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Second Line Wedding Umbrellas

Second Line Wedding Umbrellas

Occasions Weddingsby Comfortably.Nerdy

I grew up in New Orleans and the only thing from that I absolutely had to have at my wedding was a Second Line. A Second Line is a New Orleans tradition. The first line is the brass band parading down the street, originally for a jazz funeral but now just because it’s Tuesday. I made second line wedding umbrellas for our guests to enjoy as we celebrated our marriage with a second line!

The people following the band were called the second line and they would dance to the music waving handkerchiefs in the air and twirling umbrellas. This tradition evolved into more dancing and highly decorated umbrellas. It also merged with wedding traditions of the area.

A bunch of umbrellas ready to be embelisshed

So I got a hold of 50 white umbrellas about 2 feet in diameter from Craigslist. They were left over from another wedding in Seattle and were purchased to act as rain shields for guests as they went to and from their cars. It didn’t rain, so they were brand new and never used.

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I used fabrics, lace, trim, ribbon, beads, and spray paint to decorate each umbrella, adding feathers and sequins as needed.  Most things were attached with hot glue, but some parts were hand stitched in place.

Gathering materials to embellish the umbrellas

No two umbrellas are the same, though I did make sure to have enough of the white/off-white ones for the wedding party.  I made one specifically for my mother and another to match my mother-in-law’s dress.  The rest were laid out on a table for anyone to grab to participate.

Magnolia inspired umbrella
Feather and lace umbrella
Matron of Honor umbrellla
My Matron of Honor selected this umbrella
Fluffy feather topped umbrella
This was my favorite
Lace and feathers umbrella
Lace trimmed umbrella
Yellow and purple umbrella
Flowered umbrella with black fringe
This was the one for my mother. I painted the blue roses with watered down purple acrylic paint, in multiple layers.
Black lace umbrella
Blue and black lace umbrella
This was made to match my Mother In Law’s dress
Green and turquoise umbrella
This one took the longest to make, the sequins were hand stitched on, one at a time. And for a while the umbrella wasn’t speaking to me, so it sat while I contemplated what more it needed. Answer: More gold bead strings and a flashy topper.
Turquoise and white umbrella
Of the colorful ones, I think this was my favorite.
Purple umbrella with black fringe
Maybe THIS was my favorite colorful one!
Lime green and yellow umbrella
Purple with black lace and feather umbrella
The bride and part of her wedding party with their umbrelllas
Bride and friends with their second line umbrellas
Second line marching!
Second line dancing
Umbrellas take to the outside
Children enjoying the umbrellas outdoors
Umbrella parade
Umbrella with a large black feather plume
Feathers blowing in the breeze on this umbrella

Check out all of the wedding projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy.


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