Light out tonight! Earth Hour - candlelit weddings

Earth Hour 2008 US

I've done many weddings by candlelight. Some on purpose, where we handed out candles to 200 people in the garden (which didn't really work because they didn't have enough lights, so the first candles were burnt out by the time the rest of the people got theirs) and one on New Year's Eve when the power went out in a DUMBO warehouse, and we found enough candles to light the altar and the stairwell, and I had memorized the ceremony. Oh, and once in a hurricane where we huddled under a tarp - I forgot that one. Anyway, have lots of candles, but have those long barbecue lighters, make sure you have some sort of wind buffer. From my long years as an organic farmer, I am used to creating wind buffers: I have lots of hurricane lamps with glass chimneys, I make tin-foil reflectors, etc. Be very careful of fire - have a sand bucket, if possible, in fact put the candles IN sand buckets - you can make them pretty. You can of course use painted coffee cans full of sand, or kitty litter.If people are holding candles, improvise the drip shields, and give them a place to put the burned ones (those buckets, again). Make sure you have the fire exits marked, all those safety things. Consider the nice garden flashlights that look like lanterns, and go for battery power (wind up, if you want) instead of all firepower.
I think I'll do some research on the ecology of candles. It's been years since I made my own... Happy EARTH HOUR!