Things I Heart: Candlelight

Things I Heart: Candlelight

January 8th, 2011 @ 3:45 pm by Mrs. Tartlet
Share

“Side by side with your loved one

You will find enchantment here

The night will weave its magic spell

When the one you love is near, oh

This is the night

And the heavens all rise

On this lovely bella notte”

(source)

Lady and the Tramp is one of my all-time favorite Disney films. This adorable scene is the source of A) my fondness for dogs, B) my appetite for spaghetti and meatballs (I still consider it a romantic meal for two), and C) my love of romantic candlelight.

While I’m unsure about having flowers for our reception due to budget restrictions, I do know that I want candles. Lots and LOTS of candles.

(source)

Things I Heart: Candlelight : wedding decor rochester Estate Table Centerpices Low Lush Roses White Cream Gold Pink

(source)

I love the soft, romantic glow they create in a room. It just makes you want to snuggle up to the person next to you with a blissful little sigh. And, centerpieces are easily DIY-able, as evidenced by the success of bees like Mrs. Lemon and hive member futuremrsherdt.

Pros for a candlelit wedding:

Cost. Candles are far less expensive than their floral counterparts, and I have the option of reselling the holders (because let’s face it, when am I ever going to need this many candles again?).
Ambiance. Shimmery candles transform a room by giving it a warm glow with a smidge of dramatic flair.
Variety. Many options are available for shape (pillars, tapers, floating, votives), and they come in a wide array of colors.

Things to chew over:

(source)

Placement. I would love to have candles lining the aisle during the ceremony like the wedding above. However, Mr. Tartlet pointed out that having them so close to the edge of someone’s seat could spell disaster. Fire extinguisher to row 2, fire extinguisher to row 2. Grandma’s sleeve is on fire.
Burn time. Decor disappearing before the reception ends would be rather sad. I’ve heard that soy candles give you the best bang for your buck, but regardless I have come across mixed reviews as to how long floating candles actually last. The way our wedding will be set up, all decor has to be in place prior to the ceremony starting—that means the candles need to last six hours. Is this even possible?
Labor. Candles don’t light themselves. (INCENDIO!…well, it was worth a shot.) Who is going to be responsible for setting all of these ablaze? With the quantity I’m thinking of, I would need a team of candle lighters.

Are you considering alternatives to flowers to cut costs for your centerpieces?

Tags: decor, rochester |

Share |

Latest Gallery Pics

Hot Pink and White with Zebra 36" Lighted Spandex Ostrich Feather Centerpiece

25 Responses to “Things I Heart: Candlelight”

1 2 Last

Guest

Guest

The large IKEA tealight candles last for 8 hours. We tested them. Even the smaller ones lasted between 5 and 6 hours.

If you went for pillars, those would last all day, but they are significantly more expensive.

1/8/11 @ 4:41 pm (reply)

Member

hbear (message) 35 posts, Newbee

LOVE the look! i’ve been scouring the net for candle ideas and this is perfect!! and using ikea glasses over cylinders? even better!

1/8/11 @ 4:42 pm (reply)

Guest

Twitter Trackbacks for Things I Heart: Candlelight | Weddingbee [weddingbee.com] on Topsy.com

[...] Things I Heart: Candlelight | Weddingbee weddingbee.com/2011/01/08/candlelit-wedding-receptions/ – view page – cached Side by side with your loved one You will find enchantment here The night will weave its magic spell When the one you love is near, oh This is the [...]

1/8/11 @ 5:03 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Jaguar (message) 4,656 posts, Honey bee

Haha. Where’s Harry & Hermione when you need em, eh?

1/8/11 @ 5:08 pm (reply)

Member

Koala Bear (message) 2,032 posts, Buzzing bee

Harry Potter reference for the win!!!! <3 but i really do love all the photos you have, candles seem just so elegant to me

1/8/11 @ 5:25 pm (reply)

Guest

Rings Ireland

Candles are such a beautiful feature to a wedding, nothing more beautiful.

1/8/11 @ 5:41 pm (reply)

Member

twocatcupcake (message) 740 posts, Busy bee

We got our candles from pier 1. The VOTIVES lasted 5 hours. The pillars were burned for 8 hours and still don’t even look like they were used. I would definitely recommend them. Their votive cups were fifty cents each and they had a ton of variety. We used lanterns with pillar candles, set on wood slices, for our centerpieces.

1/8/11 @ 5:45 pm (reply)

Member

Bubu82 (message) 1,223 posts, Bumble bee

Candles rock the house. I plan to make DIY centerpieces using candles, too, and have also wondered about when and by whom the candles should be lit. I’m kind of wondering if I can have the catering staff do it? If not, I’ll probably have to ask some family and friends to light ours. We’ll have approx. 7 per table, and we’ll have like 13 tables. Better have a few people working to light up those bad boys!

1/8/11 @ 5:55 pm (reply)

Guest

pitbulllover

Get lanterns to line your aisle. That’s how we solved the “lets not set fire to the guests” issue. EVERY SINGLE GUEST complemented us on them. A lot of candles go a looooong way.

1/8/11 @ 6:32 pm (reply)

10.

Member

Hirondelle (message) 407 posts, Helper bee

Thank you for this post! I am definitely going to use a ton of candles. I was thinking about leaving matches on the tables so people could light them up themselves as the sun go down and hire the wedding party for the others. It might take some time but it could be fun to make a little ceremony out of it.

1/8/11 @ 6:38 pm (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Tartlet (message) 3,207 posts, Sugar bee

@twocatcupcake: Whoa, I’ll definitely check Pier 1 out! I’ve only tested random ones I have around the apartment, with the longest burn lasting 4 hours.
@Bubu82: I’m mulling over those same options! I was leaning towards enlisting the help of the catering staff, but then I read Hirondelle’s idea of a candle-lighting ceremony. Hmm…
@pitbulllover: GREAT idea! I had considered them as centerpieces, but totally didn’t translate them into aisle decor!

1/8/11 @ 7:55 pm (reply)

12.

Member

MCC919 (message) 509 posts, Busy bee

Can you post a link to the IKEA candles you’re referring to?? I was thinking of buying votives there, too, bc they’re so cheap!

1/8/11 @ 7:59 pm (reply)

13.

Member

miss.qwerty (message) 897 posts, Busy bee

Beautiful inspiration pictures! I hope you find candles that burn long enough to make this work - it sounds like they’re out there.

1/8/11 @ 8:41 pm (reply)

14.

Bee

Mrs. Glasses (message) 2,741 posts, Sugar bee

Oooh, I’ve been going to restaurants with candles a lot lately, and it makes the mood so intimate, sexy, and sophisticated. Plus it makes everyone’s skin look great Why not place lighters at each guest table, if I noticed a candle out at my table at a wedding I’d most definitely light it myself!

1/8/11 @ 9:03 pm (reply)

15.

Member

eileen marie (message) 1,662 posts, Bumble bee

Those candle photos are lovely. We used frosted votives at out outdoor tented (I guess canopied -no walls), & their glow was lovely. (My male dog -a buff Cocker -looks a lot like Lady. I love that movie too!)

1/9/11 @ 12:06 am (reply)

16.

Member

Arielle Yanaba (message) 11 posts, Newbee

We love candles as well and we are planning to use more candles then anything else. We were thinking of using non-flame candles for the aisle but not sure if it will give off the same glow as a flame candle.

1/9/11 @ 9:52 am (reply)

17.

Member

iwantweddingchampagne (message) 134 posts, Blushing bee

I really love the candlelight ambiance too, so it will be interesting to see how you figure these things out. I was wondering how much extra my venue would charge for the staff to constantly change out the used up tealights…but I don’t think that would turn out well XD

1/9/11 @ 10:43 am (reply)

18.

Member

sapphirebride (message) 1,750 posts, Buzzing bee

We used jar candles to line our aisle as well as the windows overlooking the deck at our venue. They burn a really long time and are super cheap (we even borrowed ours from a friend). We made sure to leave enough room along the aisle so that tripping over them wasn’t a concern and they were lit by the ushers right before the ceremony. We also did have a small fire extinguisher in the first row. For the tables, we used LED tealights in our votive holders. They also have a long life on them and were turned on quickly by a switch.

1/9/11 @ 12:42 pm (reply)

19.

Member

shericamarie (message) 106 posts, Blushing bee

i love candles too! i even have some of the same pictures in my inspiration folder
i ended up making over 430 soy candles (total cost 379.23) in square jars - i tested the burn time and it is about 10 hours. i asked the spouses of the wedding party to light the candles before the ceremony and reception, though i like the idea of leaving matches or lighters out on the tables for the guests to light

1/9/11 @ 6:23 pm (reply)

20.

Guest

erin *sparkle & hay

candles really do add that much more to your table - regardless of how big/ornate your flowers are i cannot recommend them enough! clusters of votives on a round table are just stunning!! (and yes make sure they have long burn time)

1/9/11 @ 9:33 pm (reply)

1 2 Last