Top 10 Just Married Signs: Ideas for the Getaway Car and the Perfect Photo

The just married sign is the last piece of your wedding and one of the most photographed. It costs almost nothing, it takes minutes to make, and it produces the image that ends up on every phone screen by the end of the night.

Here are ten ideas, from the classic tin cans to a sand print on the shore, with how to make each one and how to keep your car undamaged.

1. Window Chalk Art

Handwritten straight onto the rear window with a white chalk pen, hearts and arrows included. It looks spontaneous and joyful, it works on any car, and it wipes off with a damp cloth.

How to make it: use a liquid chalk marker on glass only, never on paint. Practise the lettering on a mirror first, and write it in reverse only if you want it readable from inside.

2. White Ribbon Bow

An oversized bow on the boot with a long ribbon tail carrying the words in script. This is the most elegant option here and the one that photographs best in black and white.

How to make it: buy wide satin or grosgrain ribbon, tie one generous bow, and write the lettering with a fine paint pen or order a printed ribbon. Loop it through the boot catch rather than taping it to the paint.

3. Footprint in the Sand

No car at all. Two footprints in wet sand with the words inside, photographed from above with the tide coming in. Simple, poetic, and completely free.

How to make it: press the shapes into damp sand near the waterline, write with a stick or a finger, and shoot from directly overhead in soft light.

4. Retro Love

A weathered leather suitcase strapped to the luggage rack with the words written across it and a single calla lily tucked into the straps. It tells a whole story of departure in one frame.

How to make it: find an old suitcase at a flea market, write on it with a paint pen, and strap it down properly. Choose one you do not mind marking permanently.

5. Bride Scooter Sign

A handheld card painted with hearts, held up by the bride while the groom waits on the scooter. Handheld signs are the most versatile of all because they travel with you to every photo location.

How to make it: thick card or foam board, black marker, red hearts. Keep the lettering large enough to read from a distance.

6. Rustic Hay Board

A plank of reclaimed wood painted with white lettering, leaning against hay bales beside wildflowers. This one works as a photo prop, a venue sign, and a keepsake afterwards.

How to make it: sand a piece of scrap timber, paint the letters with white acrylic, and seal it if the day might be wet. Stencils help if freehand lettering makes you nervous.

7. Heart Board

A heart cut from board with the words handwritten across it, held up to hide the kiss behind it. Playful, modern, and the easiest way to get a photograph everyone loves.

How to make it: cut a heart from foam board or plywood, paint it soft pink or cream, and write freehand for the relaxed effect. Shoot it against open sky for the cleanest background.

8. License Plate

A printed plate in calligraphy with decorative corners, mounted where a number plate would sit. It looks bespoke and it suits vintage cars and campervans especially well.

How to make it: order a printed board or have one made, then mount it in a plate holder or fix it with the existing screws. Never cover the real number plate, which is an offence in most countries.

9. Nature Flowers Wreath

A round wreath threaded with artificial flowers and a small printed sign in the centre, hung on a tree at the venue. Bright, cheerful, and reusable for anniversaries afterwards.

How to make it: buy a plain wreath base, hot glue silk flowers around it, and wire a printed card into the middle. Artificial flowers mean you can make it weeks in advance.

10. Tin Cans Sign

The original and still the best. A hand lettered card in the rear window and a string of tin cans clattering along the cobbles behind you. Nothing produces a better departure video.

How to make it: collect clean empty cans, punch a hole in each base, and thread them onto strong twine tied to the tow hook or bumper bracket. Keep the string short enough that the cans cannot reach the wheels.

How to Decorate Without Damaging the Car

Ask the hire company first. Vintage car hire contracts usually restrict what can be attached, and some forbid anything touching the bodywork.

Nothing adhesive on paint. No tape, no suction cups, no stickers. Use ribbon looped through the grille or bumper, magnetic signs, or things that rest rather than stick.

Chalk pens on glass only. Liquid chalk wipes cleanly from windows but can mark paint, especially older finishes.

Keep plates and lights clear. Obscuring your number plate or rear lights is illegal in most countries, and it will also spoil the photo.

Tie cans short and secure. They should trail behind the bumper, never dangle low enough to swing under a wheel.

Fit it late and remove it before the drive home. Decorations that look perfect at walking pace behave differently at speed.

Getting the Best Photo

Shoot the departure with the sun low and behind you so the car and the sign are lit rather than silhouetted. Take three versions: the couple standing beside the sign, the couple inside the car looking back, and the car driving away with the cans trailing. That last one is the shot that gets shared.

FAQ

How do you make a just married sign? The simplest version is thick card or foam board with black marker lettering. For the car window, a white liquid chalk pen works well and wipes off easily.

Can you write just married on a car window? Yes, with a liquid chalk marker or window paint designed for glass. Keep it on the glass and off the paintwork, and clean it off within a day or two.

How do you attach tin cans to a wedding car? Punch holes in the bases, thread them onto strong twine, and tie the twine to the tow hook or a bumper bracket. Never tie anything to the exhaust.

Is it legal to drive with a just married sign? Yes, provided nothing blocks the driver's view, the lights, or the number plate, and nothing trails loose enough to catch under the wheels.

What can I use instead of a car sign? Handheld boards, a heart cut from plywood, a wreath, a suitcase, or writing in the sand all work beautifully and travel with you between photo locations.