luminaries, luminaria, paper lanterns, whatever you may call them…

I love me some candles. Love, love, love them. Lord knows I’ve posted enough about candles and candlelight to drive that point home. But, I can’t help it; they are really beyond perfect. And, you’d be hard up to find something else that creates that kind of ambiance and drama on a budget.

With that said, I’d like to present another post on…wait for it…candles…

Luminaries aren’t only displayed on Christmas Eve anymore. Nope; wedding luminaries are a year-round phenomenon. They can be created from paper bags for a country wedding, punctured tin cans for an urban wedding, even ice for a winter wedding. They can be used indoors and outdoors alike, flanking a bride as she walks down a grassy aisle, lighting the way to the reception site, or dotting guest tables throughout the reception (like Martha's doily luminaries below). Paper bags are my personal favorite; that damn shabby chic gets me every time.

A simple google search reveals thousands of sites dedicated to precut, beatified paper bags. But, why get those when you can buy these paper bags (for next to nothing), which happen to be perfect for wedding luminaries and Martha Stewart’s hanging paper lanterns (last photo)!

photo credit: Martha Stewart, Justin Marantz, Martha Stewart, Studio Foto via Style Me Pretty, Christian Oth Studio via Style Me Pretty, April Smith via Style Me Pretty

6 comments:

Hannah said...

Yeah-- I was a little confused this morning whenever I noticed you had posted the same post.. haha. It's okay-- I think we've all done something like that or worse!

Colleen said...

a rite of passage, i guess ;)

Anonymous said...

Luminaries for me are always great. I really love the accent that these paper lanterns provide. As of now, i am also checking out luminaries from different sites because i am thinking of using them as decorations to my reception. I saw several luminaries from americanbridal.com and they are really gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

My cousin made some out of ice for her winter wedding, and it was so pretty!

Anonymous said...

Where are the lanterns in the first photo from? The ones next to the guest book- LOVE THEM!

Casey said...

The lacy luminaries are Marth Stewart....

Nothing like DIY!!

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/lacy-luminarias