Frilly Lace Fans You Can Make For Your Wedding Shower

Looking for striking decorative accents to go with a rococo-inspired, vintage-style, or shabby chic bridal shower party? We have just the thing: frilly lace fans! Not only will these capture just the right air of genteel charm and elegant stylishness, they can serve multiple purposes, too. They would be perfect as stunning table centerpieces, as bridal shower mementos, or even as bouquet substitutes for your bridesmaids. And, as elaborate-looking as these lace fans may be, you can actually make them yourself! Don’t believe it? Just follow our assembly procedure below.

What to Use for Making Vintage Lace Fans

All of the materials for this project are readily available at your nearest craft supply store. Just keep in mind your intended number of fans to be sure to purchase the right quantities of the following:

– inexpensive plastic, wooden, sandlewood, or organza fans
– white lace fabric
– white lace edging
– gold spray paint
– jewel embellishments (flat pearls, flat crystals)
– fabric or ribbon rosette (1 per fan)
– satin ribbon (in colors matching your motif)
– fabric scissors
– glue gun or glue dots
– craft wire

Project Steps

1. Remove the fabric from the store-bought fans, leaving the spines bare. Set aside one of the removed fabric pieces to be used later.

2. Spray the bare spines and handles of the fans with the gold paint.

3. Using the fabric removed from one fan as a pattern, cut the lace fabric into the needed shape.

4. Take one of the bare, spray-painted fans and lay it flat on the working surface. Spread the spines apart, making sure they are equidistant from each other.

5. Apply glue along each spine one at a time, then press the lace fabric in place. Proceed with the rest of the spines until the fabric spans the entire fan.

6. For a finished look, glue a strip of lace edging along the top edge of the fan and where the lace fabric meets the fan handle.

7. Embellish the base of each spine by gluing on flat pearls and crystals.

8. Attach a fabric or ribbon rosette to the handle with satin ribbons for a final flourish. Hint: You can also use an organza ribbon formed into a flower.

Lace Fans as Vintage Centerpieces for a Wedding:

If you intend to use these fans as table centerpieces, bend craft wire into three J-shaped “feet” to serve as a stand for each one. Then, position the finished fans on equally lovely bases. Here, we’ve used mirrored circles trimmed with pearls and crystals. Hint: Add some tea lights to the scene for an elegant and romantic accent. And for additional ideas on applying them as decor accents, you may want to read Elegant Décor for a Marie Antoinette Themed Bridal Shower.

Using Lace Fans as Alternative Bridesmaids’ Bouquets:

After the bridal shower party, have your bridesmaids take home their fans to be used at the wedding itself. See Oh, The Lovely Ways to Use Lace.

Optional: Before the ceremony, replace the store-bought rosette on each fan with a sweet nosegay of fresh flowers. Attach the blooms to the fan handle with ribbons in your wedding color palette, the ends swirling gracefully as the bridesmaids walk down the aisle. Incorporate an elegant rosary as a unique heirloom to the bouquet.