If you’re a do-it-yourself bride, you’re no doubt trying to decide what kind of lighted table centerpieces you want for your wedding reception. Designing and creating your own centerpieces is a rewarding project and the results can be stunning and deeply personal. Before you start designing your DIY lighted table centerpieces, however, there are a few questions you should ask to make sure you end up with the results you want and that will work in the venue you’ve chosen.
1. Are Candles Allowed?
This is a critical question, as some venues do not allow real candles in lighted table centerpieces because of the risk of fire. Check to see whether you are allowed candles. If you can, be sure to ask about any restrictions or rules about using live flames. If you cannot use real candles, consider LED tea lights or votives that give you the look of a real flame without the heat or fire.
2. Will Candles Be Practical?
Even if your venue allows candles, consider how well they will work at your reception. If the reception is indoors, you shouldn’t have any problems and the flicker of candlelight from tapers, votives or tealights will give the room a romantic glow. If your reception is being held outside, consider the weather. It could be a breezy day; in which case you may find yourself having to assign people to relight the candles periodically. As an alternative, you can use candles that are placed in votive holders or tall, glass vases to shield the flames from the wind. As a bonus, the glass will capture and magnify the look of the flames.
3. What Kind of Electricity is Available?
Perhaps you want each table to have strands of fairy lights or twinkly lights running the length of each table. It’s a lovely, delicate look that gives wonderful low lighting, but it also requires electricity, and potentially a lot of it. Check with your venue to see how many electrical outlets there are in the space and whether they are located close to each of the tables. If you want to use strands of lights, you may need to invest in some extension cords or have some custom power strips put in place.
4. Do You Need Submersible Lighting?
Lighted table centerpieces that feature flowers floating in water look best of the lighting shines up through the water, creating a sparkling effect and highlighting the shape and color of the blossoms. Rather than opting to group candles elsewhere, invest in some submersible lights that can be turned on, then dropped to the bottom of each vase of water. The effect is striking and you won’t have to worry about an open flame.
5. What Kind of Artificial Lighting Will Work Best in Your Lighted Table Centerpieces?
If you’ve decided on artificial lights such as LED lights or electric lights, you will need to decide what kind works best with your centerpiece design. There are votives, tea lights, centerpiece base lights and many more available at Wholesale Flowers and Supplies. Some styles work better with large arrangements, others will smaller arrangements. Be sure you think about size, style and height of the centerpieces before choosing your lights.
Base lights come in several sizes that are ideal for low, wide arrangements. These shine a cluster of several small beams of light up through the bottom of the arrangement to add a subtle glow. For smaller arrangements, a single votive or tealight may provide enough light for each lighted table centerpiece. If you plan to cluster small arrangements of flowers on the table, clusters of tealights or votives will add light and be in keeping with the scale of your lighted table centerpieces. For tall, slender arrangements, you might want to look at twinkle lights that can be either twisted within the arrangement or twisted around tall vases to create a column of light.
Once you have answers to these questions, you can confidently design your lighted table centerpieces with the perfect light source to create maximum beauty and drama.