It’s that time of year again. The two months between May and July when thousands of women accross the UK do their bit- walk, jog, or run 5k- to help beat cancer. The Race for Life is now in its sixteenth year, and it’s now time to raise the bar and think outside the box when it comes to raising awareness of this horrific disease.  And this is where a Wish Lantern can help.

You may not think a sky lantern does much other than provide visual titillation. Sure, it’s a great wedding or party accessory- a real crowd pleaser- but it can also be a symbol of hope, or an act of remembrance. Like having a minute’s silence to mark a death or significant event, releasing a lantern could also be a gesture of kindness and respect.

So, if you’re not planning to take part in this years Race for Life, why not take a group of friends and launch a bunch of wish lanterns to signal your support of Cancer Research Uk? A beautiful and touching gesture indeed.

I thought I’d share with you the fact that I launched my first wish lanterns last night, the first of many I hope. It was after a rather raucous dinner party (the ideal lantern launching atmosphere I think you’ll agree). We were all feeling mildly merry and decided to venture out onto the street (a very quiet suburban street), for an impromptu wish lantern launch.

It couldn’t have been simpler, nor the effect more beautiful. My friend held out the rice paper while I lit the fuel cell, we waited for it to inflate- a mere moment- and off it went, a lone lantern into the clear night sky. Its ascent was so slow and graceful, that we were all subdued into silence, completely calm, completely hypnotised.

It was a magical end to an otherwise average Monday night.

We aim to be at the forefront of technology. We were not – but we will be.

Realising that Facebook membership makes us only four years out of date – we have started our company page on the site and encourage customers to join up and view our page in full. Twitter comes next and then we’ll have to do something a little more advanced than simply using the BBC website to see what was cool about three years ago.

Our Wish Lanterns are incredibly easy to use, but there is one vital step in the launch process that, if overlooked, may possibly impede the successful launch of your lantern.

Once you have lit the fuel cell, the lantern will slowly inflate. It is important that you hold the lantern upright during this stage and, with your hand positioned on top to stop it rising prematurely, wait. Don’t let impatience or enthusiasm interrupt this waiting. Just wait. Wait for at least two minutes for the rice paper to fully expand, like a balloon that has been blown up to its optimum size. Then, having waited, let it go.
Not only will your lantern rise at a greater speed, it will also float beautifully for the maximum amount of time, 12 minutes. Remember, good things come to those who wait..

For all those happy couples looking to use gorgeous Wish Lanterns at their upcoming wedding, you’ll be pleased to know we have launched a new service as part of our wedding packages – custom inserts and lantern tags.

We have teamed up with Claire Lovie Stationery to provide our wedding clients with beautiful custom made personalised inserts, pens to write on the lanterns and wish tags for your guests to write wishes on and give them to the bride and groom prior to the release of the lanterns at the end of the night.

The inserts will be an adaptation of the current Wish Lantern safety and launching instructions insert – we can have a personalised instructions insert designed for you so it has the bride and groom’s name on it as a nice little keepsake for your wedding guests. There is also a new product for sale, the “Wedding Gift” available on the Weddings page of our website,  is a lovely gift you can give to the bride and groom. 

The Wedding Gift consists of three  Wish Lanterns with personalised Wish Lantern labels and personalised Wish Lantern package inserts, all gift wrapped in a beautiful presentation box for only £35 including delivery.  There is also the Small Wedding Package which consists of fifty Wish Lanterns, fifty personalised Wish Lantern labels and fifty personalised Wish Lantern package inserts for £300 including delivery. Perfect to lay out at the table for when guests are seated. The Large Wedding Package is the same as the Small Wedding Package but with 100 Wish Lanterns, labels and package inserts, the large package is £500. 

If you would like to order any of our Wedding Packages or Wedding Gifts please go to the Weddings page of our website or give us a call on 0845 5001215 and we will take your order over the phone.