How do paper lanterns work??

Incredibly easy to put together (I just tried some out last weekend). You just pop them up tall enough to insert the metal frame that holds their shape. Hanging should be easy as well as there is a little handle you can thread some ribbon through to hang them.

I have been playing around with adding lights inside - I am going to use color changing LEDs. There really isn't anything inside to sit them on, so I am going to wrap them in florist wire to make a cage and then attach to the handle so they hang down. It wasn't hard to do, just took a little practice. The LED lights last almost 24 hours and look so pretty when they change color!

Oo00ooh ok... so they are pretty light i guess??

Very light. The metal frames are thinner than coat hanger wire and the paper is very lightweight. Ribbon or even string will hold them up just fine. You could use fishing wire instead of ribbon or string, and it would look like they were floating in space.

That's a great Idea, Now do you think three ladies would be able to hang these up by themselves? I'm just trying to see if family can do this or If I should hire a decorator...

Just remember height. Ceiling height - string height - lantern height = bottom of lantern, which should be minimum of 9' off the floor. You don't want people to be able to swat at them.

They are very easy to put together and very light. If you want lighting ideas, I wrote a whole article on DIY ways of lighting them.

I'm using lanterns as well. They are very easy to put together. We bought LED lights to go inside them that we will have to attach using a string or wire. They aren't too hard to put up depending on what type of ceiling your venue has. We are hanging all our own the morning of using fishing line and Christmas ornament hooks. I would recommend a crew of 2, so someone ca prep the lantern and hand it off to the person on the ladder to hang.

I will be watchlisting this thread!

For ladies who used the paper lanterns, where did you get them? I've seen them on numerous websites for a large range of prices. I want them to not rip, but I don't want to pay a ton for them either.

I bought mine from here:

http://www.paperlanternstore.com/

I only bought 24 (blue & white) total cost being around $50, then I bought a set of 12 LEDs on ebay for like $10 (going to put those in the blue ones) I bought 14" and 16" .... but the bigger the better!

I am a bargain hunter and this site was one of the cheapest I found... I will also be hanging them with fish line!

Ok so I need to figure out how high... how many, get some led lights, fishing wire, tape for the led lights...ok cool.

Super easy and super cheap. Once you add the lighting fixture they go from being like $1 a piece to like $20 a piece so I suggest no lights in them if you have alternate lighting.

You can get what ever colour you want on ebay takes like 30 days to ship.

they weigh as much as like 3 pieces of paper and you can prob hang them with fishing line or just thread

While installing the lanterns is by no means difficult, if you want to light them it should be done the day of your wedding. Even if the LED lights last a day or two, they will be much dimmer if you do them the day before. If you ceiling is very tall, this can create a big problem hanging them. Have you considered renting the lanterns and lights, you may be able to get the lanterns and lights at a fraction of the price? Check with local rental and decorating companies...we rent lanterns, LED lights and even magnets and installation tools to make everything super easy! It's worth checking into.

I haven't found a place that rents them in san diego... I don't even know what to look them under... I was just going to get some online somewhere. Since I'm so close and this is a last minute thing I'm adding to my decor.

I have bought from http://www.antiquealive.com/store/index.asp . That was pretty attractive . we both enjoy a lot.

I've been planning on using paper lanterns as well and using some form of thread to hang them. The problem is getting the thread or line to stay to the ceiling. I was considering using tacks but I'm concerned that the tacks won't go into the wood well (the hall is all real wood). I also thought about taping the thread to the ceiling. Any suggestions?

Also, one comment on the above thread, the paperlanterstore.com has the ones with LED's in them. You're supposed to use batteries in them. This seems like it would be a lot of weight to hold on a thread. If you plan on using these kind, it would be good to drape them on something (if you were outside a tree) and not just dangling from the dance floor where they could easily fall.

Do you think you can hang them with the Command Hooks or are the lanterns too heavy? How many lanterns could you hang with one hook?

I know this is an old post, but in case someone is looking now for answers or has a similar project:

I bought mine from Linen Table Cloth (http://www.linentablecloth.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=white+paper+lantern). They have multiple colors and sizes and all come individually wrapped and are good quality. They have sales a lot, so when I got mine I got a bunch and it was less than a dollar a piece.

I currently haven't decided if I will put lights in them, but even without lights, they will be a great addition to add a little color and decoration easily. I think they should hang well with fishing wire since they are lightweight and then they will look like they are floating.