Wedding Wednesdays Q&A: Battery Operated Candles vs. Real Candles

Welcome to another Wedding Wednesdays Q&A!  If you haven’t been hanging out with us every week, this is where we answer your most pressing wedding planning questions so that you can enjoy your engagement and be merry.  Pretty awesome, right?! Let’s get started!  This week’s question is about candles.

Q: I’m having an outdoor wedding and I want to have lots of candles, but it just occurred to me that I might have to worry about the wind.  What do you think about battery operated candles vs. real candles?

Wonderful question!   It’s a small hurdle, but something I tackle with almost all of my destination weddings.  Candles are such a must because it makes everything look pretty.  They are so simple but add so much to the ambiance and lighting.

I personally love real candles and I would venture to guess that almost everyone in the world does as well.  It’s the flickering flame and the soft glow that is so nice.  However, with that being said battery operated candles are amazing.  They make ones now that feel real and flicker, so they look real too.  The awesome part is that there is no mess to clean up (which is a wedding planner‘s dream), and you don’t have to worry about them burning out or accidentally starting a fire.

So, battery operated candles vs. real candles? I like both.  For outdoor weddings, I usually recommend using battery operated candles when you can because then you just don’t have to worry about them at all.  You don’t have to worry about the wind or any elemental issues.  But, if you are a purist and would rather use real candles, then just make sure you use votives that are on the taller side so that your flame is harder to blow out.

(Photo credit: Bethany Carlson Photography)

Do you have a wedding planning problem that is eating at you?  Write to us in a comment below and we’ll help you out!