Most religions have a tradition that features the lighting of candles.  Kwanza, Hanukkah and Christmas, to name a few, all have some sort of candle lighting ritual.  I do love candles, in fact one of my favorite traditions that my husband and I share is on Christmas eve.  At the end of the church service candles are handed out, the lights in the sanctuary are dimmed, and the choir sings Silent Night while each person shares the light of Christmas with a candle.  I remember as a child, sitting in the balcony of our church, looking down on the gentle glow, and hearing my friend whisper, “it looks like a giant birthday cake for Jesus”. In a traditional Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebration, we often have a special candle lighting ceremony during the party.  It’s a opportunity for the Bar or Bat Mitzvah to recognize 13 very special people, or groups of people, in their lives.  It’s a very sweet little ceremony, and being that I happen to be a very thematic party planner, I enjoy creating candelabras that reflect that evening’s party theme. Here are just a few of the fun ideas we’ve come up with over the years.

LIFE IS SWEET

Candy is a very common theme for many of our mitzvahs. Thankfully the internet is chock full of amazing candy themed items - such these oversized kiss candles!

LIFE IS A BALL

When the theme is football, you’ve just got to take your party to the field!  Steve and Freda created this stadium on an angle, so no one would miss a single play.

LIFE IS FABULOUS

For the gal who’s got a passion for fashion and bling, there’s only one thing to do...cover your stand with rhinestones and glitter.  It’s hard to see from the photo, but the whole stand is covered in golden sequins and rhinestones, so when the light hit it, it just sparkled, like our mitzvah girl!

LIFE IS ART

For our young graffiti artist, Freda created and urban landscape using repurposed paint cans and out young man’s logo.  My favorite part was her cement handprint with his motto - “stay tru”. 

LIFE IS A RIDE….HANG ON

For one of our carnival themed mitzvah we mixed simplicity with pizazz.  The candelabra is a simple shape made to resemble a roller coaster embellished with the family’s logo.  The candles are actually sparklers, which made for some serious excitement.

LIFE IS A PUZZLE

This theme was one of my favorites. At first it seemed daunting, but in the end it turned out to be an open book of ideas.  The Rubik’s Cube candelabra was just the icing on the cake, which incidentally was also a Rubik’s Cube.  That is the amazing cake on the counter behind me.

Ultimately of course, it is the not size or look of your candelabra that is really important, it’s the thought and meaning behind each light...however, who says you can’t have a little fun while your at it!