Gold Branch Guest Book Tutorial

While Winter might not be a time of knee-deep snow here in Australia (at least not in the main cities) it is still a time of biting winds and bare branches, which is exactly where we got our inspiration for this great combination of decor and guest books. White and gold are a fantastic colour palette for Winter which brings an element of understated elegance to wedding styling.

To really embrace this time of year, we’re loving the inclusion of bare branches with touch of colour for added chic!

Our minimal design is made more special with a coat of metallic gold spray paint (we used a paint with an antique finish topped with a more metallic gold which really shines!) and you could use your branches simply as styling elements, a table centrepiece or make them into a guest book by leaving a pen and some paper treats (we like the idea of swing tags) nearby and ask your guests to hang their well wishes onto the branches as they pass by.

What you’ll need:

Clean branches that are free of leaves (you can either find them out on a walk or you can source them from some florists if you’re after a particular look or size)

Spray paint

A clean vase

White pebbles (try buying aquarium or landscaping pebbles)

A blackboard heart (you could also use a photo frame with a printed message)

Optional: String, gift tags and pens for your guests!

What to do:

Step 1 Make sure your branches are free of dirt and leaves.

Step 2 Add 2 to 3 coats of spray paint, allowing the paint to dry completely between coats. I used small branches and found it was easy to hang them from my clothesline with a peg – this allowed me to make sure I was getting all the angles and wasn’t rubbing any of the paint of with my fingers.

Step 3 Put your branch in your vase and arrange it how you’d like it displayed. Add your pebbles all around the branch so that they hold it in place.

Step 4 Write instructions on your blackboard heart (or print them out) and attach to the vase. If you’re going with the photo frame option it would look nice to wrap lace or ribbon around the base of the vase to make it look a little more decorative.

Step 5 Leave swing tags with string attached and a pen next to the vase for guests to write messages. I decorated the back of the tags with glitter heart stickers but you could also use Polaroid photos or coloured paper.