I was researching modern Chinese weddings and came across this post by a wedding planner in Malaysia. The moment I laid my eyes on this huge double happiness symbol, I knew I had to have one at our Chinese wedding.
Click here for the full story about my 8-foot double happiness symbol. This post will get straight to the point of how to DIY this ๐.
Step One: Secure the material
When considering the material, we thought about a lot of different ways we could have gone about this, but thisย Foam Board Insulationย turned out to be the most cost effective way to get a piece of board this big (4 ft. x 8 ft.).
Side note: Can we just take a moment to appreciate that this insulation with the panther printed on one side is likely in MILLIONS of homes? Why is there a panther on the insulation you ask? There’s absolutely no reason and I’m living for these “just because” designs. ๐
One thing to keep in mind is that this board won’t just fit in an average size sedan, so… unless you have access to a truck or SUV, this project will be very very hard for you to secure the material, and to bring to your wedding venue. So, something to think about before you jump in!
Step Two: Draw out where you’re going to cut
Here’s some pics the process of planning, measuring & drawing of the ๅ character. Sorry if my scribbles of measurements don’t really make sense, but I swear there’s some method to this madness!
There were definitely some times when I thought we drew it out incorrectly, but in the end it turned out okay! We used a piece of wood as a ruler, and a sharpie in this process. I marked the parts we’re supposed to cut out with a “X” which ended up being helpful IMO.
Step Three: Make the cut
As you can see in the picture, this project became quite the family affair.
We ended up using a hand sawย to cut. We all took turns to see who could get the cleaner edge. I did pretty poorly. My dad (the one holding the saw) won because he has the patience of a saint and more of a perfectionist than I am, if you can imagine. ๐
Step Four: Admire your art
Step Five: Paint
We used Kelly Moore’s Red Valentine as the color of choice. We used ~2 quarts of paint since we had to paint twice to cover up the dark Panther illustration (lol) on the other side of this foam board.
My dad looked so happy with the result of ourย handywork.
Hi Shelly! Beautiful wedding you had, congrats on your nuptials! I am so inspired by your post! I want to make the double happiness sign as a surprise for my sister’s wedding but I’m having some trouble understanding the measurements. Why are there 2 numbers with an arrow in-between? Are the first numbers in inches? I can’t wait to show you the final result if you’re interested! Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Christy! That’s so awesome that you’ll make this sign as a surprise for your sister!
It’s been a while, but first, I did the math for where I needed to draw the next mark on the measuring tape.
So…
The first number = how long each line needed to be.
The 2nd number after the arrow = the measurement on the measuring tape from 0.
5.25″ ->> 12.75″ actually means:
5.25″ (length of the line 1)
7.5″ (length of line 2) + (5.25″ length of line 1) ->> 12.75″ (measurement on the measuring tape).
5.25″ ->> 18″ actually means:
5.25″ (length of line 3) + (12.75″ previous number) ->> 18″ (the next mark on the measuring tape).
7.5″ + ->> 25.5″ actually means:
7.5″ (length of line 4) + (18″ previous number) ->> 25.5″ (the next mark on the measuring tape).
Hope that makes sense! Let me know if you have more questions.
If you end up uploading to Instagram, be sure to tag me @shellyinreallife! ๐ I would love to see it!