How to Make Unity Candles

Materials and Tools:

tall white pillar candle
copy of wedding invitation
white decorative trim
low-temp glue gun and glue
straight pins with white ball tops
scissors
wire cutters
cloth-covered wire
3 purchased white bows or wire-edged white ribbon to make bows
white silk rose or white silk flower embellishments
2 tall glass taper candleholders
2 white taper candles

Steps:

1. Cut out the written portion from the wedding invitation in a rectangle or square, depending on the layout. A copy is used rather than an original because invitations are usually printed on heavy card stock that won't readily curve around a candle.
   
2. Place the invitation copy around the candle, leaving room at the top for the candle to burn without burning the invitation and space at the bottom for embellishments.
   
3. Use wire cutters to cut the straight pins to a length of about 1/2" below the ball heads.
   
4. Starting in the upper left corner of the invitation, place the trim across the top edge of the paper, securing it by pushing pins through the trim and paper every 1/2". Go all the away around the invitation. Cut off the trim when it reaches the beginning point. There's no need to use glue: the pins will keep the paper and trim in place.
   
5. Hot-glue a white silk rose or white silk flower to the center of a purchased wire-edged bow, or make your own looped bow. Hot-glue the bow to the space between the invitation and the bottom edge of the candle. Low-temperature glue is recommended so it won't melt the candle. Hot-glue additional silk flowers around the invitation, if desired.
   
6. Tie cloth-covered wire around each of the other two bows (or make two more bows from ribbon). Wire a bow around the top of two clear-glass taper candleholders. Place a white taper in each holder. Place the pillar candle between the tapers.