Candlestick Centerpieces

It occurred to me a few days ago that I have mentioned several times how I'm not using floral centerpieces, but never actually let you all in on what WILL be gracing our tables.

I knew right off that big, lush floral centerpieces wouldn't be in our budget and I have always loved candlelight, so I admit that I was pretty drawn to candle centerpieces right from the start. I wanted to make them dramatic, though, and I figured that the best way to do it would be to have tapers at each table, but didn't have any idea how to make it enough of a statement. That is, until I ran across this picture in a magazine probably at least a year ago:

(Photo credit for Martha, of course)

I loved the look immediately. I also saw right away the potential for a very "Phantom of the Opera" type drama for this look in our deep purple.

The problem then was how to get enough candlesticks. Let me tell you, most taper candlestick holders are not cheap! I tried the usual suspects: Ebay, Craigslist, etc., but finally settled on thrifting them from around the city. It was an ambitious project, given that I needed about 100 candlestick holders to have enough for all of the tables, but after about four months of thrifting once or twice a week (and a few additions from my dad and stepmom's adventures!), I was able to collect over 100 of them.

This is just a small sampling of our collection. I love all the different heights and shapes!

*Please excuse the poor quality photos, we're in the middle of unpacking and it was just a drive-by mock-up!*

I also picked up some wax candle adapters, which I had never heard of until I started wedding planning:

(Photo Credit)

They apparently keep tapers from tipping over in holders that aren't sized perfectly (which is a definite risk when you're thrifting them!), so we won't have crookedness like the middle candle in the picture I took above.

Then I ordered the purple taper candles in bulk for $75 from the cheapest place I could find them and voila, we had centerpieces! I resolved not to spend more than four dollars a piece on each of the holders and most were only a dollar or two, so all in all I spent about $350 getting gorgeous centerpieces put together! That was one of greatest budget-slashers, since the floral quotes I was getting here in the city were running in the several thousands, even for simple arrangements.


Are you incorporating candles into your centerpieces? How are you trying to make them unique?