I love decorating for the holidays! And for Halloween, I thought I’d add a DIY pumpkin arch to the porch decor for the fall! My porch usually has a set of 3 garlands and a matching wreath on the door. Since I have some pretty columns, I thought it’d be fun to add to what I already do. Below is a tutorial if you want to try this too.

Halloween is such a fun time of year! My son is 11 this year and loves all things spooky, so autumn is his season. I was excited to put this up because I knew he’d be really excited about it! We have an annual Halloween party with his friends so I think this will be really fun as the first impression for the party. And it’ll be really great for trick or treating!

diy pumpkin arch

Before we start the pumpkin arch, here is how my porch usually looks for fall. I love it! But I’m ready to take it up a notch. The set of 3 garlands and wreath are a few years old from Grandin Road. This garland and this wreath are similar if you’re looking for a high quality option for fall. The Hocus Pocus wreath was a Joann’s find from a few years ago. I couldn’t find anything similar.

SUPPLIES

Fall Foliage Stems (I got 2 sets- I could have used 2 more!)
Gold Leaves Stems (I got 1 pack of these)
White Pumpkins- I bought 2 of these and 4 of these
Orange Pumpkins
Twinkle Lights Battery Powered
Zip Ties
Cup Hooks
Floral Wire and Wire Cutters
Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun
Puck Lights

step 1- base layer of branches

Start by using branches to create the base layer for the DIY pumpkin arch. We had a big branch sitting in our yard that had fallen. So we brought that to the porch, cut it down to smaller pieces and zip-tied them to the columns on the porch.

After we got the first branch up, we worked our way up the column and added another branch. Again, we attached it to the columns with a zip tie.

Then we added a second branch on each side of the porch. This adds a layered look. It doesn’t have to be symmetrical, but it should feel balanced.

I was actually surprised at how much this added! And with free branches!

step 2- layer on foliage

And now, it’s time to add in some foliage. I started with the fall foliage stems that I attached to the branches with floral wire that I cut with wire cutters.

step 3- add in the pumpkins

Next, I thought it’d be fun to add some pumpkins to the branches. I bought 2 of these and 4 of these pumpkins so that I could have three on each side of the arch.

To attach them, we did a really simple trick! We just put a cup hook into the pumpkin by twisting it into the Styrofoam.

Then we hung the hook onto a branch. It was fast and didn’t require any tools! I’d suggest using a locking cup hook to make it extra sturdy.

step 4- keep layering

I went thrifting and bought some foliage and mini pumpkins. Plus I had some stems that fell off the garland around the door, so I added that as well. Either I hot glued it on or I wired it in place. If the stems were super short or nonexistent, I used hot glue. If they had good stems, I wired them on.

Because it gets dark so early in the fall, I thought it’d be nice if the DIY pumpkin arch would glow at night. So I bought these Twinkle Lights that are battery operated. I wrapped them around the branches for a sparkly look at night.

I also added on a pink bow I made. At first, I was just testing the scale so I could make a blue one. Then I saw it on and liked the pink and the fact that I wouldn’t have to sew another or go fabric shopping. So I stuck with it!

These Golden Leaves Stems arrived and so I put them in wherever there were empty spots. Again, I used floral wire to attach them to the branches. This really filled everything in! Though these aren’t as good as the all foliage stems. If I was doing this again, I’d order just those stems.

The 6 pumpkins looked great on the branches! But I decided to add some of the classic orange pumpkins. They cost $1.97 each (before taxes)! To add them to the DIY pumpkin arch, just remove the handle, and wire them on through one of the holes from the handle.

Inside each pumpkin, I placed a battery-operated puck light. That way at night those pumpkins will really glow!

I also put some hanging skeleton bat decorations on the pumpkin arch. I thought it added in the perfect spooky Halloween touch!

after

The porch is SO cute! It feels very festive for Halloween and I love walking up to my front door and seeing it!

It feels perfect for fall and spooky season. I’m so happy I get to enjoy it for the next two months!

At night it feels really magical with the twinkle lights on! We recently added permanent lighting to our house so that makes it feel really elevated too.

price breakdown

It should come as no surprise that a DIY pumpkin arch can get expensive. I tried to keep my costs down too! Here’s a price breakdown (with taxes included)-

Fall Foliage Stems– I got 2 sets for $41
Gold Leaves Stems– I got 1 pack for $10
White Pumpkins- I bought 2 of these for $26 and 4 of these for $36
Orange Pumpkins– I got 6 for $13
Twinkle Lights– for $8
Puck Lights– $14 for 6 lights

The rest of the supplies I already had on hand. In total, I spent $148 on everything I needed to make the pumpkin archway. My goal was to spend $100, but I still think this isn’t terrible given what a big look it was.

time spent

The fun part is, it was quick to assemble! We started at 10:30 and had most of it done by 12:00. I was waiting for a few supplies that I later added on. I’d say the whole thing took about 2 hours! Which made this a fast and satisfying project.

I absolutely love how this DIY pumpkin arch turned out, and it makes our porch feel so festive for Halloween! For $148 and just a couple of hours of work, I got such a big impact, and I think it’ll be the perfect backdrop for our Halloween party and trick-or-treaters. If you want to make your own porch a little more magical this fall, I definitely think this is a project worth trying!

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