Winter weddings are my favorite. Maybe because I grew up in Colorado, maybe it’s because they are so much less common than weddings in other seasons that they instantly become memorable and unique, and give lots of room for creativity. I’m a sucker for a white dress in the snow, a cozy venue, lots of candlelight and warm drinks.
These beeswax candles are a great example of a pretty way to warm up your winter wedding. Plus, they hit my trifecta of requirements for wedding favors: (1) practical, (2) portable (for out of town guests) and (3) pretty (obviously). Look at that alliteration! I’m doing Peggy Olson proud.
I tied mine using a piece of wood veneer and twine with a little juniper sprig, but honestly, twine or string is pretty much all you need, and you can endlessly customize (a leaf, gold ribbon, even a little tulle would all look great). I also had so much fun making these that I tried little mini ones – you know, for kids! – tied with twine and a bit of lavender, before I remembered that probably parents wouldn’t be too keen on giving their kids FLAMABLE OBJECTS, but still! These littler versions are super cute and save money on the beeswax. As seating cards they’re certainly easier to put out on a table.
I know a lot of folks will disagree with me, but I’m also a big proponent of not having the couple’s name on things you give out at weddings. If it’s something with a short shelf life (pencils! M&Ms!) I say go for it. But, beautiful as they are, no one but you, your mom and grandma is going to hold onto a vintage handkerchief that has your & your new spouse’s name painstakingly silkscreened on it as a “keepsake” of your day (I’m looking at you, Pinterest – where did this super labor intensive idea come from?). No one wants something with someone else’s monogram, and no one uses hankies anymore. Because they are like Kleenex, only way more gross. Don’t be gross – make candles instead!
So, on to the how-to!
What you’ll need:
- Beeswax Sheets: You can get beeswax sheets all over the Internet. Sheets tend to come in 8×16 sizes. One sheet made me two 8-inch candles, which is a perfect size for putting on a place setting. I found a good bulk deal here – http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c70,p765&title=Honeycomb-Texture-Beeswax-Sheets(200-Sheet-Pack) – which averages out to about $1.20 per fancy-pants favor – not bad!
- Wick spool
- Hair dryer
- Scissors/straight edge
Steps are super easy:
1) Use your hair dryer to warm up the wax, making back and forth motions so it warms evenly. No need to go crazy here, just get it warm enough to roll.
2) Place wick on warmed edge of wax.
3) Roll wax, re-warming with hair dryer whenever it gets stiff until you’ve used half of your sheet.
4) Cut wax – one candle down!
5) Bring wick onto second half of sheet.
6) Repeat steps above until you have two candles, joined at the wick.
I chose “natural” for a rustic look, but I think white would be gorgeous for a winter wedding. To me, one of the prettiest things about this favor is how natural it looks, so I steered away from the ‘dyed’ colors, but I could see how a nice dark green or deep red would be beautiful for a winter favor as well, depending on what else you’ve got going on.
Hope you and your guests enjoy!
Hello, my name is Amory. I am a blogger living in New York. This is my blog, where I post my photos, fashion trends and tips about the fashion world. Never miss out on new stuff.
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