Cool Ceiling Treatment for Asian Weddings

I love looking at how stores trick out their retail spaces. Granted, Macy's or Kaufman's isn't on a Top Ramen budget. But merchandise display artists, on the whole, offer plenty of innovation for what they get paid, and free inspiration for brides-to-be.

For example: there's a local high-end grocery store here that wove a beautiful rustic lake theme around their cafe. It'd be perfect for adapting to an elegant — yes, really! — but outdoorsy wedding (and not the kind with koozies and camo, mind you). I'm dying to post about it.

But that's not what I want to show you today, mainly because I've been too lazy to get the shots. Yet. Instead, I'd like to highlight this simple, cheap and totally gorgeous ceiling treatment for an Asian wedding.

Here, the merchant artist works from a suspended ceiling near the primary outdoor entrance. He or she's (she's, let's say) taken ordinary branches, and sprayed them a heart-stoppingly beautiful laquer red. Yeah, the photos ain't much, but take my word for it.

In real life, the finish is beautiful, so let's imagine that after spraying on the red, she tidies up with a matte acrylic clear coat. This turns the wood into something akin to those gorgeous Cinnabar beads that everyone pictures when they think Chinese decor.

Then, she hangs the branches from the ceiling using a strong, almost invisible microfilament (fishing line works great for this), and finally, suspends those beautiful paper lanterns from the branches.

This is a simple technique that's fast to work up, and takes those popular lanterns to a whole level. It's a great way to add instant drama to your cake table, head tables, or anywhere else you want to emphasize.

Just another reason why it pays to go shopping!

Tags: asian wedding, chinese wedding, oriental wedding, west coast wedding