The best and easiest way to create a romantic atmosphere at your wedding reception is candlelight. However, there are a few aesthetic and safety rules you need to consider to create the best experience for you and your guests. We’re sure you don’t need the drama of the fire brigade attending your wedding!
Keep the flame burning all night
If you decide to include tapered candles in your wedding styling, enclose them in vessels or glass sleeves to protect them from airflow. Candles can suddenly be blown out with a gust of air, and the breeze from an air conditioner will make candles burn down faster.
If you are buying tea light candles yourself, ensure they are the nine-hour variety, so they don’t burn out before the main meal. If you’re setting up your wedding, stand the tea light wicks vertically when you’re placing them in the candle holder – this will make the lighting process much easier and faster!
Image: Georgie James Photography / Furniture Hire and Styling: Gather Vintage Hire / Florals: Thistle and Fern / Hire Xback Chairs + Trestles + Rounds: RBR Party and Event Hire / Stationery: Quill / Table Linen: Table Art / Wedding and Tableware Rentals: Event Merchant Co / Venue: Mount Ophir Estate
Avoid calling the fire brigade
Flames, hot wax, and flammable table cloths don’t mix well! 5-10cm wide pillar candles should be placed on an inflammable base such as a glass plate, marble pieces, or glass vases. You can also use timber boards as it’s not likely this size candle will burn all the way down throughout your event. Unless you want to pay for a new one, we advise not having candles sitting directly on table cloths.
Also, avoid the ambulance!
If you’re having share platters and tapered candles, ensure the candlelight is in covered vessels and placed in clusters so your platters can fit in the spaces between without your guests or staff burning their hands (or catching their sleeve on fire!).
Image: Free The Bird / Florist: Thrive Flowers / Styling and Décor: The Small Things Co / Glassware & Crockery: Complete Function Hire / Table Linen: Table Art / Furniture: Valiant Events / Stationery: Ivory and Stone / Venue: Chapel 1885
Focus on the food
Scented candles are perfect for your home but keep them away from the dining table. Not only does the fragrance conflict with the food aroma, but it can also upset some guests’ senses or allergies – not everyone may love that coconut-lime scent as much as you do!
Prepare for all seasons
Candlelight can transform your outside space, but unless the candles are enclosed in lanterns, and it is a calm evening, we suggest you use LED candles. Though they have had a bad reputation in the past for looking tacky, LED candles have come a long way in recent years. These days, you can find quality LED candles made from wax which flicker as a real candle would. The best part is that they withstand the wind and rain, and aren’t messy to clean up after your event.
Image: Sarah Eshu / Concept, florals, candlesticks and styling: Madeline Anne / Furniture and tableware: Simply Seated / Table Linen: Table Art / Silk napkins: Song Bird Silk / Charger plates: Take Me Hire / Venue: The Front
Skip the cleaning fee
Do your event hire company (or yourself!) a big favour! At the end of the night, allow the blown-out candle to solidify again before moving the vessels. This saves you from burning your hands, and your event hire staff hours of tedious cleaning!
Image: Anchor and Hope / Florals and Stylist: Wild Flos / Stationery and Stylist: State of Reverie / Tableware, Candlelight, and Stylist: The Small Things Co / Table Linen: Table Art / Venue: Firecracker Events
About Table Art: Table Art offers an inspiring collection of linen and table accessories for hire from the fabulously contemporary to a selection of timeless classics, to compliment and add a unique flair and polish to your event. Lead by event stylist Allie Hammet and her team of table styling experts, we have worked on events for two people to 2000! From the bottom of Tasmania to the top of sunny Queensland, our linens have graced tables across the country for more than a decade. Get more style tips over at tableart.net.au and find inspiration for your wedding on Instagram at @tablearteventhire or on Facebook.
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