Weddings are a lot of work! One aspect of my own wedding that was the biggest shock to me—and probably to anyone who has helped plan a wedding—is how much time and energy are focused on an occasion that is over after a few short hours. All that effort sometimes feels like a waste of time and talent! So what follows is a banner design that—though constructed specifically for a wedding—can be used throughout the year to illustrate the theme of Christ-centered relationships.
Christ at the Center
A beautifully simple and familiar symbol for marriage is two intersecting rings with the symbol of the cross in the space where the rings overlap. For visual interest, my design shows the rings visually exceeding the boundaries of the banner. This gives the cross more prominence than it would have if both rings fit completely on the banner.
Quilt Qualities
The background of the banner is quilt-like, but its intended to be constructed in hours rather than months. Before the banner-making day, invite anyone with any connection to the couple to submit fabric pieces for the construction of a wedding quilt. For this 5x8-foot banner, taking into consideration overlap, youll need about 80 pieces of approximately 9x9-inch pieces. Fabric that might have some significance (think of worn-once bridesmaids dresses!) is especially nice. Extend the invitation to family and friends certainly, but also to members of the soon-to-be-married couple's church.
Construction
Part of the beauty of quilts is the apparent randomness of colors and patterns. Of course, the arrangement of color and pattern is often painstakingly composed, and you'll have to lay the pieces out with care. Don't glue or stitch anything down until you have a good balance of color. Step back and squint your eyes to get the overall feel. Once the background is complete, attach the white fabric of the rings and cross in front of this background. Although our design doesnt show it, consider cutting the rings and cross out of the quilted background to show the white backing material for a nice twist to the design.
Banner Pattern
To help transfer this design to fabric, you can download an electronic version of this banner with a grid overlay. Print out this pattern and use the grid as a reference for hand-copying the image to fabric or make an overhead transperancy of the pattern and project it at the desired size onto pattern paper taped to a wall.
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