Toolbox
- three 5" x 7" frames for each luminaria
- vellum paper
- 3/4" wide ribbon
- hot glue gun
- votive candles in glass holders or battery operated tea lights
It’s definitely wedding season, and brides everywhere are looking for easy and inexpensive ways to personalize their events with handmade touches (like the handmade wedding invitations I shared with you last week). To help with that effort, I’ve come up with a really neat luminaria idea that’s super easy to make, and they can cost less than $5 each. Sweet and elegant, these candle-lit centerpieces can be personalized with the bride and groom’s name and/or photo, and are sure to be the talk of the reception!
Start with three 5″ x 7″ frames in a color to match your wedding decor. The best source for these is your local dollar store, where you can often pick up simple frames for one dollar each. You can also look for bulk lots on eBay. Remove the backing from each frame and discard (or stash them away in case you want to disassemble the luminarias after the wedding and use them as frames again).
You will need a 5″ x 7″ piece of translucent vellum paper for each frame. You can use regular white vellum here, or a pretty printed vellum (check your local scrapbook stores for lots of options). For a really personal touch, though, print a design onto the vellum. Here are some ideas:
- a photo of the bride and groom
- the bride and groom’s name
- the date of the wedding
- a special message from the couple to the guests
- the table number
- a special poem or saying
- an image depicting the theme of the wedding
If you print on the vellum, I suggest printing on the BACK of the paper, in reverse, so that the black ink isn’t as stark on the paper. This will allow the design to glow softly from behind in the candlelight. Just remember when printing on the back of the paper that you’ll need to print your design in REVERSE, so that it doesn’t look backwards when you’re done!
Now take some 3/4″ wide ribbon and cut three pieces of it that are about 1 inch shorter than your frame is tall. The thinner the material that the ribbon is made of, the better it will work, because you want it to be able to fold easily. In other words, don’t use fancy, thick satin or grosgrain ribbon, because it won’t be easy to work with. I actually had really good results with acetate ribbon, which is really thin and almost like plastic (and very cheap!)
Line up two of the frames very close together, and use a hot glue gun
Very quickly put a piece of ribbon down over the glue and press it into place. Once cool, lift the frame up and test to be sure that the ribbon hinge is working as you expect it to.
Repeat the process, joining the third frame to the other two. Then add one more piece of ribbon to the side of the third frame, but make sure that you leave half of it hanging over the edge. This will become your last hinge in a few minutes when we join the frames together in a triangle.
With your ribbons attached, go ahead and put the vellum sheets into the frames and secure with the frame clips or with small pieces of tape.
Now fold the last piece of ribbon up, making a crease. If the crease won’t hold, and it’s a fabric ribbon, you might want to press the crease with a warm iron. (Note – Do not use an iron on acetate ribbon, and do not touch the frame with the iron, or else you might damage the surface.)
Stand the frames up and bring the two ends together, making sure that your creased ribbon will meet the other end of the first frame.
Take your hot glue gun and run a bead of glue down the inside of the first frame, put the ends of the frames together, and use a metal ruler to press the ribbon down into the glue. And that’s it, you’re done!
To use the luminaria, just place it over a lit votive candle in a glass holder
The soft flickering light from the candle will light up your vellum and the table will look gorgeous!
P.S. Are you thinking of putting disposable cameras on your reception tables? Save money and just collect all those digital photos your guests took at your wedding instead! Sign up for an online photo sharing account, then create little info cards to remind your guests where to upload their pics. Then display those cards right on the tables in our camera-shaped PicShare Boxes! Learn more about them at PicShareBoxes.com.
19 comments so far:
These are fabulous, thanks so much!
Awesome!! And it’s a dollar store craft.
I will definitely link to this! 
I really like these, I would love one just to have sitting on a shelf.
These are just beautiful!!! I wish I had some friends getting married because this is a CHEAP and easy way to make a darling centerpiece. I will keep this in mind if I hear of any one else getting married.
Thanks everyone!
Julie, you can use these for more than just weddings. As Shanon suggested, they can look pretty on a shelf, and they would make a great table centerpiece for any big holiday dinner, like Thanksgiving or Christmas!
I needed to create centerpieces which had little weight due to the need to carry them in my suitcase from AZ to Pennsylvania for my in-laws 50th Anniversary. I used the same idea, but substituted mat boards for the frames, sandwiching the vellum between two identical (back-to-back) mat boards (gold on one side, black on the inside), and used black masking tape for the ‘hinge’. I waited until I arrived in Pennsylvania to adhere the final side (each luminaria was 5 sided). They were a big hit and represented both sides of the family well. Fortunately I had a LOT of old photos to choose from.
What a great idea, Angie. Mat boards would certainly be a lot easier to carry in luggage. I bet it was a joy for your in-laws and their guests to see all the photos over their 50 years together. Thanks for sharing with us!
I am doing this project, but when I printed my saying on the vellum paper in reverse some of the letters ended up backwards. Can you tell me how to do this?
Hi Amy. I suggest printing the design onto the back of the paper, in reverse (the letters will be backwards). Then flip the paper over and let the design show through, and it will appear in right order. See these two images from the tutorial above for an example of what I mean.
I can’t find frames with frame clips. I tried tape but it doesn’t hold the glass in firmly. Where did you get your frames?
Hi Vanessa. I got my frames at the local “one dollar” store, where everything costs $1. If you can’t find frames with clips, perhaps you can use hot glue to hold the glass in place?
I absolutely love these. I wanted to know if clear package tape would work as the hinge. The frames I have are clear and have words around the border such as its all about love, always and forever, etc. Could I use clear packing tape as the hinge or no? Please let me know someone!!
Hi Liza. We’re so glad you love this idea! Clear frames sound very pretty, and I think clear packing tape would work quite well to hold them together. My only concern would be once the candle is lit, if it generates enough heat to make the tape peel off or not. I suggest assembling one luminaria and light a candle inside and let it burn all the way, and see if the tape is affected or not. Then you’ll know if it will work! Please let us know what you find out.
Hi Chica I have this concern too is there anyother way I can assemble the frames together? Please let me know. I have already purchased the frames but I’m having trouble coming up with an idea to put the frames together. What other ideas do you have that I can use with these picture frames? I have also considered just standing two picture frames back to back and using this as the center piece. Maybe spreading petals along the table and scattering tea lights along the table. Please let me know as soon as you can.
Hi Liza. Have you considered using a ribbon anyway, even if it will show? Perhaps a white or black ribbon (or even one in your wedding colors) would look nice, even if it shows through the clear frame? Or perhaps you could find some sheets of clear plastic (like acetate, transparency film, or even heavyweight page protectors) and then cut that into strips to basically make your own clear “ribbon”. That might work to attach the frames just like in the tutorial.
And I just thought of something… if you use battery-operated tea lights, instead of real candles, they won’t get warm at all and your original packing tape idea should work fine.
If those techniques don’t work, I like your idea of just using a few frames on the table, with petals and candles scattered around.
I used black electrical tape on black frames. It worked quite well!
Debbi, what a fantastic idea to use the tape like that. I bet it would also work well with the duct tape that comes in an array of colors now! We would love to see your finished project if you care to email us a picture.
Hello,
I was given this idea by a relative and want to use these for a rehearsal dinner centerpiece. My relative used tri-fold HINGED picture frames. Doing so seems to avoid having to glue the frames together. Now that I see yours, I think perhaps the gaps will let out too much light?
I like the idea behind avoiding the glue step, Karen, but I tend to agree with your thoughts about the gaps letting out too much light. It would depend on how big the hinges are, I think. Also, most tri-fold hinged frames I’ve seen have one hinge that goes in one direction, and the other folds the other way… I’m not sure you would be be able to fold them both backwards so that the ends meet. Know what I mean?