So grab your paint and paintbrush, and let's learn how to make a beautiful, Instagram-worthy cocktails bar banner with tropical-inspired colors. Combining your imagination with CraftCuts' wide selection of sizes, fonts, and materials will help you create an eye-catching and unforgettable banner for your beach wedding. Keep reading beyond the tutorial, too, as we also share what you need to style your wedding bar for the ultimate celebration drink destination.
How to Make Your Own Wedding Cocktails Banner
Difficulty Level: Easy
PROJECT MATERIALS
• 9 banner panel shapes (in Baltic Birch Plywood, sized at 4 inches, with 1/8 thickness)
• Uppercase vinyl COCKTAILS lettering (in Aloma Island font, color White, sized at 2 inches in height)
• Bright teal mint acrylic craft paint
• Paper plate/cardboard or paint palette
• Foam paintbrush
• Scissors
• Masking tape
• 6 foot long silk satin ribbon (We recommend at least 1" wide for perfect non-sliding proportions to the banner holes!)
• Command Strip hooks (if needed)
Editor’s Note: All custom vinyl from CraftCuts automatically includes transfer tape for perfect application to your cocktails banner. Just peel and stick! No fuss, no weeding, no last minute craft store visits. This is the literally the easiest kind of DIY ever, especially if you don't have the time or space to use a Cricut or electronic cutting machine at home. It's not needed when you can get this ready-made vinyl delivered right to your doorstep!
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Set out all of your materials and place newspaper or another kind of protective cover on your table to preserve your painting surface.
2. Since your wooden banner shapes arrive paint-ready, there is no additional prep (such as sanding) needed for painting. Shake your paint bottle well before using, and squeeze out onto your paint palette of choice. You will need to paint a few layers for full coverage, so allow each layer to dry before adding another.
PAINTING TIP: To get a clean, smooth finish, paint in long strokes with a wide brush. You can spot paint, but long strokes will help create a consistent flawless finished product.
3. While your banner panels are drying, separate each letter by cutting each out with scissors. You’ll only be putting one letter on each panel, so it makes it easier to have them all individually ready for application!
4. Once banner panels are completely dry, peel your vinyl letters off of their carrier sheets so that your vinyl is “stuck” on the transfer tape. Apply each of the COCKTAILS letters to each panel. Rub the transfer tape to help each letter adhere to the banner panel.
5. Measure how long your bar will be, so you know how much ribbon to use for your banner. If you don’t have access to the bar being used on your wedding day, contact your specialty rentals vendor or your venue and ask if they could measure the bar for you.
6. Cut your ribbon to make sure you have extra ribbon on each side with enough to hang. (If using the 6 foot long ribbon as we have, you should have about 20 inches hanging on each side.) Using a small piece of masking tape, wrap the tape around the end of your ribbon to help thread through the small banner holes. Weave your ribbon through the backs of your banner panels for a clean styled look.
7. On the wedding day, you can hang the banner however your venue or rental vendor will allow! Some bars already have metal hooks installed, but if not, grab some clear Command Strip hooks to hang. Cheers!
What You Need to Decorate the Perfect Wedding Cocktail Bar
A wedding cocktail bar is a fun bev station to make sure that your guests will stay hydrated and want of nothing when it comes to thirst. With the right glassware, garnishes, drinks, and decorations, you can create the perfect cocktail bar that will make your libations one to remember. Whether you want to create something classic, fun and cheeky, or something totally unique, gather these decor essentials for styling the perfect drink destination on the big day... along with your newly made banner!
SIGNAGE: Let your guests know that they have options, especially when it comes to the non-alcoholic drinks available. A wedding drinks menu sign can help communicate that everyone can join in the fun no matter what's in their glass. It can also share the story behind your signature cocktail if you have one. A lot of brides and grooms name their wedding drinks after their beloved pets, their hometown favorites, and couples' favorite vacation memories. It also makes for some great photos to help you remember what your signature cocktail was like!
DRINK STIRRERS: Personalize your bar with cute drink stirrers to put into your signature cocktails. You have oodles of wedding drink stirrer options from makers on Etsy or you can even DIY your own with our past sola flower drink sticks tutorial!
PERSONALIZED COCKTAIL NAPKINS: Color-themed napkins at the bar are always a classic, but if your budget allows, consider getting some custom wedding cocktail napkins with your wedding date, fun phrase, your pet's face, wedding hashtag, or anything else that complements your wedding theme!
FLORALS: A vase of your wedding flowers always makes a nice touch to let guests know the station is part of the big day, particularly when it might be further located from where everyone is seated. Ask your florist to use a small short sturdy vessel just in case foot traffic is heavy to the bar.
CraftCuts has become one of our favorite go-tos for DIY wedding ideas because they just make everything easy. Whether you're a crafty guru or just a beginner in crafting, their website gives you a plethora of big and small ideas for your wedding projects. We literally mean big and small because you can get materials that are tabletop ready or giant standalone size!
SPECIAL CRAFTCUTS PROMO CODE FOR TIDEWATER AND TULLE READERS
Because our CraftCuts pals are awesome, they are giving an exclusive code to our readers to use for their own wedding DIYs! For a limited time, use promo code TIDEWATER10 for 10% off your entire order. The code expires March 31, 2023, so be sure to get your craft on before then!
See All of our CraftCuts Wedding DIY Projects
• DIY Pearlescent Wedding Table Numbers
• 3 Easy DIY Ways to Make Arch Table Numbers
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VENDOR CREDITS
Photography: Kia and Co. for Tidewater and Tulle | Banner Panel Wood Shapes & Vinyl Lettering: CraftCuts | Craft Paint: DecoArt
Many thanks to CraftCuts for partnering with Tidewater and Tulle for this DIY tutorial feature! And while the disclaimer is that we were compensated to write and design this, the words and our loyal love for the CraftCuts brand are all our own. Some of the above product links are affiliate-linked and purchasing through these links helps support our wonderful sponsors and Tidewater and Tulle! You can find our full affiliate disclosure policy here on Tidewater and Tulle.
