Create Beautiful Table Centerpieces Using Outdoor Candle Lanterns

Having beautiful centerpieces at your wedding can be quite expensive, if you buy them premade. It is possible to create your own one-of-a-kind centerpieces on your own, if you are willing to put in a little bit of time and elbow grease into the project. The following guide walks you through the process of creating an amazing centerpiece for your wedding out of an outdoor candle lantern.

Prepare the Lanterns to be Updated

The first thing you want to do is rough up the edges of the lanterns with 80-grit sandpaper. Be very gentle when rubbing the metal lantern because you do not want to make grooves in the surface. You just want the edges to be a little rougher so paint can easily stick to it.

Paint the Lanterns with Black Paint

Next, you want to spray paint all of the lanterns with black spray paint. Place each lantern on top of a box so that you can get every edge and detail of the lantern with ease. You want to be sure that you place paint inside and outside of the lantern. Let the black paint dry for an hour before continuing.

Paint the Lanterns with Brass Paint

After the black paint has dried, you want to paint the exterior of the lanterns with a brass colored spray paint. There are spray paints available that are literally designed to make items look like they are made of brass, so be sure you buy that specific type of paint. It will give the lanterns a shiny finish when you are done. Fill the inside of the lanterns with wads of balled up newspaper to easily keep the inside of the lanterns free from the brass paint. Paint the entire outside of the lanterns with the brass paint and let them dry for another hour.

Give the Lanterns Character

Next, you want to remove the newspaper from the inside of the lanterns. Use the sandpaper to lightly roughen the edges of the lanterns again. The black color that you originally painted the lanterns should start to shine through, making the lanterns look aged and worn. It will give them an antique vibe, even though they are brand new.

Once you have finished the exterior or the lanterns, you can use a paint brush to paint glittery enamel paint on the inside of the lanterns. Allow that paint to dry overnight and then place a small battery operated candle inside of each lantern. To find the lanterns, look at craft stores such as Alive With Items.