With the arrival of Spring, our tradition of Springing ahead, and reminders from the Fire Department to check our batteries in our Smoke Detectors, it made me think about candles and event décor, and fire safety. Lighting and Décor are very important parts of the event experience and I have been doing many site visits lately to begin planning for Spring, Summer and Fall events; I have noticed that many venues have invested in their own Flameless or Battery/remote operated candles for Décor. In speaking to a venue recently, they noted how originally when they first arrived on the scene they were not very authentic looking, however, they have come a long way. Far enough so that many venues have invested in them for themselves and provide them as part of their décor packages. It is a smart investment for many reasons. There is no cleanup of spilled wax, no damage to linens or property, and no danger of fire. When I am discussing ambient lighting décor with clients I often recommend that they purchase their own lanterns and flameless candles as they can become part of your own home décor to use over and over throughout the year; a good investment to enhance your everyday home experience. Some are on a timer or a remote control so that they will come on and turn off by themselves. You don’t have to panic to remember if you blew the candles out before falling asleep! There are some that are used for uplighting and obviously, there is no cord, so no trip hazard! There are so many great reasons to use flameless electric lighting in your décor whenever possible.
Flameless candles now come in all varieties of sizes and features- from pillars to tea lights, you can get ones that flicker, emit blue or warm light, float, some are water activated and can be immersed in a pillar to provide light to floral décor, too. All depending on what you need to enhance your event. Some Pillar candles may be made of wax and therefore still be temperature sensitive to sunlight or heat so those need some additional care or don’t use them in outdoor or locations near heat. Flameless candles are especially great outdoors or near the beach as you don’t have to worry about the wind blowing them out! Children also think it is a game to blow candles out like a birthday cake, so a flameless candle prevents that constant task of re-lighting them. For those of you that still crave the real thing, I thought I would share a few stories that have made me a fan.
I have seen décor catch fire quite often from votives- thankfully staff were nearby to extinguish- but not without damage to the linens or the carpet. Cloth napkins have caught a flame from a votive on the tables a few times, too, and again, thankfully the waitstaff was nearby to extinguish. Tapers are not as popular but twice I have seen the taper burn down to catch the wreath or other décor around it- One time the taper was in a sconce on the wall with a wreath around it- thankfully all situations were quickly extinguished. There was the time the angora of a sweater went up in a flash as the guest leaned over the bar and votives to get a drink. In all cases no one was hurt, but it is so good to know we have such great economical and authentic looking alternatives that do not detract from our experience, but rather enhance it by the nature that they are reusable and they can be left unattended or left on without incident allowing us all to enjoy our guests and not worry about the candles burning out.
I do still burn scented candles at home or in strategic locations, those are not usually for décor but more for ambiance, and can often be placed in inconspicuous, low traffic locations for safety.
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