I am planning a wedding and the bride wants candles. Only thing is, the wedding is during the day (3:00pm)and outside. She wants candles during the ceremony and during the reception which is inside a barn with quite a bit of light. Her style is country vintage. Is it weird to have candles during a day wedding?

Thanks.

Silk Flower Specialist and Floral Planner at afloral.com Online Bridal Florals,

Christee,

I would say that if the bride wants candles at the outdoor ceremony part of the wedding, it’s not weird. However, they won’t necessarily show up, especially in pictures. Adding candles to the barn is a different story, though. Even if the barn is well lit, the candles should show up in photographs. I’ve attached some pictures that we did, including candles in each setup within a barn. These pictures were taken between noon and three, so they are even brighter than the lighting will be in your photographs. Also, the candles can always be lighted later in the evening as the light dwindles on the reception. I would advise your bride of the different options. She may decide to forgo the candles in the ceremony and just leave them in the reception area. Good luck!

Joyce C Smith, MBC, President and owner of Weddings Unlimited, Inc.

It is unusual for a bride to request candles for a day wedding, but it is her day and her wishes should be honored. In order for them to be really noticed outdoors, make sure they are colored and maybe surrounded by flowers, etc. Be prepared to be relighting them if it is a breezy day. Inside the barn,if the lights are lowered, it should be fine. Be careful to keep them in containers if this is a true barn and has straw and and maybe some rotted timbers.

Angie Zimmerman

Hi Christee, Yes, it is a bit abnormal to have candles in the daylight,however, I always say, it’s your day, make it the way you want it. If you want candles, have candles. Using candles outdoors can be tricky with wind. If that is at all a consideration for you, use some of the newer battery operated candles. They come in all kinds of varieties including real candle wax pillar candles with a battery operated wick.. To anyone looking at the candle it is pretty hard to tell it’s not real, this eliminates the need for hurricane shades or other types of enclosures around open flames required by most fire codes. You could use battery operated votive candles for the barn area and, again, eliminate the need to enclose an open flame in glass. I have a couple candle type centerpieces on my website with instructions on how to make them. One of the examples takes 3 different heights of cylinder vases, I add rose petals to the bottom of the vase, fill with water and float a candle on top.

Floating candles also come in a battery operated version these days! Or, you can add some sort or artificial floral, berry or foliage to the bottom of the vase. In the example attached, I added artificial cranberry garland that I cut into smaller pieces, then added water and the floating candle. You will have to add the water and floating candle at the location,. You cannot deliver these vases full of water with the candle on top, there is too much movement in a vehicle and the water will spill. This is a very easy design, can be color coordinated to your wedding colors and can be done on site in a minimal amount of time.

Another idea on my site is to take the same cylinder vases, cover the outsides with scrap paper or even wall paper in a design that matches your taste. You can tie a ribbon around the wrap or glue gem stones on the seams. Let your imagination soar and come up with other ideas to incorporate candles with a theme. Have fun, I’m sure you will come up with the perfect idea!

christee

Thanks for your input. I knew I would get some great responses to my dilemma. This definitely gives me direction and let’s me know that I should honor the brides wishes as best I can. Excellent.