? Tell us all your opinions in the comments, or let us know what you like most by repinning on Pinterest! Happy pinning!

Photos, and Ideas from Alyssa Roehrenbeck, Art of Weddings Contributor