How Much Fabric Do I Need for a Wedding Arch?
If you’re planning on having a wedding arch at your ceremony, you might be wondering how many yards of fabric you need to buy for your wedding arch.
So, how many yards of fabric do you need for a wedding arch? The dimensions of your wedding arch will determine how much fabric you’ll need. However, there are 3 feet in one yard, so you’ll need to measure the height and width of the arch and divide by 3. You should add on another yard to what you think you’ll need so that you will have extra pooled at the base of your arch.
Here are some examples and a helpful guide for measuring your arch.
How to Measure Your Wedding Arch to Determine Fabric Yardage
Using this arch from Amazon as an example, let’s determine how many yards of fabric you would need to cover it with decorative drapery.
This arch is 7 feet tall, 5 feet 4 inches wide, and 2 feet 4 inches deep. Assuming you want the material to go across the top and down both sides, you will need 7′ + 7′ + 5′ 4″ which equals 19′ 4″ total. Then you need to add at least another 3 feet to your total so that you have extra for draping and pooling at the base, which brings your total to 22′ 4″.
To determine how many yards that equals, just round up to 23′ and divide by three. You will need approximately 7 3/4 yards. You might as well round this up to 8 yards to make sure you have plenty of extra to play with draping and pooling at the base.
Fabric comes in varying width, so you’ll need to keep in mind how deep your arch is. For example, this arch is 2′ 4″ deep so depending on the width of your fabric, you may want to get TWO 8 yard pieces and put them together on your arch to make it look more full. You could always start with buying one 8 yard piece and see how it looks on your arch (as long as you’re confident the same fabric will still be in stock if you want to get more).
Best Fabric for Wedding Arch
When it comes to choosing fabric for your wedding arch, you want to pick something that is flowy and lays easily. Anything that’s too stiff will look awkward and not lay right.
This is a great material that doesn’t crease or wrinkle easily. However, you should look for the thinnest satin you can find to help it drape easier.
This fabric is sheer and very lightweight for a soft, yet elegant look. You can get this fabric in a variety of colors and even with a crushed, textured look for added appeal.
This is a material that is very sheer (almost like a fine mesh) that looks elegant and beautiful as a wedding backdrop for arches. It flows very easily and drapes beautifully.
