DIY Tin Can Lanterns

By Carey, IW Bride Blogger

My friend Aron showed me this picture of tin can lanterns not that long ago, and I fell in love.

While not the easiest thing in the world to do/make (I guess it’s more tedious than hard), I thought that they would be a wonderful addition to our wedding decor. My sister-in-law-to-be Heather began saving the larger formula cans that she used to feed baby Griffin for the project. She even made one herself to see how long it would take, and how it would turn out.

This is the one she made, and it is beautiful!

So while I was in New Hampshire this summer I began the project a little more in depth. We weren’t really sure where the tin cans would even go until we got to the house. I would love them hanging, but all the trees they could hang from are far from the reception action. Heather came up with another idea of spacing them across the stone wall in front of the house at night time with candles in it. It would be a small glow but so pretty evenly spaced there. Perfect!

I then spray painted them all with a bronze-y rust color. I wanted to take 6 of them home so Nathan and I could make some, too. But I was only allowed to take 2 home. Heather says she will be able to make them all before the wedding, but if not I’m sure we can poke some holes the week of. With 15 people at the house, and a glass of wine it should be fun!

Another sidenote if you ever want to try these yourself: Heather ran into an issue with the can denting in as she poked the holes with an icepick. My father-in-law cut a piece of wood that would fit inside perfectly to act as a structure for the can on the inside. This helped, and the can didn’t dent any longer.