This morning's In the Heart of the Sea editorial shot by Clayton Austin boasted a pretty rad candle bouquet. And today Clayton is sharing with us how he made it! If you're looking for a unique bouquet or centerpiece to go with a nautical wedding (or any wedding, lets face it!) this might be the one for you. Let's see how he did it...

What You'll Need:
* Candle Holders
* Candles
* Silk Flowers
* Shells
* Ribbon
* Sandpaper
* Glue Gun
* Scissors/pocket knife

To begin you will need to find your perfect candle holders. In my search for just the right handle I discovered that when single candle holders are turned upside down they become a gorgeous wooden handle with plenty of surface space to attach the candles to. For larger candle bouquets I used the base of a cake stand I found at Goodwill! I prefer drip free candles but think that throwing in a few scented candles could be nice as well. In this example I used candles I purchased at my local hobby store. I also used candles of varying thickness and length to give the bouquet some visual interest. Before beginning I recommend pre cutting your candles to varying lengths keeping in mind you will start with the tallest candle in the center working your way out using shorter candles the further you work away from the handle's center.

Start by removing any stickers or tags and use soapy warm water to remove any residual sticker goo. Next, take course sandpaper and rough up the bottom of the candle holder you have chosen to be your bouquet handle. I found this step to be vital in helping the candles bond to the handle better.

Step 1 + 2 : I prefer putting a large dollop of hot glue direct on the candle before securing it to the handle. I found that the candle wax actually melts and mixes with the hot glue strengthening the bond. Remember to start with your tallest candle here.

Step 3: Continue attaching candles to the base working with the tallest candles to the shortest candles.

Step 4: This is where we will secure the flowers to the handle. Since this is a DIY project that is designed to be completed days, weeks or even months prior to the big day I prefer to use "real touch" faux flowers. They look and feel just like the real thing with the convenience of being able to complete the project in advance. The flower arrangement options are endless really. For my project I used a white floral stem with tiny individual flowers that were the perfect size for the bouquets. Separate the flowers from the stem. Using hot glue I attached the white flowers to the perimeter of the candles and handle. Again, I found it was best to apply the glue to candle first allowing the wax to melt slightly before attaching the flowers.

Step 5: Because my project was ocean themed I attached gorgeous mussel shells that I found on Etsy at 20 for $5.00. Its helpful to play with the placement of them before actually committing to attaching them. I attached the mussels to the candles and flowers using hot glue. The mussel shells and flowers not only looked beautiful but they also doubled as a catch for any melted candle wax.

I imagine that when the bouquets are lit they would also make for gorgeous center pieces during the reception! After its all said and done and with a little thrifty shopping you can make some stunning wow pieces for your outdoor wedding for next to nothing. And the fact that they can be made well in advance is even better in my opinion. For this example I spent less than $20.00 purchasing all of my supplies with either coupons or sale items.

Pretty rad idea, right?! If you make your own candle bouquet using these steps or supplies, we'd love to see how it turns out, so please share on Instagram along with the hashtag #GreenWeddingShoesDIY. We'll regram our faves!