What you'll make
You build a freestanding copper frame, 7 ft tall and 6 ft wide, from three 10 ft lengths of 3/4 in plumbing pipe, eight fittings and a tube of epoxy, then dress it with faux eucalyptus and a chiffon drape. The parts cost about $216 at Home Depot and Walmart, while renting a copper arch runs around $325, and you keep the frame afterward.
Materials (per item)
| 3/4 in x 10 ft copper pipe, Type M (Cerro) 3 lengths at $48.75 each (cut into 2 x 84 in uprights, 1 x 72 in top bar, 4 x 12 in feet) · Home Depot or Lowe's plumbing aisle | $146.25 |
| 3/4 in copper cup x cup x cup tee 2 singles at $5.74 each · Home Depot plumbing aisle | $11.48 |
| 3/4 in copper 90 degree cup x cup elbow (NIBCO C607) 2 singles at $2.61 each · Home Depot plumbing aisle | $5.22 |
| 3/4 in copper tube cap (Everbilt C617) 4 singles at $1.33 each · Home Depot plumbing aisle | $5.32 |
| J-B Weld Twin Tube two-part epoxy, 2 oz 1 pack · Walmart or any hardware store | $6.54 |
| Faux eucalyptus garland, 6 ft strands 1 pack of 6 (closest listing found was a third-party Walmart seller at $17.75) · Walmart, Michaels or Amazon.com | $17.75 |
| White sheer chiffon drape, 31 in x 20 ft 1 panel (GoXteam listing at Walmart) · Walmart or Amazon.com | $15.99 |
| White 8 in cable ties 1 pack of 100 · Home Depot or Walmart | $7.12 |
| DIY cost each | $215.67 |
Tools
Tubing cutter for 3/4 in copper, Deburring tool or round file, Tape measure, Fine-tip marker, Emery cloth or 120-grit sandpaper, Rubbing alcohol and a rag, Disposable gloves, Wooden skewers and a scrap of cardboard for mixing epoxy, Scissors
Sources
- HGTV, How to Build a Copper Wedding Arch · 2026-10-26
- The Budget Savvy Bride, DIY wedding ceremony backdrop (copper pipe) · 2026-10-26
- Growing Joy with Maria, DIY copper arbor · 2026-10-26
- AesDes, Industrial and rustic hexagonal wedding arch (copper-painted pipe) · 2026-10-26
- Home Depot, Cerro 3/4 in x 10 ft copper Type M pipe · 2026-10-26
- Home Depot, 3/4 in copper all cup tee C611HD34 · 2026-10-26
- Home Depot, NIBCO 3/4 in copper 90 degree elbow C607 · 2026-10-26
- Home Depot, Everbilt 3/4 in copper tube cap C617 · 2026-10-26
- Walmart, J-B Weld Twin Tube 2 oz · 2026-10-26
- Home Depot, Self-Locking Cable Ties 8 in white 100-pack · 2026-10-26
- Raleigh Copper Chuppah, copper wedding arch rental flat fee · 2026-10-26
Each guide is built from at least three published how-to sources and real store prices, checked on the date shown. We write the steps in our own words and list every source at the bottom.