DIY- Wedding Guest Tree

We had a small wedding, about 50-60 guests, and instead of doing a guest book we opted to go the more creative route by creating a wedding guest tree.  With this project, each guest writes his/her name on a leaf and the bride can assemble them onto a tree sometime after the wedding.  When completed, the newlyweds can display the artsy guest tree in their new home.  Cool, right? I couldn't find a clear "How-To" guide on making one, so I winged it and it turned out pretty well.  Here is how I did it:

Step 1: Choose colors for your Wedding Tree Project

• Select two colors for your leaves and birds. My wedding colors were "teal" and "purple", so I chose teal to be leaves because it was closer to a natural tree color.   
• Select two "natural" or "brown" shades that contrast to the colors you chose to form your tree trunk and background. 

Step 2: Purchase Supplies

I chose to purchase my paper form Hobby Lobby.  Lucky for me, they were running a sale on paper the week I went =]  If you have the paper handy, even better for you.

• Leaves and Birds- normal scrapbooking squares (leaves-4, birds 1).  I really like the color selection these come in and the paper weight/texture was great for this project.
• Tree trunk and background- Art posters.  I got one large sheet for the tree trunk and two large sheets for the background.  When assembling the tree, I taped the two dark brown sheets together to fit the poster frame (tape on the back-side).
• Glue Stick- I had a scrapbooking glue sticks on hand, so I used them. I used two, but the first stick had already been opened so you may only need one.
• Poster Frame- I chose a cheap 28'' by 22''inch frame from Wal-Mart.  Of course, you can alter the measurements of the project to make a smaller/bigger tree. 

Layered brown paper.  Once it is framed, you can only see the seam if your looking for it.

Step 3: Get Crafty and Start Cutting Paper!

• Figure out how tall you want your tree and how many branches you want it to have.  Keep in mind that if you have TOO MANY branches, it will be tricky to place your leaves around it. Also, make sure there is enough space for birds if you are choosing to include them in your tree. Cut out the tree trunk.
• Cut about 10-15 more leaves than the number of wedding guests you anticipate. I ended up with about 70 leaves.
• I used random paper to pick my leaf shape, then traced it onto my colored paper as close together as possible to get as many leaves as possible from my paper. 
• Birds- I printed bird silhouettes from Google, cut them out, and traced them onto my paper.  

Step 4: Instructional Sheet for Wedding Guests

Normally folks anticipate a traditional book to sign their name in, so I decided to make an instruction sheet to display next to the leaves to explain what the leaves are for. 

• I was unsure how the whole "leaf tree" was going to look before I was sold on trying it, so I made a mini-version to test it.  I thought it was nice looking, so I framed it in a 8x10 photo frame I had and displayed it on the guest table at the wedding.  I believe the guests enjoyed having a mini-model to see what the signed leaves would create.
• Write up a brief instruction sheet and print it on some card stock to display. 
• I requested guests to write on BOTH sides of the leaf to help with leaf placement later. 
• Don't forget to provide pens for your guests to use.  I set out normal black pens, but the fine tip Sharpie pens would look bolder.

Step 5: Assemble the Tree

This is the fun part! Organize your leaves around your tree trunk and branches.  For my tree, I opted to put bride and groom families on opposite sides then the mutual friends at the top.  I laid out the leaves and rearranged them until I had it just right, then started gluing.  When dry, place the project into the frame and display the Wedding Guest Tree in your home.  Voila! Your personalized, DIY wedding guest book alternative.