Paper Lanterns & Lights

We're using round, paper lanterns to decorate the area above the dance floor. I purchased some paper lanterns from the Paper Lantern Store (www.paperlanternstore.com) a month or so ago to get an idea for the overall look I was trying to achieve. The lanterns cost $1.23-$2.33, depending on size. I knew I wanted to have pink, green, and possibly white lanterns. When looking at the website I couldn't decide between two shades of green so I ordered one of each so I could see them in person and make a decision.

To go with the lanterns, I wanted to purchase lantern lights so that they would glow above the dance floor. I know some people will recommend "throwies" but I didn't want to have to track down all the materials. Plus I didn't think they would be more cost-effective because from what I read 1 "throwie" would be $1, and I think I would need at least 2-3 "throwies" in the bigger lanterns to properly light them. If you're interested in making "throwies" here is a tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Throwies/

Last week I met with my day-of-coordinator (DOC). She showed me a photo of a reception at our venue where the bride and groom used paper lanterns. (I posted the photo to the right. Note: I plan to hang our lanterns closely together than how these were hung.) We counted roughly 25 lanterns in the photo. My DOC asked me to not go over 30 lanterns because of the labor to hang them up (she and her team will be hanging them the morning of the wedding). So after meeting with her I decided to order 30 lantern lights so I see the two different shades of green with the lights. Then I could make a final decision between the two greens and order the lanterns. Oy, what a tedious process. :)

The lantern lights came in the mail the other day! I ordered them from www.save-on-crafts.com. Since I ordered more than 12 I received them for $1.69 each. Direct link: http://www.save-on-crafts.com/lanternlight.html

After putting the lights in both green lanterns I decided to go with the darker green. I'm going to order varied sizes. As of right now, I plan on ordering pink and green in 20", 16", and 12" and white in 16", 14", and 12".

Card Box & Topiaries

I've been working on my card box for over a week now. I can't seem to get the pink color right. I bought 2 different colors of pink at Lowe's-- one was too light and one was too dark. So now I'm mixing them together to make the color I want. I finished painting and decorating the top two boxes though. I just need to cut the card slot on the top box. Here is a pic of my rough mock-up:













Another project I'm beginning to tackle this weekend is the topiaries. I decided to make two topiaries to display on the fireplace edges. I started this project tonight, but I ran out of pink peonies. Needless to say, I'll be making a trip to Joann Fabric's tomorrow and crossing my fingers that they still have some. This is what I plan on the fireplace looking like with the topiaries and wreath I bought. Add some candles and voila!