Wedding Planning Wednesday: I decided to make my own weddingfavors...am I crazy?

The title pretty much says it all, but here's the deal:

I decided that since Bri and I like candles and our theme has turned into a sort of rustic/classic loft style, it would be cute to have miniature mason jar candles as our wedding favors.

I wanted something that guests could enjoy after the wedding was over and I didn't want it to be edible.  I felt like a cute candle would be perfect!  So, I got to shopping and as I was browsing the internet, I found that the cheapest mini mason jar candle I could find was about $4 per candle.  We are expecting about 250 for this bonanza and that was just too steep.

Then, I started thinking: I can be crafty when I really put my mind to it...

So I decided that I would make my own.  People make candles all the time.  I priced it out and buying mason jars in bulk, 20 lb packages of soy wax, and 50 piece packages of wicks, ended up being about $1.50 per candle.  Isn't that great???  Then, I decided to use vanilla fragrance oil to make them scented and I was in business.  My mother thought I was crazy, but I already started and I am up to 72 candles!  At this rate (about 24 each weekend), I will be done with all my candles in March and still have plenty of time to decorate them (tie a ribbon around them and stamp our monogram on the lid)!

Here is how they are made:

1. Scoop some soy wax flakes into a large pot and heat over medium on the stove.  Soy is all natural, so don't worry about this messing with your kitchen supplies!  Once the wax is completely liquid, stir in some fragrance oil if you are using it.  Then, using a glass measuring glass, scoop some wax out and get ready to pour into your mini mason jars.
2. Pour a thin layer of wax into each jar and place the pre-tabbed wick into the middle of the bottom as the wax hardens.  This helps hold the wick in place.

3. Once your wicks are in hardened wax, pour more melted wax into the mason jars until they are full.  Let this harden.

4.  Once your wax is hardened, trim the wicks down so that about 1 inch is still above the wax.  Place the lids on and decorate if you want!

The moral of this story is: If you want to make your own wedding favors, I say go for it, just plan it out carefully and give yourself a ton of time to get it done.  When it comes to decorating these cuties, I am planning on getting my "team bride" together so that I have help!  We'll make an event of it and it will be fantastic.

Here is the finished product: