If you’re a bride in search of paper lanterns, no doubt you have come across Wish Lanterns. Also known as flying paper lanterns, our advice is: beware! Flying paper lanterns have more in common with fireworks than with the paper lanterns that decorate parties and weddings!
Flying Paper
Lanterns must be lit before they will fly!
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Wish Lanterns or “Sky Lanterns” are propelled by the hot air that rises from a small piece of burning material inside the lantern. They work the same way as hot air balloons. The Flying Paper Lantern continues to float in the air until the flame burns out. Then it drops to the ground, not necessarily anywhere near where you are standing. Those who sell flying paper lanterns will go to great lengths to convince you that the lanterns are perfectly safe. They will tell you the paper is non-flammable and the lantern won’t touch the ground until the flame has gone out.
Before you come to the conclusion that I am on a quest to eradicate Wish Lanterns let me tell you that I’m not. There are pros in this discussion. First, they are really beautiful flying through the night sky by the hundreds or thousands. Flying paper lanterns are traditionally used in lantern festivals all over Asia and other parts of the world. Relatively few accidents are reported. The lantern festivals usually take place in a wide open area with few dangers.
But if you are considering using flying paper lanterns at an outdoor wedding, there are numerous potential problems that you should be ready to contend with, if you decide to use them.
What about the possibility of the lit lantern touching the ground before it rises? You would be in trouble if you were standing on some dry grass.
It is not recommended that you allow someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs to light a lantern, nor anything else for that matter.
It doesn’t seem like a good idea to send flying paper lanterns into the air if there are birds or trees around. Or buildings, planes, or power lines.
Also, it is critical that the flying paper lantern not be damaged, as this would allow the hot air to escape, and the lantern could drop to the ground while it is still burning. Oops!
Plenty of reasons to skip the pyrotechnics at your wedding. You will have enough to worry about, without having guests setting things on fire. Stick to the paper lanterns at Luna Bazaar. With so many colors and shapes and sizes, you will not feel that your options are being limited in any way.
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