diy project .:. vintage cake stands

Wedding plans have been keeping me very busy lately, but I love the little details that go into planning the event. I love dessert and thought that having individual and ornate desserts served on each guest table could create a beautiful and unique center piece. I was immediately drawn to the classic antique milk glass cake stands as they are simple, elegant, and fit our vintage theme. While these pieces are stunning, they are a bit pricey, so I decided to get creative and make my own custom cake stands for the guest tables at our wedding reception.

During one of my intense online wedding research sessions I found an interesting post on one of my favorite blogs, Design Sponge, about adaptive reuse of plates and china (please see my previous post on the marvelous Sarah Cihat and her inspirational and funky dishware adaptations). Design Sponge even highlighted a DIY project creating Sarah Cihat-inspired cake stands that I was instantly drawn to. Of course, I didn't want to paint bugs on my wedding centerpieces, so I went a more elegant route and have been collecting antique china plates and crystal stemware from various antique shops over the last few months in the hopes of adding some creative glamor to my wedding reception.

This last weekend, my sister and I went at the first 30 stands, using Epoxy to secure the crystal stemware to the bases of each plate. We used varying heights, shapes, and colors to add visual interest and rhythm. I love the outcome and can't wait to see them at our wedding. I'm thinking some soft loose blooms and LED lights would look stunning clustered around the bases of these stands.

Enjoy!

I adore milk glass and these pieces are absolutely stunning. These stands were my original inspiration for my guest table decor.

My sister and I collected mismatched china plates, crystal stemware, and candlesticks like those pictured above over the course of a few months (and many visits to the Antique Emporium in Eau Claire, WI). Once they were cleaned and sparkling, we organized them so that each plate was paired with the perfect base, offering variety of height, color, and design.

Phase two was all about the smelly Epoxy... we glued the 30 plates and bases together within a couple of hours and then secured them with painters tape and set them out to dry for the night. I wasn't sure that the Epoxy would hold the delicate crystal to the china, but that stuff is amazing!!

The finished product is surprisingly durable (and pretty cute)!