Chinese Lanterns = Overdone??

Chinese Lanterns = Overdone??

December 13th, 2006 @ 8:04 pm by Mrs. Emerald

I love the look of hanging Chinese lanterns over the dance floor, but I feel like everyone and their mother does them these days. Are they totally overdone? Ok, well maybe not everyone, but it certainly has been a popular trend as of late.

So picture this… this is my venue below (minus hot pink linens and funky feather arrangements). See how the ceiling is divided into squares? I figure my dance floor will probably be the size of one of those squares, maybe a bit bigger. So how would it look if I strung 10 or so paper lanters within one of those squares at varying heights (those light grids look perfect for hanging)?

I found this site Asian Lanterns which has unbeatable prices!! They have multiple colors and sizes. For these red ones, the prices are as follows:

16 inch - $3.75
18 inch - $4.50
24 inch - $7.50

Considerably cheaper than Pearl River. Not only are the prices great, but they also have free shipping for orders over $100 (at those prices, I guess you’d have to order a lot to reach $100!) and 20% off your entire order if you order in the month of December (type “20″ in the coupon code area during checkout).

So, thus my dilemna…

Should I order them now to get a discount?
How many should I order?
What size?
And do I actually put a light bulb fixture in there? (might be too much with all the lights in my ceiling)

For you ladies who did use/planning to use these lanterns, are you gonna actually light them up or is it for decoration only? I’ve always wondered how you light them. Does anyone know? Or perhaps I can alternate with some lanterns and some tissue paper pommanders a la Kenzie Kate! But dang, these look like a lotta work. Did I say I wanna DIY?

What should I do?

P.S. I mentioned this lantern idea to my mom a while back when we were at the venue and she hated it. *sigh*

Tags: decor, lighting |

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12 Responses to “Chinese Lanterns = Overdone??”

Guest

Anita

Question: Are you having a combo of square and round tables as in the picture? In the picture there, the mixture of square, round tables, square ceiling grid, and then to add more round lanterns..not sure how that will look? I don’t think you need a light fixture in them. The ceiling seems to have plenty of lighting that will reflet off the colored lantern and created a nice warm glow.

12/13/06 @ 8:15 pm (reply)

Guest

Mattie

I love the venue. I don’t think you need to add anything, unless you really want the lanterns of course. It has a great modern sleek look to it already.

12/13/06 @ 9:23 pm (reply)

Guest

ms. mouse

If you’re going to do the KenzieKate things go with a cheaper lantern in a holiday pattern that’s overstocked. These are a pretty good price, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be discounted after Vday:
http://tinyurl.com/ygwllt
Or these:
http://tinyurl.com/yeb4xq

Don’t judge “overdone” based on the Knot or magazines, no one at your wedding will be comparing it to those or even be aware of their existence. If you like it, do it.

12/13/06 @ 9:37 pm (reply)

Guest

Pencils

I love the look of paper lanterns. I’m not sure they go with that sleek space, though. You could do an arrangement of sizes and shapes–get a couple of the curvy ones from Pearl River (or another site):

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/FramesCat.asp?iGroup=275

and only do a couple with the paper flowers. I think it would look neat, particularly if you could put lights in a few of them, not not necessarily all.

12/13/06 @ 9:54 pm (reply)

Guest

miss violet

i think it would look nice over the dance floor.. but from the picture your venue looks nice as it is. i don’t really think it matters of other people are doing it, it might still be very new and unique to your guests who aren’t wedding gurus!

12/13/06 @ 11:28 pm (reply)

Guest

Ophelia

Paper lanterns could be kinda cute.

12/14/06 @ 6:49 am (reply)

Guest

sara

I don’t think paper lanterns are overdone. I think that if you spend all your time on the internet looking at weddings everyday, like we do…*sigh* then you think it is overdone, but to the average wedding guest, it is completely unique!

I say go for it! Walmart sells these little battery powered lights you can put in them too, so you don’t have to worry about extention cords.

12/14/06 @ 9:21 am (reply)

Guest

debbie

I think it would look really nice, especially if you were to outline your dance floor. But make sure your venue allows you to hang things and that there are ways (tape, paperclip) to hang them. Good luck!

12/14/06 @ 10:45 am (reply)

Guest

Miss Strawberry

I love paper lanterns. I think it would look great. And I always have to remind myself that just because it is overdone on the Knot does not mean that most people have seen it.

12/14/06 @ 12:00 pm (reply)

10.

Guest

Amy

Check out this site! They have wonderful colorful options:

http://www.lunabazaar.com/

12/14/06 @ 4:27 pm (reply)

11.

Guest

lisa

I use two different colors to decorate my friend’s wedding and added ribbons under it. It’s nice to draw out a little sketch first. Definitely find where all the sockets are, and if you plan to light the lanterns, make sure it won’t compete with the light at the venue.

By the way, if you head over to Pearl River it’s a bit cheaper.