How to Make an Illuminated Bird Bath

Ideal for a wedding or romantic event, you can add flowers and lighting to a backyard birdbath to create interest and beauty. Collect your favorite flower and floating candles to help the bride, guest or honor shine on her big day.

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Choose a vessel that has importance or is simply pretty and flows with the event’s décor. Although a birdbath is ideal, you can also use a large self-standing container or vase--anything that will enhance the room.
- Clean the birdbath well, especially if this birdbath has been “used”. You will definitely want to remove debris or evidence of previous bird use before decorating. Use dish soap and water to scrub and clean. Allow to dry in the sun.
- Consult with a restoration specialist if you are dealing with an antique or birdbath that needs touching up or repair.

Fill the birdbath or container with water. Fill it ¾ of the way up since you will want to accommodate flowers and candles. Consider using filtered water or add a few drops of bleach to the water to avoid bacteria growth inside your birdbath.

Remove the petals from the flowers. Roses work extremely well for this project because they are hearty and one rose produces many petals.
- Consider purchasing a number of different shades of one color or multiple colored flowers. Go with a similar theme instead of mixing pastel with bright colors.

Select floating votive candles. You will want to float the votives amongst the flower petals but not to overwhelm the birdbath or container. You may want to begin with only one or two votives (depending upon the size of your birdbath) and either add or subtract as you add petals.

Scatter flower petals over the water. Like with the votives, scatter one handful of petals first, then allow them to set and then add the next handful. If you are using more than one shade or color consider alternating handfuls with different colors.