Tea Light Magic: Diy Wedding Tea Light Holders

Tea light holders can be a great DIY project for weddings, and they can be made in a variety of ways. You can use glass jars, cardstock, or wood to make the holders, and decorate them with paint, ribbon, or washi tape. Tea light holders can also be hung with wire or yarn to create a chandelier effect. They are simple to make, cost-effective, and can be personalised to match your wedding theme.

Hanging Mason Jar tea light holders

Materials:

• Mason jars (with regular mouths)
• Hanging mason jar lids with chains
• Tea light candles
• Optional decorations: ribbon, twine, flowers, glitter, paint, etc.

Steps:

Prepare the Mason Jars:

You can decorate the jars in a variety of ways to match your wedding theme. For example, you could fill the bottom of the jars with rocks, paint the jars, or add glitter. You could also leave the jars as they are for a rustic look.

Add Tea Light Candles:

Place tea light candles inside the Mason jars. For safety, ensure you only use LED or battery-operated candles.

Attach Hanging Lids:

Secure the hanging lids with chains to the Mason jars. Ensure the lids are specifically designed for regular-mouth Mason jars.

Optional: Add Extra Decorations:

You can further decorate the jars by tying ribbons or twine around the neck of the jars, or adding flowers or other embellishments.

Hang Your Creations:

Finally, hang your tea light holders from hooks or brackets, creating a beautiful, intimate atmosphere for your wedding.

These tea light holders are a simple yet effective way to add a personal touch to your wedding decor. They can be made well in advance, and you can make a large number of them quickly, ensuring your wedding venue looks magical.

Personalised tea light holders

Hanging Mason Jar Tea Light Holders

This idea uses vintage Mason, modern, or ball Mason jars, or even Classico pasta sauce jars with the labels removed. You will also need heavy floral wire, a long-handled lighter or matches, and some sand or glass marbles (optional).

First, peel off any labels from the jars and wash them. Next, wrap the floral wire around the bottom of the jar to get the right length, then cut the wire, leaving it 1-3 inches longer. Form the wire into a circle and twist the ends together to secure it around the mouth of the jar. Cut two more pieces of wire, about 3-4 inches long, and attach them to the circle as handles. Finally, loop some wire or thread yarn, rattan, or ribbon through the handles to hang the jars.

Glasses with Personalised Messages

For this idea, you will need straight-edged glasses, a pencil and craft knife, tracing paper, white paper, glue, and tea light candles.

First, use software to write your chosen names or message in your preferred typography and colour scheme. Print this onto tracing paper. Next, wrap a sheet of white paper around a glass and mark the measurements with a pencil, adding an extra 1/2 inch for sticking the paper. Cut out the message strips from the tracing paper using the white paper guide. Finally, wrap the paper ribbons around the glasses and glue them in place before placing a candle in each glass.

Washi Tape Tea Light Holders

This idea uses jars with lids, tea light candles, glass tea light holders, washi tape, ribbon, a hot glue gun, and optional small box matches.

First, choose washi tape in colours that match your wedding theme. Cover the base of each candle with the washi tape, wrapping it all the way around and securing the end. Next, fill the jar with the washi tape-covered candles. You can create a pattern with different colours if you wish. Then, glue the tea light holders to the jar lid, placing them in the very centre. Finally, decorate the jar with ribbon or more washi tape.

Wood Tea Light Candle Holders

For a rustic look, you can use small wooden tea light holders made from natural wood. Simply place tea lights inside, or turn them over and use them as stands for mini flower pots or other decorations.

DIY simple tea light holders

DIY tea light holders are a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding. They are simple to make, cost-effective, and can even be made into a fun group activity with your family. Here are some creative and straightforward ideas to make DIY tea light holders for your special day.

Hanging Mason Jar Tea Light Holders

This idea by BerettaFleur uses vintage Mason jars, modern ball Mason jars, or simple Classico pasta sauce jars. You will also need heavy floral wire, a long-handled lighter or matches, and some sand or glass marbles (optional).

Steps:

• Peel off any labels from the jars and wash them.
• Cut the floral wire to the required length, leaving it 1-3 inches longer than the circumference of the jar mouth. Form it into a circle, but don't close the ends yet.
• Cut two shorter pieces of wire, about 3-4 inches long, to create handles. Attach these to the circular wire by looping and bending tightly, then clip off any excess wire.
• Place the main circle piece around the mouth of the jar and twist the ends tightly to secure it. Cut off any excess wire.
• Finally, loop a long piece of wire or thread yarn, rattan, or ribbon through the handles to create a hanger. Ensure it is far enough from the mouth of the jar to avoid catching fire.

You can hang these individually or group them together to create a stunning chandelier effect. You can even paint the jars with watercolour or glaze for added colour.

Washi Tape Tea Light Holders

This idea uses washi tape and glass jars to create colourful and personalised tea light holders.

Supplies:

• Jar with a lid (you can find these at dollar stores or reuse old sauce or jelly jars)
• Tea light candles (a 50-pack can be found at Walmart or any store that sells candles)
• Glass tea light holder (a 5-count pack can be found at Hobby Lobby)
• Assorted washi tape (small enough to wrap around the tea light candle without overlapping)
• Assorted ribbon
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Small box of matches (optional)

Steps:

• Choose washi tape in colours and widths that match your wedding theme.
• Open your tea light package and wrap the washi tape around the outside of each candle, cutting off any excess tape. Ensure the tape is pressed firmly.
• Fill your jar with the washi tape-covered candles, creating a pattern with different colours if desired.
• Using hot glue, attach the glass tea light holder to the centre of the jar lid.
• Decorate the jar by tying a bow with ribbon around the neck or adding more washi tape in any pattern you like.

Delicate Paper Tea Light Holders

For a unique and intricate look, you can create paper tea light holders using cardstock and a cutting machine.

Supplies:

• 3-6 sheets of 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" 65 lb. solid-core cardstock in various colours
• 1-3 sheets of 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" 65 lb. foil cardstock
• LED tea light (battery-operated or remote-controlled)
• Cutting machine (such as the Cricut Maker 3)
• Craft glue
• Optional: scoring stylus or single scoring wheel, weeding tool, tweezers

Steps:

• Use your cutting machine to cut out the cardstock in your desired design. You can create foldable creases by using a scoring tool or including dashed cut lines in your design.
• Fold and glue the pieces together to form the tea light holder.
• Pop in an LED tea light and enjoy the ambiance!

Wooden Tea Light Holders

For a rustic touch, you can use natural wood to create simple and elegant tea light holders.

Supplies:

• Wood tea light holders (you can find sets of 20 online)
• Tea light candles

Steps:

• Place tea light candles in the wooden holders.
• Use them as decorations at your wedding tables, or even as mini succulent pots!

With these ideas, you can create beautiful and personalised tea light holders for your wedding, adding a warm and romantic ambiance to your special day.

Glass tea light holders

Hanging Glass Orbs:

These decorative glass globes can be hung at different heights, creating a whimsical and elegant look for your wedding reception or outdoor dinner party. They are made of high boron silicon glass and have two small openings at the top for better air circulation. You can fill them with LED tea lights, roses, or other decorative items.

Personalized Glasses:

You can easily personalize glasses with straight edges and turn them into tea light holders. Here's how:

• Use software to write names or messages in a typography and color scheme that matches your wedding theme.
• Print your message on tracing paper.
• Cut a guide out of white paper by wrapping it around a glass and marking the measurements, adding an extra 1/2 inch for sticking the paper.
• Cut the printed tracing paper using the guide.
• Wrap the paper ribbons around the glasses and glue them in place.
• Place a candle into each glass.

Glass Candle Holder Set:

You can also create a set of glass candle holders of varying heights and sizes to place on tables or hang for decoration. These can be filled with tea lights or small plants and decorated with ribbons or beads.

Wood tea light holders

Wooden tea light holders are a great DIY project for weddings and can be made in a few simple steps. The first step is to source your wood, with options including Blackthorn wood and walnut. Using an axe, split the log and level the top, ensuring you are careful not to chop your fingers! Sand the wood until it is perfectly flat, which will save time at the sanding stage.

The next step is to create a dado in the bottom of the log by making multiple cuts with a mitre saw and test fitting a walnut piece until it fits snugly. Clean out any excess wood from the dado using a chisel. Cut the walnut scrap to size with the mitre saw and glue and clamp it overnight to ensure the candle holder will sit level. Drill 38mm candle holes with a spade bit, ensuring they are marked out carefully. Most good-quality tealights are 38mm in diameter, including the metal holder.

Finally, apply a finish to the holder. A spray-on polyurethane finish is a good option, with 3 coats recommended, sanding lightly between each coat. Use a paintbrush to stop any runs from spreading before the finish dries. Once dry, add some candles and light them. Scented candles can be a nice touch, and you can even match the candle colour to the wood.

For a simpler wooden tea light holder, you can use wooden curtain rings and wood glue. Remove the metal hooks from the curtain rings, apply a small amount of glue to one side of a ring, and place another ring on top, ensuring they line up. Hold them together with a clamp, bulldog clip, or elastic band, and leave to dry for 20-30 minutes. Repeat this process until you are happy with the height of your holder, mixing natural and painted rings for a nice contrast. Insert a tealight, being careful as you use the holder, never leaving a burning candle unattended.

Frequently asked questions