Cranes have been a symbol of happiness and good fortune for centuries in Japanese culture and their minimal but elegant design make them perfect for decorating a wedding.
One of their uses can be for table name holders, that double up as a small gift the guest can take home at the end of the day. You can order these cranes made from our yuzen washi paper here or make your own following our tutorial.
All you need to make them is paper, glue and scissors!
To start off, make a traditional origami crane (watch our tutorial here on how to make one) using 10x10cm square paper. Fold one wing to the side, keeping in mind that this will be the front of the crane.
Now you need to make the feathers. How many feathers and their sizes can be changed to your liking, I've used 10 feathers for the cranes shown. That's split into 5 large feathers around the same length of the wings, then 2 medium and 3 small sized ones.
Gently cut out small lines along the edge of the feathers to give them a more realistic look.
For the first layer, glue the 3 large feathers and 1 of the medium feathers to the back wing, nestling them in behind the middle section of the crane.
Then glue the last large feather onto the folded wing, wrapping it around the back, then glue the remaining 2 medium sized feathers underneath. Finish off by gluing the 3 small feathers over the first layer.
...and you're finished! You can attach a name tag or sticker onto the front.
A view of the back.