Unity candles can be very expensive. Mary Lyon, host of DIY Crafts, shows how to make your own for less than $30. Materials:
Tall white pillar candle
Copy of wedding invitation
White decorative trim
Low-temp glue gun and glue
Straight pins with white ball tops
Scissors
Wire cutters
Cloth-covered wire
Three purchased white bows, or wire-edged white ribbon to make bows
White silk rose or white silk flower embellishments
Two tall glass taper candleholders
Two white taper candles
- Cut out the written portion from the wedding invitation in a rectangle or square, depending on the layout. A copy is used rather than an original because invitations are usually printed on heavy card stock that won't readily curve around a candle.
- Place the invitation copy around the candle, leaving room at the top for the candle to burn without burning the invitation and space at the bottom for embellishments (figure A).
- Use wire cutters to cut the straight pins to a length of about 1/2" below the ball heads (figure B).
- Starting in the upper left corner of the invitation, place the trim across the top edge of the paper, securing it by pushing pins through the trim and paper every 1/2". Go all the away around the invitation. Cut off the trim when it reaches the beginning point. There's no need to use glue: the pins will keep the paper and trim in place (figure C).
- Hot-glue a white silk rose or white silk flower to the center of a purchased wire-edged bow, or make your own looped bow. Hot-glue the bow to the space between the invitation and the bottom edge of the candle. Low-temperature glue is recommended so it won't melt the candle. Hot-glue additional silk flowers around the invitation, if desired (figure D).
- Tie cloth-covered wire around each of the other two bows (or make two more bows from ribbon). Wire a bow around the top of two clear-glass taper candleholders. Place a white taper in each holder (figure E). Place the pillar candle between the tapers.
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