Wedding Wish Tree

At Large in Ballard: The paper anniversary

Over the years I’ve confessed to a slight obsession with anniversaries. Especially for the first year after a major life change I feel like I’m caught in the rip tide the life guards warn about when swimming; the more you fight it the deadlier it is. Just swim parallel to the shore and eventually you’ll escape it, they counsel. That’s how I feel about anniversaries, whether of my daughter’s birth or a friend’s death, swim with it.

Ever since my dad’s stroke three weeks ago I’ve had trouble concentrating on much beyond reading about brain disorders, interrupted by informing anyone in earshot of the dangerous cholesterol count of food they are eating (don’t ever consider pound cake again). I am also trying to help my colleagues plan a community event in honor of automating the Ballard Bell (just be there July 5th at 5:30 p.m. for a great party and spare me further effort). I’m so distracted I left Bartell’s with one of the shopping baskets (empty thank goodness) still hooked over my arm, and I wasn’t parked particularly close by.

In recent weeks I’ve learned yet another new vocabulary which I try to employ for cross-country coordination: compensatory motor speech strategies and the difference between contact-guard and close-guard in supervision of the patient after discharge from the rehabilitation hospital. I would rather be learning Italian, or at least Cyrillic characters along with Emily as she prepares to leave for an internship in Siberia. (Yes, Siberia). I am trying to believe it’s warm enough to put my tomato plants in the ground and re-training myself not to panic when the telephone rings.

However the significance of the last weekend of June 2011 has me in its grip and I’m trying to just swim with until it spits me out again. Too much has happened since the Sunset Hill wedding last year. I would love to be able to relive last year’s wedding weekend again, although I don’t think I could treasure it any more than I did then.

At Sunset Hill Park I sometimes look at the space that was filled with guests and umbrellas, the trunk of the tree where I accidentally left shoes overnight. Most days it is simply a destination on the walk, not a pilgrimage to a moment in time. There was a mudslide over the winter at the westernmost point, which is now blocked by caution tape, proving all around that even the ground beneath our feet is not to be taken for granted.

When I look at the wedding photos it’s almost impossible to find any record of my friend Bob Johnson, despite the fact that he was a nearly 300-pound, 6’1” man wearing a Hawaiian shirt. His wife had only four days left before retirement, after 33 years of service with King County. They planned to retire to her native Thailand, but it was there that a doctor diagnosed Bob’s pancreatic cancer. When I first told Bob that Martin and I had set a date he said, “There is a God.” I miss him every day.

Craft a Wedding Wish Tree Perfect for Spring!

Bring the freshness of spring to your wedding celebration with a fun, interactive wedding wish tree! This way, guests get to be more than just spectators at the event. They can express their best wishes to you in a more personal way…and you get a lovely decorative keepsake that you can display in your home long after the wedding day.

Another great plus: since the “tree” is homemade, you can tailor its look and design to suit your particular party venue, theme, or color motif. Just take the basics from our procedure below, and let your creativity be inspired by the springtime spirit!

Supplies You Will Need Craft wire - a gauge that’s sturdy enough to hold its shape, but pliable enough for easy bending and twisting Decorative pot, vase, or urn Florist’s moss Green card stock, cut into leaf shapes Calligraphy pens or metallic markers Soy-based ink Clear glass bowl or sorbet dish Small decorative tray Raffia fiber (optional) Can of spray paint (optional) Scissors Pliers

Most of these supplies can be bought at home improvement stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot that have plant and gardening departments. You can also check out art supply stores! The rest you can simply find at home.

How to Craft Your Wedding Wish Tree

This is the finished tree you’re aiming for—or your own personal take on it. How to achieve this charming creation? Well, pick up those pliers and let’s begin!

To achieve this look of graceful wire swirls, start by cutting the craft wire into pairs of equal length (approximately 10″ to 12″ for the longer pairs, and 6″ to 8″ for the shorter ones). Then, bend each pair of wires into a matching swirl shape, keeping the curves nicely rounded and smooth. Hint: As you create the wire swirls, you may lay them flat on your work surface to plan how you will position them in the final tree. You may either position them in a symmetrical manner, as in our example, or arrange them “free form,” if you prefer. Move the pieces around until you’ve gotten the desired look.

Now, for the tree assembly. Cut 4 long pieces of wire to serve as the main “trunk.” Twist-tie these together with wire at one end to form a base and bend their other ends into swirls as well. To this basic form, begin to attach the wire swirls, twisting short wire ties around them at key points so they are secure. Keep working until the entire tree is nicely balanced and can stand upright.