Today Show Wedding 2008 - Origami Cranes

By the end of the show's run, the field of entrants get whittled down to one happy bride and groom - and they get the wedding of a lifetime!

In 2008, the winners were LaDonna and Darnell. Their dream wedding was scheduled for June 25, 2008. This couple celebrated their wedding with a Japanese theme. The entire set is decorated with my red origami cranes, meticulously folded and hand strung on silver threads! There were six cranes on each string, each one sitting on a silver rosebud bead to hold it in place.

This was a very long process from start to finish! First, there is the folding of the cranes, which takes quite a while to do properly. Next, the cranes all had to be sprayed with a gloss finish to help them survive an overnight in the "open". This required multiple passes and coats, with drying and movement in between so that the cranes did not stick to the surface or each other.

Next, my boyfriend created a rigging out of wood, with dowels and needles, so that every crane was precisely spaced from each other, down to the tiniest fraction of an inch. By putting one bead on a needle, he could guarantee that the next bead in line was the exact space away that was necessary. We wanted this to be the ultimate of perfection for LaDonna and Darnell! Finally, we strung the strings on dowels so that they would not squash until we hand delivered them to New York City. We wanted to make sure - after all this care we put into creating them - that the cranes arrived perfectly intact.

The set was created the day before the wedding, so the cranes were exposed to the elements, dew and humidity without any protection. This is part of why we had to take such care in making the setup very sturdy. Once the cranes had been set up, there was even a rain shower at one point!! Luckily, the cranes held up very well thanks to that coating.

Here are some of the preliminary photos - better ones to come shortly once I get the transfers done from my recorder!!

The guests begin to walk down the aisle. This image is taken from the front of the wedding area, looking towards the back. You can see the strings of red cranes in the back structure. The very back panel has four "windows". Each window has three vertical strings of cranes, with six red cranes each.

This view is from the back of the wedding area, looking towards the front altar. Those pink lanterns are just beautiful. The set crew did an awesome job here.

The bride straightens out her dress as they prepare for the ceremony to begin. There are strings of red cranes in the three panels right behind the couples' heads, as well as in the curved arches of the bridge itself. A bridge is a traditional symbol in weddings, symbolizing the joining of the old single life with the new future together as a couple. The bridge also symbolizes the two families, and two individuals, uniting into one.

The couple has their first kiss and embrace as man and wife! The cranes were on thick double stranded silver thread to hold up to the elements. The bridge had metal eyes screwed into it, that the string tied onto.

A triumphant celebration of their love! The couple prepare to begin their new life togather. They are about to jump over a broom, which is an African American tradition in weddings. It symbolizes sweeping clean with the old life, and starting the new life together as a fresh, new start.

The today Show crew did an AWESOME job designing this set! I love the lanterns, they are so lovely. The cranes were incorporated as the struts for the main arched bridge as well as integral components of the back and front of the decor.

Tradition of 1,000 Cranes at a Wedding
Official Today Show website for their 2008 Wedding

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