Fire and Flame

Mar 18, 2019 | wedding planning

Tea lights in cut-off wine bottles are both pretty and safe. Photo by The Still Life Photography.

I think there have been candles of some sort at every single wedding I’ve ever worked on.  It seems that everyone loves candles!  Everyone, that is, except maybe the fire marshal.  Perhaps it’s because most of my work is in Chicago–which has the strictest fire code in the country–that I’ve run across this issue more than once.

If you’re planning your wedding or party decor, give some thought to this:  All flame must be enclosed.  No open flames are allowed.  That’s what the Chicago city fire code says; that’s what a great many responsible venues put into their contracts (even outside the city); and that is the only safe way to have candles at your event.

I’ve seen this play out a couple of different ways.  I recall a reception at a restaurant where the restaurant itself had a great many unenclosed pillar candles on the tables.  I watched in horror as two candles on the gift table were knocked over onto the floor.  We got lucky that time:  They extinguished themselves as they fell and didn’t light anything on fire.  I did some re-arranging after that to avoid future problems.  It really opened my eyes to the problem of open flame.

Another time, a bride wanted to have tapers in crystal candlesticks on the head table.  It would have looked spectacular!  And the venue put a stop to it before they were even lit.  The bride had to be content with unlighted tapers.

There are lots of ways to have safe (and legal) candles at a large event.  Votive candles in glass are pretty typical.  Tea lights in glass are also used frequently (but they don’t burn as long as votives).  If you want pillar candles, try hurricane lanterns or other kinds of lanterns.  Lanterns with colored glass are a nice touch.  You can even put a taper in a lantern, if you like.

The other option is flameless candles, such as the newer LED candles.  I’ve mostly seen pillar candles and votives made this way, and the best ones are almost indistinguishable from real candles.  And they can be free-standing without glass.  Use them to line the aisle or light the way up stairs.  Not only will they not set anything on fire, they also don’t burn out or put soot into the air.

I’ll admit that fire safety is probably not the first thing on the mind of anyone planning a big party or a wedding.  So, please consider this your reminder to put safety first and think about how to have the beauty of candles safely.