Decorate With Candles For Romance

Candlelight and romance go together like a hand in a glove. Candles are an elegant and cost- effective way to decorate the ceremony and reception areas, saving on the need for expensive flower arrangements.

Candles play an important role in many wedding ceremonies: unity candles lit by couples signify their union, while other candles are lit for piety and atmosphere. They all create a mystical and magical mood as well. This is especially true if the wedding is held in the evening amid the candles' warm glow.

Light up the evening with candles everywhere. Line the walkway to ceremony with luminaries. You can either buy a kit of pre-made ones or it's easy to make your own as a cost saving measure.

Cut out patterns of flowers, stars, snowflakes or whatever you like, so that the light can shine through the sides of lunch-sized paper bags. Fill the bags with about two inches of sand or cat litter and roll the tops to make a cuff. Put a wedding sticker on the bag.

Anchor a votive candle (and for safety's sake, have the candle in a votive holder) in the sand and set the bags at intervals the length of the walkway. Light them and you have a beautiful entrance to your ceremony site or even the walkway to your reception.

Inside the ceremony site, many churches, synagogues and mosques provide tapers and other candles so that the inside is just as romantically lit. Or you can line the aisle with battery operated "candles" inside luminaria bags at intervals to light your way down the aisle.

Before designing your candle arrangements for the reception area, check first with the management to see that there aren't any fire prohibitions regarding an open flame. If there are you will have to modify and purchase protective holders or candles in containers to keep the flames enclosed.

If you get the go ahead, collect pillar candles, tea candles, round candles and votive candles. Learn to use mirror squares, glitter, rhinestones and ribbons to reflect the light of the candles. You can purchase mirror squares and the other shiny objects from craft stores such as Michael's.
These make excellent bases for centerpieces. Set groupings of candles on the squares and wind opalescent ribbon in and around the candles. Scatter glitter and rhinestones all over the mirrors for a glittering effect.

Candle bridal favors are also a lovely touch for your guests. Place a votive candle, tied with ribbons in your wedding colors, in a luminaria bag (without the sand or litter in it.) Also put in a small wine glass to serve as a candle holder with a wineglass tag with your names and date of the wedding on it and a wedding sticker to seal the top of the bag. Put a bag at each place setting.

Whether you wish to celebrate your wedding on the longest day of the year or you just enjoy the enchantment of a candlelit evening, this decorating effect will cast a warm glow over all!