The short answer: I don’t use real candles. For the long answer, keep reading…
The one thing almost 100% of my clients love is candlelight. A beautifully candlelit room can immediately evoke the feeling of romance.
I think it reminds us of looking up into the magic and mystery of the skies. Also, the biggest advantage of using candles is that everyone looks GREAT.
However, I have had so many accidents with the casualties of wax that I used to panic every time a client told me they loved candles.
Here are a few of my casualties with different types of candles:
- If votive candles are not placed properly, they could burn a leaf or flowers and start a small fire. (However, these are safest to have if placed strategically.)
- If they are pillar candles, watch out for the tablecloths.
- If they are tall taper candles (these are the worst) you could have wax all over the flowers, glasses, tablecloths, and, in one case, spilling all over my client’s tux.
- If they are used outdoors, FORGET IT. Most likely they are going to blow out.
And forget about the promise of “dripless” candles, because once there is any kind of vent (air conditioner or any draft) these dripless candles become a blobby mess of wax.
My solution for using candles is to use LED or battery operated candles. (Of course, this is only my opinion based off my experience with clients. If you want to use real candles, there’s no fool-proof solution to the wax problem. There may be tips and techniques people can share below, but mostly it’s a lot of hoping for the best.)
It might not seem as romantic as seeing the live flickering flames, but the overall effect is very much the same.
Here’s a battery operated votive. In the candle holder, you can hardly tell the difference.
This kind of votive has three different lighting options: flickering, flashing and solid.
This tall taper candle uses standard double A batteries. (I got these from Paradise Candles in Pennsylvania.)
On a few occasions, my clients didn’t even realize they weren’t real candles until I mentioned it to them.
When using these types of candles, it’s also important to explain to your clients that large events are not the same controlled environment as their homes.
Now please tell me, how do YOU decorate with candles without making a mess? And if you could share some secrets on how to get rid of unwanted wax, that’s great too.
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George Bernard Shaw once said: “You see things and say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’” That quote embodies how Preston Bailey approaches every event.
Rowaida Flayhan
December 30, 2010
This is gorgeous! It has always been a great pleasure reading your blog and seeing your amazingly gorgeous work, your are such an inspiration to me and to many people around the world . I want to wish you and your family, A Happy New Year! May God Bless you with good health, peace, happiness success and prosperity.
Best Wishes,
Rowaida
I would love to share with you my Christmas dessert table,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rowaidafl/sets/72157625576339365/
Savannah (Pearls and Pages)
December 31, 2010
For taper candles the battery operated ones work best. They’re a disaster if they’re made of wax– dripping everywhere and losing their structure once very hot. Finding very good battery operated ones is difficult, though. If they’re not of high quality they’ll lean in the holders or candelabras and look like a disaster.
Wax tea lights in votives are rarely if ever a problem, but pillar candles can be difficult. When they melt all over the place in a deep set vase I’ve found it easiest post-event once they’re cooled and stuck to all sides of the vase, to place them in a warm oven for a couple of minutes and the slight warmth loosens all of the wax and it just falls out easily. Greatest solution to very difficult pillar candles in vases.
The French Bouquet: Fabulous Wedding & Event Floral Design
Ashley Paz
January 4, 2011
I have recently had a major candle nightmare. We had a client who HAD to have REAL candle light EVERYWHERE for her wedding reception. The wedding was around Halloween and SHE thought it would make the entire place look “haunted.” She found this DIY project online with tapers and recycled wine bottles that when clustered together gave a really great lighting effect and that was the end of the story. So we started saving wine bottles in preparation of her event. Then, a WEEK before the wedding the planner in charge of the event finds a bit of language in the contract stating that only fuel cell candles may be used. If anyone isn’t familiar with fuel cells, think plastic bottle with a wick in the top. So I spent the entire week before the wedding dipping fuel cell candles in wax to make them look like taper candles, then placing them on top of wine bottles with shims to make them all different heights, and finally dripping wax on them to give them the effect that they had been melted down. They ended up looking REALLY cool, but for all the work that we did on them (about 72 hours for 50 bottles) they didn’t even light because of the air vents at the venue. I will NEVER incorporate real flames into our designs again. It is far too much of a headache when there are better options out there.
Ashley Paz
January 4, 2011
Oh, and a trick I recently learned about getting wax out of a container: soak for 30 minutes with Dial soap and cold water. After the soak just drain the water off and the cold wax will pop right out!
Events by Doyin
January 5, 2011
Thanks Preston for this article. I’ve been thinking of a solution to wax problems for a while. I didn’t think the LED candles will have the same effect as the regular candles but i’ll give it a try at my next event.
Ashley
January 12, 2011
I think wax on a cloth like napkins or table linens (or even carpet!) has always been a challenge. However I have found a cure! Take a clean white hand towel, dampen it slightly and place it over the area where the wax has dripped. Next, apply a warm to hot (depending on the fabric) iron on to the dampened towel in small spurts of time (5-10 seconds) and presto! The wax will absorb into the towel and your mess is clean. Make sure to throw the towel away.
NICKY @ FIGMENT EVENTS NZ
February 24, 2011
Easy – I’ve had great success with putting candle holders/votives in the freezer (deep freeze) for a short while and the wax (usually) just pops out as a whole disc.