Tap to Read ➤

Your Guide to Selecting Floating Candles for Pool Parties

Aastha Dogra
Adding floating candles to your party décor is a great way to create a wonderful ambiance. They instantly uplift the mood of the party, adding beauty to one's surroundings.
When having an outdoor party at your place and have a pool in your backyard, adding colorful floating candles is a better way to decorate the pool. These candles, in innumerable shapes and colors, lend elegance and sophistication to a venue.
Floating candles bring life to the party by enhancing the decorations used. These candles are manufactured a bit differently from regular candles. Most come with a long burn time of more than four hours, thus saving the hosts from the hassle of replacing the candles, every now and then.
Candles which come with a fuel cell inside, usually filled with paraffin oil, can go on for as long as eight hours and are thus, the best option for any party. For those who are willing to invest a bit more, there are battery backed candles available too!

Size and Shape

When buying floating candles for a pool party, always keep two things in mind. The first and foremost thing, is the size. Avoid very small candles. They should be at least two inches in diameter, as large candles are more stable than smaller ones.
The second thing is their shape. They should have a flat base, sunken middle, wide top, and narrow bottom, so that they can float easily on water. If the shape of the candle is bowl-like, it keeps the flame from getting extinguished by the breeze.

Colors and Designs

Floaty candles are available in a variety of designs and colors to match any kind of party or wedding decorations. There are flower candles available in many shapes like lotus, water lilies, sunflowers, roses, daffodils, orchids, etc.
Then there are candles in other interesting shapes, like leaves, insects, stars, and the like. As for the colors, you can easily find those which complement your wedding or party color scheme - right from white and ivory candles to shimmery silver and gold.

How to Make Floating Candles

Candles can sometimes add a lot to a budget, a good idea is to buy them in bulk. Or otherwise, you can even make your own floaty candles at home.
For the candle-making, all you need is wax, a double boiler, wicks, molds which are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, color, and fragrance. Start with melting the wax in the double boiler. When the wax melts, add the color and fragrance to it and mix it up, properly. Now, pour the wax into the mold.
After the wax has cooled a little bit, place the wicks in the middle of each candle. When the wax has hardened completely, trim the wicks, to about one-fourth of an inch. Your candles are now ready. Through this easy method, you can create your very own floating candles as pool centerpieces.
These candles can change the mood of any party. For instance, by keeping the lighting dim, lining the pool with floating, bright, round candles, you can give the party atmosphere a very romantic and mysterious appeal. Another good idea is to float a number of large plastic trays in the pool as candle holders, and keep colorful tea-light candles on them.
Making a grid with a fish line and then placing different kinds of candles in alternate squares, will draw attention to the pool. With a bit of imagination and creativity, you can add an entirely different ambiance to your party with these decorative candles.