Quick! Wedding Arch / Pergola Plans!???

[Brian Kent]

Oh my gosh, I'm going to be a Father-in-Law!

My son just told me the great news that he is getting married. Since my daughter is about to move to Cairo for 2 years, they moved the wedding up so she could be there.

October 22.

Finish the outdoor dining table. Get rid of weeds. Trim the trees over the path. Fill in gopher holes. Sweep everything. Build a Wedding Arch / Pergola. (I might be off the hook if the father of the bride wants to make the wedding arch.)

I had planned to build an elaborate wide pergola with arch in the middle - white oak - fine joinery. Now i am looking for something to nail together, paint white, and cover with flowers.

It will be at the end of this oval lawn with the seating towards the house:

Any recommendations of plans for a quickly made pergola / wedding arch in case I am the one who builds it?

[ray hampton]

congrats on your son wedding and the daughter move to Cairo, is this Cairo in Egypt or the fine state of Kentucky/Illinois ?

[Ted Calver]

I was faced with a similar situation and rather than build, found a very nice arch/pergola at a local rental center. Decorated with fresh flowers, it worked beautifully.

[Sam Layton]

I second the rental... Build the new one later, and get what you want.

Sam

[Brian Kent]

Ray, my daughter is going to Cairo, Egypt for two years. She will be working with a group called "Think and Do", which provides job training for poor Egyptians. They also offer micro loans for bare-bones tools for a new job. http://www.thinkanddo.org/

She has worked with them for a couple of weeks last year. My sister worked in Egypt for 6 years in the '90's and returns with research tours each year. Between my sister's friends and "Think and Do", there are plenty of locals who know how to stay safe. For instance, next time there is a street demonstration in Cairo, check and see what day of the week it is. It will be a Friday. I will escort her for the first 2 weeks, and we will be in really safe places, either in other cities or in an Episcopal monastery on Fridays.

[dennis thompson]

Take a look at Plans Now, they have a couple of plans that might work. I'd agree with the other suggestions that you rent what you need & when the wedding is over ,take your time building the pergola.
Dennis

[Brian Kent]

Renting looks really good. I did not think about that.

[Kevin Stricker]

Another option is a pergola kit. You can buy them with many different patterns for the purlins, which can take a while if building yourself. Check with your local lumber yard, not big box store, and see what they have available.