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OUR DIY FOLIAGE BACKDROP WITH NEON SIGN FROM LOVE INC.
All Images by Photography by Vicki
You may have seen from all the Instagram sneak peeks in the lead up to our wedding, that our whole day was going to be a DIY extravaganza! Everything from the place settings to the seating plan was designed and made by either me or Jess. But THE project I was most excited to work on because I’d been dying to have one at my own wedding and also because I got to work on it with my dad, was our foliage backdrop. As so many of you asked where I got it from, I thought it was important that I shared how I made it and how easy it was to put together. Seriously, we made it one afternoon.
I was beyond thrilled to have worked with Love Inc on this DIY. Not only am I obsessed with their neon signs but their wedding hire service cannot be beat. Safely couriered to my house the day before the wedding and picked up a couple of days after, hiring the ‘Happily Ever After’ Neon Light to complete our foliage backdrop was hassle free and I think you’ll agree, really MADE the whole project come to life. It also doubled up as a photo booth backdrop for our guests in the evening creating Insta-worthy photos in an instant!
You can personalize this faux boxwood backdrop in any way you want, I added even more foliage including palm leaves, fern leaves and ivy to make it look more ‘wild’ but you could also add flowers, additional lights, balloons, or for a more rustic touch, you could even pick up some accent pieces at Rooms To Go ,the options are endless!
YOU WILL NEED:
2 pcs of plywood (40×80 inch)
3 x brass hinges + correct size nuts and bolts
Electric Screwdriver
Staple Gun
Assorted faux greenery
12 pcs artificial boxwood panels (20x20inches)
Neon Sign
Note: Our hardware store was unable to cut the wood for us so we also needed an electric jigsaw to cut the wood down to size.
STEP 1:
Lay both plywood pieces down side by side about 1/4 inch a part. Secure the three hinges using the nuts and bolts evenly along the top, middle and bottom. This will make it easier to transport and store as it will now fold easily in half.
We used nuts and bolts as opposed to the screws included in the pack to make it a little more secure. You could also get heavy duty hinges.
STEP 2:
Secure the boxwood panels to the plywood by stapling the borders of each piece. I used three pieces of box wood across the width of each panel and 4 pieces of boxwood going down.
STEP 3:
Now lift the backdrop up to standing. The weight of the plywood means that to free stand safely, the backdrop will need to be folded slightly. If you want the backdrop to be laid flat it’s safest angled against a wall or on a stand.
The day before our wedding my dad was helping set up the backdrop at the venue and we realised at 6.5ft tall the backdrop was only just tall enough for my 6.5ft husband to stand against (that was an oversight on my part), so he fashioned a makeshift stand that day to raise the backdrop by a foot so it didn’t look odd in photos. If you or your other half are especially tall, you might need to ensure the length of your plywood is longer to accommodate their height.
STEP 4:
Once standing, secure the neon sign and add any extra foliage, or if you’d prefer use flowers, fairy lights or balloons, anything you want! The great thing about the box wood is that flower stems real or fake can just be poked through and other things can be secured using additional staples, just make sure to always staple to the border so you can cover them up using the greenery.
If your interested in how much this cost to make, here’s a quick breakdown of costs:
Plywood = £60
Boxwood Panels = £80
Additional Greenery = £22
Hinges, nuts & bolts = £10
Total backdrop costs = £172
**If you’d also like to hire the neon sign prices start from £250.
I’ve now passed on our backdrop to a very lovely couple who are getting married next year and I’m so excited to see how they use it for their day. I hope you’ve found this DIY useful and have enjoyed looking a few more sneak peeks from our big day.
Is there a video on how to to hang this neon sign on a backdrop? I’m in desperate need to learn!!
Hi Brianna
It comes attached to a sheet of clear perspex which has holes in each corner to hang using nails.
Hope that helps 🙂
Emily x
Hi, love this backdrop! How did you make it actually stand up? Did it have legs on the bottom? Thank you xx
Hi Heather
Because of the hinges in the middle in bends ever so slightly, so can stand on it’s own, but if you want to make it taller or make sure it’s safe without leaning it on a wall you could add legs or a support beam behind it.
Emily x