It’s finally starting to warm up in Chicago, thankfully, but that long winter we endured was actually beneficial for me when it came to wedding planning. Not only was being stuck inside a perfect time to do research, but the holiday season also turned out to be a great time to start buying decorations. Stores had lots of pretty things and lots of sales.
Take, for instance, these mercury glass votive candle holders.
Mercury glass is all the rage now in the wedding world, but this particular set of mixed-matched candles was actually supposed to be Christmas decor. I thought they looked cool and could be a part of our table centerpieces so I bought all the boxes they had at Marshall’s.
But because it’s Marshall’s, that wasn’t very many. I tried other Marshall’s and Homegoods stores but they don’t always have the same things so that didn’t work. I must have just gotten lucky because every time I went back to the Marshall’s by my house, there were a few more on the shelves so I kept stocking up at every chance. I kind of lost count at this point, but I think I have enough now to put a few on all our tables!
Also around Christmastime, I found these pomander balls, or “kissing balls,” where the flower petals are made out of wood curls. Believe it or not, these are actually tree ornaments! But I just love anything made out of wood curls — they’re so cool! — so I snatched those up too and figured I could use them in the wedding decor somehow. Initially I thought I could hang them from the chairs lining the aisle, but now I’ve got something else in mind for them.
The best part about these decorations is that I can save them and use them again for other things. Which I have been doing, even though it’s before the wedding… haha. Might as well make the most of my purchases!
For the holidays, I made a winter tablescape using the votive holders for our dining room table and also put them along our fireplace mantel.
But be warned: do not put candles too close to the TV!
For the most part I just used them for decoration, but one night I was feeling festive and plopped some tea lights in there to get a nice warm glow.
Within 30 seconds, a big black blob formed across the screen of our brand new television! I jumped up and blew out the candles, and then Justin and I stood there in shock staring at this blob that blacked out the picture right in the middle of the screen.
Whoopsies!
Fortunately, as time went on, the blob began to shrink and eventually disappeared. The picture went back to normal. Phew!
The whole thing definitely shook up Justin a bit, though. I believe his exact words were “I can’t believe something almost happened to the thing I care most about in this world.”
That’s right. Not me, but the television…
I fact-checked that quote with him recently, and he seems to remember it differently: “I can’t believe something almost happened to the thing I care most about in this world, after Katie.” Riiiiight.
Well, in his defense, he did say thing and not person. :)