• About
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • Crafts
    • Disney
    • Kids
    • Sewing
  • Holidays
    • New Year
    • Valentine’s
    • St Patrick’s
    • Easter
    • Mother’s and Father’s Day
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Cricut
  • DIY
    • Cleaning
    • Organization
    • Projects
    • Scroll Saw
  • Downloads
    • Printables
    • SVGs
  • Recipes
  • Life
    • Family
    • Fashion & Beauty

Crafting in the Rain

Large Marquee Letters for a Wedding

Projects

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.

13 Jul 2015
  • Share
  • Tweet

{DIY Marquee letters from plywood} 


We did a lot of prep work for my sister’s wedding last month, and this DIY project was the star of the show. My husband and I made these XOXO marquee letters out of plywood and they ended up being the perfect backdrop for dancing and lots of pictures.


You can make your own marquee letters too!

Supplies

some links may be affiliate
3/4 inch plywood
Large printed letters 
Jigsaw
Drill bit to match the size of housing of the light bulbs
 Globe String Lights (one strand per letter is most convenient)
Hot glue gun
Paint and brush
Sand paper

Step 1: Trace letters onto plywood and cut with jigsaw.



Step 2: Sand edges to remove any rough spots.



Step 3: Mark location of holes (for the O, we actually folded the paper O in quarters, then 3rds, and the 12 holes went around like the numbers on a clock.)


Step 4: Drill holes and sand away any tear out.


Step 5: Paint in desired color. Ours are a light pink from Behr called Cupcake Pink, and I did two coats. Let dry.



Step 6: Remove all the bulbs from a strand of lights and use hot glue to secure one socket into each hole from the back side. Make sure that the strands are lined up the right way so that one end can plug in to the one next to it.



Step 7: Only add the bulbs back in when the letters are on location and ready to be plugged in. You don’t want to try to transport these with the bulbs installed! 



Then plug them in and let the praise begin!


What event do you want to make your own marquee letters for? Let me know if you have questions and I’ll help you out!


 

Image Map

Related Posts:

  • Love Letters Scroll Saw Sign
  • Make a Spiral Betty with a Wedding Picture

17 Comments

« Magical Vacation Giveaway
Cricut Design Ideas »

Comments

  1. Elise Davis says

    July 13, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    You and Steve never cease to amaze me; you make these projects look so easy! I am so so so lucky to have you two in my corner. Thank you!!!! xoxo 🙂

    Reply
  2. Beth Ann says

    July 13, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    This is adorable! I love it!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    July 13, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    So super cute!!! They were really perfect for those pictures!

    Reply
  4. Falon says

    July 14, 2015 at 11:09 am

    These are awesome and I am tempted to make some just to hang in my house! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Vonda Callis says

    July 14, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Omg ! This awesome! I'm gonna try it! Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Audra @ Renewed Projects says

    July 14, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    Wow! These look amazing!

    Reply
  7. Amanda Kolb says

    July 14, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    Wow these turned out great! I never realized how easy making marquee letters could be! Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!

    Reply
  8. Alyson Cornman Photography says

    July 15, 2015 at 6:22 am

    SO CUTE!

    Reply
  9. Claire says

    July 15, 2015 at 1:00 pm

    These look great, thanks for showing how you made them

    Reply
  10. Nikki Frank-Hamilton says

    July 15, 2015 at 5:07 pm

    I am so pinning this! I love it. And your sister is so lucky to have you to help decorate, it's gorgeous. I am sure that your XOXO was a great hit and made the photos really special. Great job.

    Reply
  11. Jenna Brussee says

    July 16, 2015 at 4:07 am

    I love how easy and inexpensive this is! I've been doing a lot of DIY's for my wedding in November, and this might be another project I need to add to the list. I saw some of these letters in Michael's the other day, but they were like $20 each! This doesn't look too hard, and it would save SO much money. Thanks for sharing your tutorial with the Wednesday Showcase!

    Reply
  12. Christine Graves says

    July 16, 2015 at 5:19 am

    Those look great, you guys did a great job! And to see them again after the wedding, will evoke such a great romantic moment.

    XO,
    Christine

    Reply
  13. Ash and Crafts says

    July 19, 2015 at 9:04 am

    It looks amazing! Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday link party. I've chosen your post as one of my featured picks for this week's link party. Come by to pick up a "I was featured" button! The party goes live at 6PM PST. I hope you'll link up with us again this week. Sharing your post on Twitter and Pinterest!

    Reply
  14. Have a Daily says

    July 21, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    Such a cute idea, love it! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    Reply
  15. elaine @cookinandcraftin.com says

    July 22, 2015 at 3:54 am

    My daughter is getting married next May and I love this!! Going to have to try it!! I am Featuring tomorrow on my link up!! Thanks for linking up on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! I loved having you!! Hope you can join us again tomorrow!! Pinned to My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday Pinterest page!! 🙂

    Reply
  16. Angela Neese Rathbun says

    July 23, 2015 at 4:31 am

    These are great – and so much better than trying to use the giant cardboard letters into a marquee sign for a wedding {trust me – I've been there and lets just say the weight of the lights don't mix well with cardboard as the night goes on}! These are gorgeous, and I'm featuring them this week at The Creative Circle! Thanks for linking up with us, and I hope that you'll party with us again this week so that we can see what else you've been up to!
    -Angela, Blue i Style

    Reply
  17. Carol TheAnswerIsChocolate says

    July 23, 2015 at 11:51 am

    These are brilliant! Featuring when my link party opens up tonight.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, I'm Stephanie - Welcome to Crafting in the Rain where I've been blogging about the crafty life since 2011. Read More…

Archives

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclosure
  • Index
  • Privacy Policy

Stephanie Paxman is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Copyright © 2011-2023 Crafting in the Rain