Beeswax candles

When we were first researching venues, I ran a search on flickr for photos of other weddings to see what kind of feel the places had. The photos of weddings held at our venue looked vibrant, fun and casual, which is one of the reasons we ended up going with it. One wedding in particular had some evening photos with votive candles on the tables, and it looked so beautiful:

I started researching votive candles and votive holders and found that I could get the standard fare for pretty cheap! But somewhere along the way I was clued into the fact that those cheap paraffin candles are pretty terrible for the environment:

"Paraffin wax consists of alkane hydrocarbons and melts between 47°C and 65°C (around 120° to 150° F). It is derived from light lubricating oil distillates. When burned, the fumes can contain a number of carcinogens including Acetaldehyde, Acrolein, Benzene, Formaldehyde, Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Toulene."

- Green Living Tips. Woah, that's definitely not the kind of thing I want to expose my nearest and dearest to! Not only that a lot of the cheapo candles you can buy in bulk come from China where the industrial practices can be shady. A fantastic alternative is 100% beeswax, which is natural, renewable, clean burning and relatively inexpensive. Not only that, but you can often find beeswax candles from bees that have been buzzing around your own backyard!

Cost comparison:

• 100 paraffin unscented tea-light candles in metal cups: $9.99 (Amazon.com)
• 24 beeswax tea-light candles in plastic cups: $15.00 (Toadily Handmade)

So beeswax candles are more expensive ($.63 each vs. $.10 each) but not prohibitively so and the environmental offset is significant. Some other things to consider:

• if the beeswax is unfiltered it will have a natural yellow-gold color and mild scent. The ivory beeswax candles you can find have been filtered which removes much of the natural scent.
• Consider getting tea lights "naked" or without metal or plastic cups. If you're use glass holders, put a little water in the bottom which will make removing the wax easier.
• If you find a phemonenal deal on beeswax candles, make sure you're buying 100% beeswax before making your purchase. If they are cut with paraffin they will be cheaper.
• DIY option - buy cotton wicking and filtered beeswax to melt and pour your own candles into recycled jars, glasses or teacups

What about soy?

Soy candles are made of hydrogenated soybean oil and have a low melting point so are often contained in tins or jars. Soy candles also burn clean and have many of the same benefits as beeswax candles. But growing, harvesting and processing soybeans is far more land, water, chemical and fossil fuel intensive than beeswax production. However, if you're vegan, then soy candles are probably the right choice for you.

Resources:

• Toadily Handmade - 100% beeswax candles from Mission Viejo, California
• Hurd Beeswax Candles - Berkeley, California
• Candle Bee Farm - candles from a vegetarian beekeeper in Kentucky
• Sunbeam Candles - Created with solar power in upstate New York
• Chicago Honey Co-Op - totally cool urban apiary in Chicago