How to Make a DIY Wedding Hanger: 12 Ideas

Preparing for your wedding takes time and effort. There are many tiny details that you might forget about until the last minute — like your wedding hanger. It’s a small thing that brides often don’t consider until their big day arrives. Whether you have plenty of time on your hands or hardly any at all, this guide will show you how to make a DIY wedding hanger that matches your theme and personality.

What Is a Wedding Hanger?

Wedding hangers are like traditional clothes hangers you likely have in your closet. Instead of consisting of wire or plastic, they’re usually decorative. Brides can use them in various ways, so how they look is very important. You’ll miss out if your hanger is one of a multi-pack from a home goods store.

How Do You Make a Wedding Hanger?

There are so many ways to make a DIY wedding hanger. It depends on how much time you have and how much room remains in your budget. Think about your style preferences. Your hanger will appear in your wedding photos, so it should match your personality and become something that makes you smile while reflecting on photos with your future spouse.

DIY Wedding Hanger Ideas

Not sure where to start? Check out a few of these unique wedding hanger ideas to jumpstart your creativity.

1. White Satin Ribbon

You can’t go wrong with adding more white to your wedding day. Find a satin ribbon and wrap it around whatever hanger you prefer. A dab of glue will hold it in place, while the satin adds an elegant sheen to the room you’ll use to get ready with your bridal party.

2. White Pearls

Pearls are another lovely wedding motif that brides often wear as earrings or necklaces. You could transform your hanger using a hot glue gun to cover it in shimmering pearls.

Just ensure that you know how to use the gun. The temperature will change how things stick to your hanger, depending on what kind of material it is. Hot glue is better for wood, while glue too hot to touch will warp plastic or metal.

3. Gold or Silver Sparkles

Your final bridal look should make you feel more confident than you’ve ever been before. Every woman has to deal with different beauty standards no matter where she lives, so forget what anyone says and embrace the design elements you love most.

Many brides love adding sparkles to their big day. Cover your hanger in glue and dip it in gold or silver sparkles so it matches the metallic elements in your wedding decor. You’ll also gain a bit of sparkle in any photos of where your dress hangs while you get ready.

4. Hand Painted Names or Roles

White paint pens are all you need to write your name on your wedding hanger. It just needs to be wide enough to show off your cursive or any other handwriting form you desire. If you don’t want your name on it, you could paint the word “bride” and give everyone else hangers with their bridal party roles too.

5. Engraved Wooden Names and Dates

Figuring out your wedding budget is a big deal. A wedding planner alone can cost up to $10,000, so wisely using your decor money is crucial. Dedicating a small portion to engraving your bridal hanger could be one of the best things you do. All you need is an engraving kit with a pen tip that works with your hanger’s size.

6. Names in Wire

Grab a pair of pliers and a thin piece of wire. You can bend it into the shape of your name by forming every letter in cursive. Attach each end to your hanger with hot glue or by twisting it over the hanger’s arms. Your name will balance above the neckline of your dress and be picture-perfect in just a few minutes.

7. Padded Velvet Arms

Old-fashioned hangers are great for weddings with a vintage vibe. Find cushioning at a local craft store and a fabric you prefer, like white velvet. The cushioning will glue into place and the velvet will wrap around it once the glue dries. 

8. Hooked Bedecked With Ornaments

Maybe you found a collection of hangers for your bridal party and you don’t want to alter them. You can still make them fun by hanging ornaments at the base of each hook. They could celebrate your seasonal Christmas wedding or function as charms. Another bonus — the decorations will quickly become beloved bridesmaids gifts that everyone can take home after your reception ends.

9. Vine-Wrapped Arms

If you can’t get enough of floral arrangements and greenery, wrap your wedding hanger in a small faux vine. You can easily remove it as needed but still have your hanger match your decorating theme or venue.

10. Hooks With Bows

Minimalist brides will love decorating their hangers with a classic bow. It can match your wedding color scheme or remain as white as your dress. Tie a quick bow to the base of each hanger hook and they’ll be ready to go for pictures or just to create a celebratory atmosphere.

Ways to Use Your Hanger

No matter how you design your bridal hanger, you can show it off in a few clever ways. Think about coordinating these ideas with whoever’s supporting you on your big day.

Pose Your Gown

You’ve likely spent plenty of time looking at wedding gowns online. Pinned pictures and virtual photo albums almost always have a picture of a dress displayed on a hanger in a gorgeous place.

Talk with your photographer about posing your gown somewhere around your venue. They could hang it from the front door of the historic building or on a balcony with a romantic view. You’ll want to memorialize every detail of your dream dress, so creating a hanger for this particular type of photo is a great way to do that.

Save Your Dress

You’ll have so much to do after your wedding. Even if you don’t immediately ride off into the sunset with your partner to experience your honeymoon, you’ll have gifts to sort through and thank you cards to write. After your life settles down, use your wedding hanger to save your dress and prevent wrinkles. It will remain pristine until you can schedule a drycleaning appointment and get it boxed up for long-term storage.

Create a Shadow Box

There are many things you could save in a wedding shadow box. Place a few of your bouquet flowers in along with your wedding invitation a copy of your vows. If the container is big enough, you could also save your wedding hanger. They even look lovely in a shadow box with trinkets and pictures specifically from the hours you spent getting ready for your ceremony. 

Try a DIY Wedding Hanger Today

Anyone can use this guide to learn how to make a DIY wedding hanger, so think about which designs make your heart skip a beat. You’ll know you’ve found the right look for your hanger when you can’t wait to see it in your dressing room and wedding photos.