Wedding Blog
I spent some time this weekend with my shepherd’s hooks and cache of jars working out how to attach one to the other.
First, I picked out 20 jars of a similar smallish size, and set them aside. Then, I went a-crafting. I took a trip down to Michael’s to pick up some wraphia (aka raffia), a natural-looking, grassy ribbon that’s strong enough to use as a hanger.
But my mock-ups wouldn’t be complete without some stand-in dahlias…so I got five of these lovelies at a local florist:
Then, I cut them down to length, wrapped the wraphia around the jar mouth, and knotted a handle:
Here they are on the shepherd’s hooks as-is, with about a 12-inch handle:
Here they are with a little knot to help shorten the handle and evenly distribute the weight:
I repeated the process (tediously) for all 20 jars, but I haven’t yet tied the little knots in to shorten them. Do you think I should leave them long or make ‘em short?
I’m still not quite sure what to do with all of these pretty hooks. There are two options for what can be placed in the jars: flowers to line the aisle, or tea-light candles for the evening. IDEALLY, I would like to use them to line the aisle and then have the flowers placed in empty jars on the tables for the reception. (Or just removing the jars from the hooks and replacing them with a second batch of clean jars for the candles…but that would involve making more hanging jars.) Then, we’d use the hooks to hold candle jars for the evening. I just don’t know that’s too much of a pain in the butt to have people set up for me.
I guess I could use ten jars to line the aisle and reserve ten for candles to make it easier. But I have a feeling I’m over thinking this.
What do you think I ought to do with ’em?
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I vote for short hanging. And switching out the jars entirely from flowers to premade candle holding. I think that removing the flowers and having them replaced with candles would take too much time, but simply switching one jar to another is easy enough that someone could do it in 10 minutes. BTW they look awesome with the Dahlias!
I love those Dahlias!!! Do they have white, purple & green to them?
TUNA FISH!
ok, moving on. i can’t stop thinking about that, it is so perfect. I think i’ll try it out on my FMIL this weekend.
The jars look great! I think the shorter wraphia would make for less swinging and crookedness
So pretty!
Is it likely to be windy on the day? If so, I’d go for the shorter length. Or maybe somewhere in between the two.
How important is it to have the flowers put on the tables? i.e., would there not be any decoration without them, or was that just for somewhere to put them when you swap for the candles?
If you don’t need the flowers on the tables, how about alternating the hooks - flowers-candles-flowers-candles? Then you’d just need to light the candles come the evening.
If you really wanted to do the full swap, I agree with KellBell - swap the whole jars. Better a bit of extra crafting time now than a big hassle on the day, with people getting wet flowers dripping on their finest.
(unless you make it into a game - two teams, first one to swap flowers for candles wins! Joking … although it might be fun 
)
I kinda like the long handles, although both are nice. Maybe I’m not fully grasping the sitch, but could you alternate flowers and candles down the aisle? Then you could still use the flowered ones for the tables.
I like the short handles better
short handles! they look great!
I like the long handles, but I also agree with the wind problem; if its gonna blow, they look just as fabulous short.
Is there any way you can show us a picture with the and handle exposed? Is the raphia really strong enough to hold the water and the jars like that for a long time? LOVE the idea, just want to know because I would love to steal it
short is better.
I’m going to go against the majority. I like the natural look of the longer handle and slight cockeyedness. I think it looks whimsical and flows with the outdoors Nature is not normally symmetrical.
I do agree though that with wind you might want them shorter - but really a mason jar filled with water - that’s going to take more than wind to rock
I also agree with the complete switch up. Will go much faster. Take the flower mason jars to the tables and bend the handle down into the flowers to hide it. Then load the hooks up with the candle mason jars waiting in the wings. I think this will be more efficient.
It’s going to be lovely!
Call me crazy, but I actually like the tilted line of the long wraphia!
I vote for the long handles.
Also, I think you should place the flowers on the reception tables and replace with clean mason jars. Don’t worry about asking family to do that for you, that’s what they are there for!
shorter looks better.
why not alternate down the isle with flowers in some jars and candles in the others. That way you will have both looks and it may even make it look more interesting. And you will not have to worry about switching.
i like the shorter handles. and either alternate with flowers and candles or have two separate jars for both. that way you can always just double use the flowers for table decorations. easy peasy!
The long handles look more relaxed and natural, which is the vibe you seem to be going for throughout the whole wedding, yeah? Either way, it will look beautiful!
i like the short ones - the little extra flip of the knot loop is kicky and fun and may be easier for people to hang. if your family is doing the hanging, they may spend a lot of time trying to straighten out the long ones, even if you don’t mind them a little off.
for the candles, either use fresh jars or alternate. with fresh jars, the time you spend making more wraphia hooks will be saved when switching them out.
I like the short length and I think switching out the whole jar would work the best. I love the look of the flowers, but I would also love the candles. I think it will look best if it’s all flowers then all candles.
[...] this case, I was shopping for dahlias to make my hanging jar mock-ups, so I wandered into Willow and Bloom, a floral boutique near my office. Besides amazing flower [...]
I l.o.v.e. your style. If you ever want to sell some of your items (e.g., shepherd’s hooks or jars) after your wedding, let me know! I’m going for the same look. Here’s a link to my venue. http://www.thecomusinn.com. Not as rustic as yours, but I def want to carry out that country feel.
[...] me how to make the raffia’d jars we’re using in combination with our shepherd’s hooks for hanging candles and flowers. Well, here’s a little DIY [...]
shorter wraphia…then have someone change the flowers out for candles. you can keep the water in the jars if you use floating candles
Love the idea, so pretty and fresh! I vote shorter, just looks nicer for a wedding, and swap out the whole jar for the candles…. its a pain to do more, but will be worth it in the end….
Congratulations and many happy anniversaries to come to the happy couple!!!
[...] of some variegated dahlias in one of the mason jars. Doesn’t the raffia look nice as a hanger? I tied all those myself! Twenty for flowers and twenty for [...]
[...] at the grocery or Walmart) and rigged them up with raffia twine. Check out my previous posts to see my mock-ups and detailed instructions. I ended up rigging forty jars – twenty for the flowers, which were [...]
[...] haven’t decided on the flowers I want to use. And for the ceremony, I may go the same route as Mrs. Cherry Pie and line our aisle with mason jars filled with flowers. This may be one of the few places [...]
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Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, Montana
Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse Practitioner
Engagement Date: August 26, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: April 1, 2008
Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National Park
About Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
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