Creating Personalized Wedding Hangers: A Step-By-Step Guide

Wedding hangers are a must-have for every bride and her bridal party. They add a personal touch to your wedding day and make for great photos. They can also be a pleasant surprise for your bridal party and even your groom! Luckily, they are pretty simple to make yourself and can be a relaxing way to unwind from planning stress. You can make them as simple or as intricate as you like, with a range of DIY options available, from using galvanised wire to form names or titles, to adding printable tags, bows, or even temporary tattoos.

Using wire

Wedding coat hangers are a great way to add a personal touch to your big day and can even be used as gifts for your bridal party. Here is a step-by-step guide to making your own wedding hangers using wire:

Supplies:

• Hangers in your colour of choice (IKEA’s Bumerang hangers are a popular choice as they are cheap)
• 12, 14 or 16 gauge floral wire (galvanised steel wire also works)
• Needle-nose pliers (optional: put masking tape on the inside of the pliers to prevent ridges from forming on the wire)
• Hot glue gun or superglue
• Drill with a 3/16" bit
• Ribbon in the colour and width of your choice

Steps:

Step 1: Prep your hangers

If you are using suit hangers, remove the bottom part that holds the pants. These usually come off pretty easily; just pull hard and then remove any little nails inside using the needle-nose pliers. If you are using regular shirt hangers, skip this step.

Step 2: Plan your lettering

Using a pen and paper, plan what you would like your wire lettering to look like. It doesn't have to be perfect or to size, as this is just an outline. Remember that you won't be able to cut the wire, so get creative with ways to cross your t's and dot your i's!

Step 3: Get bending!

Grab your wire and straighten out a decent length, depending on the length of your word or name. Then start bending! You can do a loop before the first letter and at the end too if you like. Bending the wire can take some practice, so be patient and don't give up!

Step 4: Drill your hanger and attach the wire

Using your drill, make holes using a 3/16" bit where you'd like your wire to go. Get an estimate of how far the wire goes in, and then measure where to cut the wire. Cut a little bit at a time until your word is centred in the hanger when the wire is placed in the hanger's hole.

Using a hot glue gun, superglue or another type of strong adhesive, dab a small amount in the hole and then immediately insert the wire. Once the wire is inserted, bend the wire so that it is parallel with the top of the hanger. Cut the wire and glue it on the other end, ensuring that the wording isn’t too tight or too loose.

Step 5: Add the ribbon (or other embellishments)

If you’re putting on a ribbon, tie it on and make a bow. You can also add other embellishments such as flowers, butterflies or ribbons.

And there you have it! Your very own personalised wedding hanger.

Adding ribbon

If you want to make a bow, cut your chosen ribbon into strips. You can then slip these over the neck of the hanger, or affix them to the centre with glue. You can also use ribbon to make a simple loop. Cut the ribbon into 4-inch strips, and glue the ends together to form a loop. Then, glue the loops onto the back of the hanger.

If you want to add a little extra something to your ribbon, you can add a tag to the loop. Write the names, titles, and other details of your bridal party on the tags, and then glue the loops onto the back of the tags.

Drilling holes

First, if you are using a suit hanger, there may already be holes present from where the pants bar was attached. However, these holes may not be wide enough for your wire, so you will need to drill them to the appropriate size. If you are using a regular shirt hanger, you will need to create the holes from scratch.

Next, decide on the placement of the holes. On a suit hanger, you can use the existing holes where the pants bar was attached, or you can choose a different spot on the hanger. Mark the desired location of the holes with a pencil or marker.

Now it's time to get drilling! Select a drill bit that is slightly larger than the width of your wire. You want to ensure that the wire fits snugly into the hole without being too tight or too loose. Carefully drill into the marked spots on the hanger, applying even pressure to create a straight hole. Drill about halfway through the hanger; you don't want to go all the way through to the other side. Take your time and go slowly to avoid making any mistakes.

Once the holes are drilled, you will need to trim the wire to fit into the holes. Cut the wire to the appropriate length, leaving a bit of extra wire on both ends to attach it to the hanger. Test the fit of the wire in the holes, and make any necessary adjustments.

Finally, it's time to attach the wire. Place a small amount of strong glue, such as hot glue, super glue, or epoxy resin, into the hole. Immediately insert the wire into the hole and hold it in place until the glue sets. Make sure the wire is parallel to the top of the hanger and adjust the length as needed. Allow the glue to dry completely before handling the hanger.

By following these steps for drilling holes and attaching the wire, you will be well on your way to creating beautiful and personalised wedding hangers.

Gluing wire

When it comes to gluing wire for your DIY wedding hangers, there are a few steps to follow. Firstly, you'll need to decide on the wording you want to form with your wire. Write it out on a piece of paper, ensuring that your pen doesn't leave the paper as you want to create a continuous design without any breaks in the wire. This will be your guide as you start bending the wire. You can get creative with how you cross your "t's" and dot your "i's", perhaps using hearts or loops to add a decorative touch.

Once you're happy with your design, cut a piece of wire, allowing for enough length to form each letter with some excess on both ends for attaching to the hanger. Straighten out a decent length of wire, being liberal with the amount as you can always cut off any excess later. You can use floral wire or galvanized steel wire, depending on your preference and how easy you want the wire to be to bend. If you're a beginner, a thinner wire will be easier to manipulate.

Now, start bending your wire to form the letters of your chosen word or name. This may take some practice, so don't be discouraged if you don't get it right the first time. Remember, once you bend the wire, it's difficult to straighten it out again, so be committed to each bend you make. Try to avoid second-guessing yourself and go with the flow. Make your bends twist around the letters to add strength to your wiring and prevent it from snagging and getting tangled. If you need to create sharp angles, use needle-nose pliers, but be sure to cover the tips with masking tape to avoid scratching the wire.

After you've formed each letter, it's time to attach the wire to the hanger. Drill holes on the inside of the hanger's arms, making sure they are wide enough to fit the wire. Trim the wire to the appropriate length so that your word is centred on the hanger when placed in the holes. Use a strong adhesive, such as a hot glue gun, superglue, or quick-setting epoxy resin, to secure the wire in place. Dab a small amount of glue into the hole, insert the wire, and bend it parallel to the top of the hanger. Cut any excess wire and glue the other end, ensuring that the wording isn't too tight or too loose. Double-check the length by placing the wire in the hole before gluing it permanently.

And that's it! You've successfully glued wire to create a personalized wedding hanger. Feel free to add any additional embellishments like ribbons, bows, or flowers to further decorate your hanger.

Adding embellishments

One idea is to use ribbon to make a bow. Cut organza ribbon into strips and form a bow. You can then slip these bows over the neck of the hangers or affix them in the centre with hot glue. You could also tie a simple bow with the ribbon and glue it to the top of the hanger.

Another idea is to use flowers. You can make your own fabric flowers or buy ready-made ones and glue them onto the hangers. If you're looking for something more simple, you could use paper flowers.

If you're having a beach wedding, you can use seashells to embellish your hangers. Clean the seashells to remove any debris before gluing them onto the hangers. For bright white shells, soak them in bleach, scrub them clean, and let them dry before using.

You could also use artificial pearls or gemstones with other embellishments. Just remember not to overcrowd the hanger by using more than three different types of embellishments.

Frequently asked questions