As a young girl, I remember watching my mom and her sisters folding cranes (or tsuru) for my cousin's wedding. I stared at their fingers with fascination as they turned simple gold paper squares into tiny works of art. Once the 1001 cranes were completed, they were strung together and hung from a beautiful tree to be displayed at my cousin's reception. That was over twenty-five years ago and although the tradition is still very much alive in Hawai'i, the rules of the game have changed.
Now, there are companies that will take your precious folded cranes and mount them in a beautiful frame so they can live forever on the wall of your choosing. One local company that I personally love is It's About Time. They have lots of designs to choose from, ranging from cherry blossoms to koi to bamboo, and can also insert your names and wedding date to give it the ultimate personal touch.
I thought about folding cranes in the months leading up to our wedding, but after spending a little too long creating a lopsided crane with a bad limp (I'm assuming he'd have a bad limp given the oversized wings I had given him), I quickly decided to nix the idea...until I came across these inspiring photos.
Yes, they're deep-fried cranes made from wonton paper! Have you ever seen anything so fun? Maybe you have and just kept it to yourself...shame on you. I doubt that I'd make more than a handful of these cranes, let alone allow anyone to actually EAT them, but you know I have to at least try!