To reduce the length of my candles!
Mr. E’s sister was kind enough to give us 4 dozen cylinder vases left over from her own wedding last year. I wracked my brain trying to think of how to put these to best use. So I decided to fill the bottom of each vase with some coffee beans and stick in a long candle. Why coffee beans? Because Mr. E and I LOVE coffee. I managed to get him addicted to his daily cup of joe (although we are both good about limiting our intake to just one cup a day). We also love the SMELL of coffee, so we are hoping that by bringing in the beans, we can bring the aroma of coffee into our reception space. However, I have noticed that the smell isn’t too noticeable, so I may have to add a small layer of ground coffee at the bottom since it smells stronger. I could be wrong, considering that we will have 40 of these vases around the ballroom, and I only have one as a mock-up!
But anywhoo, I could not find the ideal size/shape candles anywhere. I wanted something thicker than a regular taper candle since those don’t last long and they drip too much. Luckily I found these 1.5-inch thick and 9-inch tall candles at Hobby Lobby (candles are 50% off every other week!) for $1 each. Score! Unfortunately the bottoms are designed to fit into a candle holder, so I had Mr. E chop off all the ends. Then I am in the process of burning these candles down to the right height. Let me tell you, these things will burn FOREVER!
Here is some evidence of my work!
The original too-tall candle
Mr. E chopping off the bottoms of each
Burn, baby burn… (doing only 5 at a time, I will have to do this to 40 total)
Finished length. Voila!
oh goodness… what a process… but i really like the thickness of those candles!
well worth it, they look perfect now!!
They look really pretty
If the candles were too long and you were chopping them anyway, why didn’t you just chop them down to the length you wanted?
What Firesong said. And then you could’ve saved the stub ends and used them as votives.
Ditto the above posters. If you used a knife dipped in hot water or heated over a flame, it would probably go through the wax pretty easily.
Hey there,
Ok so I live in Chicago too.. Chi-Town girls unite… Any chance you want to sell them to me after you are done with the wedding(the vases i mean…) Just a thought! Drop me an email if I can have them. Thanks
Cute idea! I think I would burn them down just a little bit more–they would look just a bit better if they were about an inch below the rim of the glass.
As long as you trim the wicks before burning they should last a long time.
Your home must have been lovely while burning all those candles!
HAHAHA, omg you guys are so dang smart. It never even occurred to me to… just chop the candles shorter!! ding ding ding. Sometimes when you get so focused on something, an idea or a method, you don’t think past that. Whats it called, tunnel vision? hehe.
Mrs. Emerald, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, Hospitality Administration
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Paralegal
Engagement Date: October 8, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2007
Blogging Since: November 29, 2006
Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook IL
About Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
Have you consider really recently roasted coffee? The smell is insanely strong, and places like Intelligentsia and Metropolis all roast here in Chicago.