How to Build a Copper Wedding Arbor

Save money and make your pictures pop by building your own wedding arbor out of copper pipes.

Copper Wedding Arbor 04:46

Charity and Beau build a sleek, modern wedding arbor using copper piping.

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What You'll Need:

3/4" copper piping and fittings
grocery store flowers
chicken wire
greenery
pipe cutter
metal epoxy

protective gloves
shears
hammer
tent stakes
cotton rope

Copper Piping Cut List:

(12) 28” pieces
(8) 2’ pieces
(2) 5’ pieces

(4) elbows
(20) tees
(8) 1-½” pieces

Sketch Design

Sketch out your plan before building. Our measurements are 7-1/2' tall, 5' wide, 2' deep.

Photo by: Clara MacLellan

Clara MacLellan

Cut Copper Piping

Use a pipe cutter to cut piping to size. To do this, tighten the clamp as much as possible and spin. Once you've made a groove, tighten it a bit more, and spin until cut.

Clara MacLellan

Photo By: Clara MacLellan

Assemble Side Pieces

It's easiest to assemble the cut pieces on the floor. Note: Wait to attach crossbars the day of the event at the site, so you can easily transport the side pieces. Apply epoxy with a wooden skewer to attach pipe pieces. Attach a 1-1/2” piece to a three-way tee, followed by another three-way tee. Repeat for the other side. Connect the two sides by attaching a 2’ pipe in between (Image 1). Attach a 28" piece on each side, followed by copper tees on each side (Image 2). Connect those pieces with another 2' piece to create a square (Image 3). Repeat to make three total squares — like a ladder (Image 4). Attach a 1-½” piece on each end for attaching the crossbars later (Image 5). Tip: Mix epoxy in small batches because it sets quickly.

Clara MacLellan

Photo By: Clara MacLellan

Attach Crossbars

Once at the site, attach the top 5' crossbars using 90-degree elbows. You can choose to skip the epoxy so you can adjust the crossbars easier.

Photo by: Clara MacLellan

Clara MacLellan

Secure Arbor

Secure the arbor to the ground by tying cotton rope around the arbor's legs, then around the tent stakes (one per leg). Hammer in.

Add Wire, Greenery and Flowers

On the day of the event, cut and wrap chicken wire around the corners and sides of the arbor while wearing gloves. Start by adding greenery to the chicken wire until lush, then fill with flowers until you reach the desired look.