How Paper Lanterns Can Spruce Up Your Next Event

Summertime is a chance to gather with friends and family outdoors and enjoy a backyard barbeque or a relaxing afternoon by the pool. When planning your next summer event, adding a string or two of paper lanterns can spruce up your summer gathering.

Paper lanterns are a simple and easy way to add an air of festivity to any summer gathering, whether you’re planning a daytime barbeque or an evening in the backyard for outdoor movie night and chasing fireflies. For afternoon summer events that stretch out into the evening, your paper lanterns transition seamlessly from daytime decorative pieces to a source of enchanting evening lighting. 

By attaching a light source through the top of each lantern, you can provide lighting for your guests that’s bright enough for them to find their way around and enjoy the tranquil setting, but soft enough so as not to detract from your evening under the stars. 

One good lighting source is the floralyte bulb, a battery-powered light that can easily be attached to the top of each paper lantern. Because floralytes are wireless, they won’t restrict the arrangement of your paper lanterns. There are a variety of floralytes, the most common are those that include an on/off switch and those that are disposable with a one-time battery source. 

For easy decorating, paper lanterns and floralytes come in a variety of colors. Depending on the ambiance you plan to create, you can add one or several floralytes to each lantern to adjust for brightness. For themed parties or specific summer holidays, colored floralytes are also available which pair nicely with the white-colored paper lanterns. To elevate the festivities in a tree-filled backyard, choose paper lantern colors like soft oranges and reds that complement the green foliage. 

Regardless of the size of your backyard space, paper lanterns can turn an afternoon in the backyard into a festive gathering. For smaller spaces, just a few lanterns hung at different heights from tree branches or a patio cover will transform the space. You can also choose smaller size lanterns to string along an outdoor dining area, for example, to create an inviting setting for your guests. Since paper lanterns are made of rice paper and bamboo they are light enough to be strung along and propped up from any backyard fixture.

Finally, don’t limit your options when it comes to decorating with paper lanterns. Depending on the theme or purpose of your gathering, you can add other decorative pieces to complement your paper lanterns. As an example, strings of softly lit white paper lanterns for an evening wedding under the stars will help to create a dreamy environment, but to elevate the elegance, you can attach flower bouquets along the same strings and alternate the bouquets with the lanterns.

Paper lanterns can elevate the mood and turn an everyday summer gathering into an enchanted evening. For your next backyard summer gathering, have fun picking different colored paper lanterns and floralytes. Click here to see a variety of paper lanterns and floralytes in different colors and sizes.