Create Beautiful Wedding Papel Picado For Your Special Day

Papel picado is a traditional Mexican craft that is often used in celebrations like weddings. The name translates to perforated paper in Spanish, and the craft involves intricately cutting decorative designs into colourful tissue paper or other thin materials. The cut-out paper is then used to create vibrant banners, flags, and decorations. In this article, we will discuss the history of papel picado, its cultural significance, and provide a step-by-step guide on how to make your own for a wedding celebration.

Choosing Papel Picado colours

Papel picado is a traditional Mexican craft that involves cutting intricate designs into colourful tissue paper or other thin materials. The craft is used for various celebrations and festivals, including weddings, and is often hung in homes, streets, and public spaces.

When choosing the colours for your wedding papel picado, you can opt for classic wedding colours such as white, which symbolises purity, hope, and innocence, or pink, which represents celebration. You can also incorporate colours that are meaningful to you and your partner, such as the colours of your wedding theme or your favourite colours.

If you want to convey a specific message or sentiment through your papel picado, you can consider the following colour meanings:

• Green, white, and red are often used on Mexican Independence Day and can be incorporated to showcase patriotism.
• Yellow symbolises light and honours the elderly who have died.
• Purple represents grief and mourning.
• Black symbolises death or the land of the dead.
• Blue, specifically sky blue, is commonly used at Christmas.

Additionally, you can incorporate colours that complement the wedding venue or the surrounding environment. For example, if the wedding is held in a garden with vibrant flowers, you can choose colours that enhance the natural beauty of the setting.

When selecting colours for your papel picado, it is important to consider the overall theme and atmosphere you want to create for your wedding. Whether you choose traditional, symbolic, or personal colours, the papel picado will undoubtedly add a unique and festive touch to your special day.

Cutting out Papel Picado

Papel picado is a traditional Mexican craft that involves cutting intricate designs into colourful tissue paper. The craft is often used to create vibrant banners, flags, and decorations for celebrations and festivals. Here is a step-by-step guide to cutting out papel picado:

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You will need colourful tissue paper, scissors, and optionally, a binder clip or clothespin, decorative paper edge scissors, and a hole punch.

Step 2: Fold the Tissue Paper

Take sheets of tissue paper of the same colour and fold them in half to create a rectangle. The number of sheets you use will determine the thickness and opacity of your papel picado. For a longer-lasting papel picado, you can also use rice or silk paper.

Step 3: Transfer Your Design

Place your chosen template or design on top of the folded tissue paper. You can draw the design freehand, use a stencil, or print a design. Ensure that the design fits within the dimensions of the folded paper.

Step 4: Cut the Design

Carefully cut out the design using scissors. Be meticulous, especially with intricate details, to maintain the beauty of the design. Take your time and make precise cuts. If you are using a craft knife, use a fresh blade and work on a cutting mat.

Step 5: Unfold and Repeat

Gently unfold the tissue paper to reveal your cut design. You can create multiple sheets with the same design or vary the patterns and colours for a more vibrant effect. Each unfolded sheet will be a unique piece of your papel picado.

Step 6: Attach and Display (Optional)

If you want to create a traditional banner or garland, use a small punch or chisel to make holes along the edges of each papel picado piece. Ensure the holes are evenly spaced and aligned for seamless stringing. Then, use thread or yarn to string the pieces together into a banner. Alternatively, you can glue the papel picado pieces onto a string.

Papel Picado folding techniques

Papel Picado is a Mexican craft that involves intricate cutting and layering of colourful tissue paper. The folding techniques used to create Papel Picado are simple, but the real artistry comes in the cutting.

Firstly, you will need to collect your supplies. For a wedding theme, you may want to opt for red, pink, white and purple tissue paper. You will also need scissors, a pen, a hole punch, and a ruler.

The next step is to fold the tissue paper. Take a sheet of tissue paper and fold it in half lengthwise, and then in half again. You should now have a rectangle with one side consisting only of folds. Fold the long sheet in half again and mark a dot in the corner made up of folds. This will help you know where not to cut.

Now, cut shapes along all four sides, avoiding the area with the dot. You can cut out a variety of shapes, such as hearts, flowers, or butterflies, keeping in mind that these shapes will symbolise love and unity at your wedding. To cut a shape from the middle of the rectangle, simply fold the paper in half again and cut into the fold.

Finally, carefully unfold your tissue paper to reveal the intricate design. You can now tape the tissue paper to a long string of yarn and hang your Papel Picado banner.

Hanging Papel Picado

Papel picado is a traditional Mexican folk art that involves cutting intricate designs into colourful tissue paper. It is often used to decorate weddings, and can be hung in a variety of ways. Here are some steps to create hanging papel picado:

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You will need colourful tissue paper, scissors, a template or stencil (optional), a hole punch, and string or yarn. You can also use a binder clip or clothespin to hold the paper in place while you cut.

Step 2: Prepare the Tissue Paper

Cut your tissue paper to your desired size. For a standard-sized sheet of tissue paper, you can fold it in half lengthwise and then in half again. This will give you a rectangle with one side consisting only of folds. Mark a dot in the corner made up of folds—this is to help you know where not to cut.

Step 3: Cut Your Design

Place your chosen template or design on top of the folded tissue paper, ensuring that it fits within the dimensions of the paper. You can draw the design freehand or use a stencil. Cut out the design carefully with scissors, being meticulous with intricate details. If you are layering multiple sheets of tissue paper, you can tape them together while cutting. Make sure to cut all the way through, and be careful not to leave corners unsnipped or lines unconnected, as this can cause tearing when you unfold the paper.

Step 4: Unfold and Repeat

Gently unfold your tissue paper to reveal the cut design. You can create multiple sheets with the same pattern or vary the colours and patterns for a more vibrant effect. Each unfolded sheet will be a unique piece of your papel picado.

Step 5: Assemble the Banner

To create a banner or garland, use a hole punch to make holes along the edges of each papel picado piece. Space the holes evenly and align them so that you can string the pieces together seamlessly. You can also fold the top of each piece over the string and glue it down. Connect the pieces into a banner using string or yarn.

Step 6: Hang Your Banner

Hang your papel picado banner at your wedding venue! You can hang it on a wall, above a fireplace, or anywhere that needs a festive touch. Enjoy your beautiful papel picado creation!

Papel Picado design ideas

Papel Picado is a traditional Mexican craft that involves cutting intricate designs into colourful tissue paper. It is often used to decorate weddings, with many couples opting for white papel picado to match the colour scheme. Here are some design ideas for papel picado at weddings:

Flowers

Floral designs are a common and versatile motif in papel picado. They can be simple or intricate, and are often used for weddings. You can create a flower design by folding a piece of tissue paper in half and drawing your chosen design along the fold with a ballpoint pen. Then, carefully cut out the design with sharp scissors, ensuring you cut through all the layers of tissue paper. Unfold the paper to reveal your intricate flower design.

Hearts and Love

Heart-shaped designs are another popular choice for weddings, symbolising love and unity. You can create heart shapes by folding the tissue paper and cutting out half-heart shapes along the fold. You can also incorporate other romantic motifs, such as doves or lovebirds, into your papel picado design.

Monograms or Initials

Personalise your wedding decorations by incorporating the couple's initials or monogram into the papel picado design. You can cut out the initials from a single sheet of tissue paper or create a layered effect by using multiple sheets in different colours.

Wedding Symbols

Incorporate traditional wedding symbols into your papel picado design, such as rings, doves, or a wedding cake. You can also use scalloped lace borders or floral borders to create a romantic and elegant effect.

Cultural References

If the couple has a particular cultural background or heritage, you can incorporate this into the papel picado design. For example, you can include Mexican folk art designs or the Mexican flag for a Mexican-themed wedding.

Frequently asked questions