{DIY} Hanging Candle Holders

for my wedding reception, I don’t think there could be enough candles in the room. I dream of the room glowing, and filled with romantic light. since I got engaged, I have been scouring the internet for beautiful ways to incorporate candles into the table settings. one trend that I could not resist, but was Manzanita branches with hanging candles.

                 
as you may have figured out, I’m a girl on a budget. this is not necessarily because of financial reasons, but I’m always dedicated to creating and buying based on the best product for the least amount of money.
in order to create this look for my wedding, created by me, I was going to need several items to complete this project:

• Manzanita Branches
• Vases
• Candle Holders
• Wire (20 or 22 gauge)

early on, I spent time searching for affordable sources for these branches. I found the best prices to be from Blooms & Branches. this site offers not only affordable options for Manzanita branches, but many other decorative needs. I also liked this site because it offered instructional videos on how to arrange, and care for your branches. I ended up purchasing Manzanita that had been cut into pieces, as it would be easier to arrange in a vase.

here is a tutorial on how to arrange your branches

the candle holders proved to be the part of the project that I am having the most trouble with. hanging candle holders can be found all over the internet for about $1.99 and up, depending on the size and style. I was determined to find an affordable solution for less than $1.99. this proved to be a little more difficult to find candle holders to use to create the hanging holder. in order to make sure the wire stays in place, the straight candle holders will not work. you must find something with a lip or one that opens larger at the top than the bottom.  I searched the internet, and was feeling a little down that I might not be able to pull this off.

then it dawned on me…. JARS! I had seen the tutorials on how to create hanging mason jar candle holders, but this was too large for what I wanted to accomplish. however, shrinking the size to fit a tealight or votive would be perfect! the jar provides the threading to hold the wire in place, and still gives the illusion of being a candle holder. I again went to the internet to find a source for my tiny jars. I found a site: Speciality Bottle. This site has many different shapes and sizes, and most under $0.75/jar.  I narrowed my selections down to two:

                                                                               

the jar on the left starts out at $0.48/jar, and the jar on the right starts at $0.54/jar

now that I found a source for the jars, it was time to move on the other items. next stop: wire. as it turns out, wire is really cheap, and without spending more than a couple of minutes, I found 15yds of wire for $3.97 at Widget Supply.

I estimate that I will use 1ft-1.5ft for each candle holder. to create the  holder with the wire, please look at this video:

 

so after this is complete, the only thing left to get are the candles. Ikea has 100 tealights for $3.99. with the candles, and the supplies I have listed above, each candle holder is going to cost $0.60-0.66/holder. That is 70% less than what these are selling for on the internet! I couldn’t be more pleased with my findings.

I have not done this project yet, as my wedding in still 6 months away. when I do create these lovely little gems, I will be sure to post the pictures!