November Wedding Garden Arbor #3

I'm actually writing this at the end of January, 2010, but thought I would put this entry where it belongs, in November of 2009...  Sorry folks - have been busy, but will try and catch up a bit.

The Garden Arbor was a success!  You would think something so simple to make would have taken less time, but I barely had it done in time for the wedding.  There was a lot of prep-work (pre-painting things, and even selecting materials and paint that wouldn't look shabby too quickly) but even assembly took some time.

The treated wood that it is made from took a long time to dry - it was still damp-ish to the touch, 2 weeks after buying it.  We finally brought it into the living room to bake in front of a roaring fire as time was getting short.

The only major change to the design was not cutting out side "windows" in the lattice - I couldn't figure out a way to cut the vinyl lattice without it shattering somewhat - actually wasted a sheet attempting to cut good windows with a variety of hand and motorized tools.  After the wedding, I discovered that regular straight tin snips / shears make great cuts in the stuff - who would ha' thunk it.  I think it was the only tool I didn't try beforehand.  Circular Saws threw chunks, Jigsaws melted it rather than cut it, Hacksaws also melted it, Straight-cut router bits either melted it or threw chunks, depending on bit diameter... 

Oh, another change was that the side flower boxes weren't used in the ceremony - built, just not used.  The vine artificial flowers were used as shown and looked great though. 

My ability to cut out wooden hearts was sorely tested - we ended up buying those from a local retail outlet of Craft Warehouse.  The trim colors of Blue and Green for the hearts were a nice find.  The local ACE mixes small sample-size containers to try a color out - and at $4 each there was plenty left over.  I'm very glad I didn't have to buy a quart of each!

Treated and "Marine Grade" wood was used throughout so it should last a good many years!

Congratulations Jeremy and Natalia!