Wedding Cross DIY
2 Materials
$400
2 Days
Easy
I was so excited when my niece asked me to make her a wedding cross last year. This is a fun and easy project. Make one for your church or your yard. Or maybe you have a wedding on the horizon in your family. A beautiful gift for the bride and groom.
Choose your lumber. I decided to use western red cedar because my niece wanted to eventually put the wedding cross in her yard. You will need to special order this lumber or shop at a local builder's supply store.
However, you could choose a cheaper lumber like pine, which would probably cut the cost in half.
I used my handheld circular saw to make a lap joint. This is where the two parts of the cross (horizontal beam and vertical beam) will connect. Adjust the saw so the blade only cuts 2 inches deep. The beams are both 4 inch by 6 inch.
Here is one finished notch. After sawing, clean out the notch with a wood chisel. Create another notch for the other part of the cross. Notch doesn't have to be super smooth.
Drill 2 -- 1/2 inch diameter holes, after you've fitted the horizontal and vertical beams together. Two 1/2 lag bolts (5 inches long) will go in these holes. DON'T glue this joint. The bolts help with disassembly and assembly.
I used an angle grinder to add texture to the cross. This step is optional, but I wanted my cross to have the rugged / distressed look. This part probably takes the most time. And don't forget to wear a dust mask and safety glasses.
I wanted my cross to be darker and a uniform color, so I added a couple coats of dark Danish Oil.
The stand is also made out of western cedar. I used my miter to cut the boards and wood screws to assemble. The base is approximately 3 feet in diameter. For the round section, you can use plywood. Check out the blog post and plans to get more details on the base. If you have an outside wedding, a base might not be necessary.
Here is the finished cross after we had it set up in the church. The floral arrangement really made it pop, and I received a ton of compliments. This cross was 10 feet tall. So, you want to make sure the cross fits the wedding ceremony room. No problem -- we had very tall ceilings.
I also recommend that two people set the cross up. Cedar isn't super heavy, but two more set of hands works best.
And here is the bride and groom. Congratulations to both of them! God bless!
Want to get the full set of plans? Check out the link below:
Also, don't forget to check out the blog post link and YouTube video.
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The YT video will give you a good overview of how I made the cross.
Thanks for watching!!
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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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