Looking for wedding gift wrap ideas for a shower or the big day? Our Historian Samantha B. dug up some amazing vintage The Art of Gift Wrapping books with some—let’s just say very involved—ideas using wrap and ribbons. To update the looks and techniques, we handed the books over to our designers along with a pile of wrap from Hallmark’s new Classic Luxury collection. No surprise: They came up with some elegant ways to turn ribbons, attachments, and ordinary wrap into show-stoppers.
Check the video links throughout for helpful how-tos.
Hallmark’s style collections make it easy to fancy up gifts no matter what your skill or patience level—everything coordinates beautifully.
Sure—professionals can cut straight lines without help. But the wrap in our premium collections features a cutting grid on the back so you don’t end up with wonky edges.
We learned the basket weave technique—mixing and weaving different colors and sizes of ribbon—from the vintage idea book by Hallmark Gift Wrap Expert “Kaye King” (a “pen name”).
Basket weave gift wrap instructions
- Wind three ribbons around the length of the box.
- Fasten ends on the bottom.
- Weave three ribbons between the stationary ones.
- Secure on the bottom.
- To incorporate the ring as shown above, place it over the first layer of ribbon, and weave the second layer through it.
Bonus: Wedding gift wrap like this won’t get squished on the gift table.
Coordinated-but-not-matchy wedding gift wrap ideas are great when you’re giving a few smaller gifts. Want help making a gift tower that won’t tumble? We got you.
Making a perfect bow out of wide ribbon isn’t hard—but it helps to know the secrets. See how to tie a simple bow here, and a fancy one here.
If you’ve got a big, bold pattern and some extra wrap, cut a few designs out and stick them on with mounting tape. (We got this idea from some old-school 3D decoupage.)
And sometimes you TRY ALL THE THINGS: #scallopededges #fringe #metallics #geometricshapes #blingity
Big shiny gems? Yes. YES say we to the big shiny gems.
“Kaye King” shows us how to make this tailored bow in a retro “The Art of Gift Wrapping” video. (Skip to 3:45 for directions.) She uses Hall Sheen, a shiny innovation that stuck to itself when moistened. Since that product isn’t around anymore, we made do with a wide, striped ribbon. It’s still super easy, though:
Tailored bow directions
- Cut a piece of ribbon a tiny bit more than twice the length of the bow you want.
- Make a loop, and attach the ends with double-stick tape or hot-glue. Flatten the loop with the fastened-together part at the bottom.
- Repeat, making a slightly smaller loop, and place it on top of the first one—attach it to the center with tape or glue.
- Keep going until you’re happy with the number of loops.
- To finish, you can add a small loop in the center, glue on an attachment (like a big shiny gem), or wrap a piece of ribbon around the middle and fasten it at the back to hold it all together.
Inspired? Now’s the time to stock up. The wrap we used in our workshop in on sale—buy one, get one half-off— through June 30.
We’d love to see your wedding gift wrap ideas. Share them with us on @think.make.share or post on Facebook.