There are many parts of your wedding that you can DIY, including the favors. Learn how to make your own candle favors so that guests go home with a useful gift.
Wedding favors have been a tradition for decades, but buying enough for all your guests can quickly become expensive. Unfortunately, many guests don’t even want favors because they’re useless. Luckily, there are lots of useful wedding favors that you can make yourself, like candles. Keep reading to learn how to make your own candle wedding favors so that your guests receive a useful gift to remember your special day.
Gather Supplies
The number of candles you need to make will depend on the number of guests you expect. Wait to make your candles until after the RSVP date to avoid making too many extras. Then, gather your supplies. You’ll need:
- Candle tins in your desired size (we recommend 4oz)
- Cotton candle wicks
- Soy wax
- Fragrance oil
- Heat safe container
- Stirrer
- Digital scale
- Optional: mica powder, wax dye, dried flowers, labels
Follow Directions
As long as you have the right supplies and follow directions carefully, you shouldn’t have a problem making your candles. Remember to prioritize safety by wearing protective gloves while handling hot wax and allow plenty of time for the candles to harden after.
Start by melting a small amount of wax and pour about one teaspoon of wax into the bottom of your candle tins. Place the wick in the center of the tin and then pour more wax over it to keep it secure. Measure enough soy wax to fit the number of tins you have. If you’re making 50 4oz candles, you’ll need 200oz, or 12.5 pounds, of soy wax. You won’t be able to melt this all at once, so prepare to do it in batches. Measure the batches by placing them in your heat-safe container on your digital scale.
Melt the wax on the stovetop or in the heat-safe container in the microwave. Once you melt the wax, mix in your desired amount of fragrance oil and any wax dye if you want the candles to be colorful. You can also use mica powder during candle making, mixing about 1/16 of a teaspoon for every 16oz of melted wax.
Once you melt your wax and you’ve added any desired extras, pour the wax into your candle tins, leaving about half an inch of space at the top so that the wax doesn’t run over the wick. Allow the wax to cool and harden until solid. You can then add any other extras, such as applying a thin layer of mica powder or dried flower petals on top. If you want to label the tin with your names and wedding date, you can also do that at the end.
Give Away
Store your candles in a cool, dry place until your wedding day. When your big day arrives, choose how you’ll give the favors away. You can put a favor at each place setting if you have assigned seats during your reception, or you can organize them on a table for people to pick up as they leave. Try to make a few extra that you can give to your service people, such as your photographer and caterer, as an extra thank you for making your big day special.
Making your own candle wedding favors takes time and effort, but the result is amazing. You can give away custom favors that are useful, beautiful, and smell great. All of your guests will want one, and you can even save one for yourself so that you have something special to light up your home.
