Alternative To Bows

by Marcy
(Birmingham)

I'm not very good at tying bows. I've followed your instructions, but the bows still don't come that well. What other suggestions could you make for adding a pretty embellishment to a wedding invitation that uses ribbon? I want to keep the ribbon on the invite as it adds a touch of luxury and it's bringing in more colour to my invite.



Answer:

You're right, you don't have to tie a bow. Bows can be tricky and time consuming to get right, but with practice it does get easier. I suppose that's not much help when you've got 50-100 invites to do!

Some alternatives could be knot. Instead of tying a bow, simple make a knot. A good example of this can be seen on Annabelle's wedding invitation (photo above). Knots still have the same luxurious appeal, but are quicker and simpler to do.

Another option is to use two pieces of ribbon to give a 'bow tie' effect. The ribbons are pinched and then tied together with a bit of wire or ribbon. This is just as fiddly as tying a bow, but the results are more consistent. Again, you'll need to practice a few times in order to get it just right.





- Take two equal lengths of ribbon (about 4 inches long). Cut the ends diagonally.

- Turn one ribbon upside down so that diagonal ends face the other direction.

- Lay the ribbon on top of one another. Hold the middle and pinch together.

- Secure by tying a knot with a thin, matching coloured ribbon.

- Trim the ends of the thinner ribbon and neaten the bow.


I hope that helps.