Let's Bring Back Paper Party Lanterns

Would a little whimsy kill us?

For the past two months, my husband and I have been religiously watching the hit ABC dramedy series Desperate Housewives for the first time. It started as a bit, and now we’re planning our weeknights around it. The show premiered in October of 2004 and it’s a perfect time capsule of fashion, humor, interiors, and politically incorrect zingers. What can I say? I’m addicted! I miss good old fashioned television— seasons with twenty two+ forty minute episodes, storylines that make absolutely no sense, and guest stars galore. They just aren’t makin’ em like they used to.

My least favorite housewife is neighborhood klutz and Lorelai Gilmore dupe Susan Meyer, played by Teri Hatcher. But in the final episode of season three, she won me over ever so slightly with her last minute decision to have an intimate wedding in the woods.

Spoiler alert I guess.

When I saw this set up, I rolled my eyes and said out loud “aww okay I love this for them!” (lol). And then it got me thinking…

Why did we stop decorating with paper lanterns?

There is something so distinctly cool-single-mom-in-2005-who-listens-to-Norah-Jones about paper lanterns. She’s doing everything she can to make home a sanctuary for her beautiful, brainiac daughter even though it’s a struggle to make ends meet. I’m basing this on absolutely zero experience of course, just vibes.

The first thing I think of when I think of paper lanterns is that one IKEA lantern everyone has had at some point in their room. Mine was above my bed and inside my bug net in middle school.

The second thing is Alice in Wonderland and subsequently the teacups at Disneyland.

Disney is also not making animated movies like they used to but that’s a problem to address in a separate newsletter.

I don’t identify as a “Disney adult” per se, but I had an annual pass to the park before we moved, and I refer to Disneyland as “the park”.

Growing up, if we had a party in our backyard, my mom would often add lanterns to our string lights.

Me and my friend Mike in 2012 at my sister’s 17th birthday party. Admiring the lanterns.

The rattan/wicker shades seemingly replaced paper lanterns in recent years. I don’t mind them, but they don’t give the same glow and it sort of feels like every restaurant that has opened since 2015 has them. Very avocado toast.

I was working on a TikTok slideshow of wedding inspiration for a Practical Magic inspired celebration, and came across this picture:

I thought it looked incredibly modern and chic.

Paper lanterns are an affordable, impactful decor item that have been part of party culture all over the world since forever. We’re talking like, ancient China during the Han Dynasty in 200 BC. More recently though, in my lifetime, it seems they gained peak popularity in the mid-2000s, and then became a relic of the barn wedding era. I can understand the resistance to using them now, and I certainly happen upon pictures of weddings from that time period and find they look a bit dated. But I think we’re due for a resurgence.

I don’t think paper lanterns have to forever equate millennial cringe Mumford & Sons twee wedding. I believe with a little effort, we can update the trend. Pinterest is somewhat lacking as most of the pictures I found are from that post 500 Days of Summer era, but that’s okay! It’s up to us to get creative.

I know in my bones it’s just gonna take one hot Brooklyn bride in a Happy Isles dress using them in a chic way to get everyone on board. But in the meantime, come share my vision…

Varying heights and sizes. Have fishing wire handy if you’re not attaching to lights.

Oh yeah. See this feels fresh to me! So many you can’t even see the ceiling.

Now this is interesting. I want to see these lit I think they could be jaw-dropping.

The star has always been a favorite twist on the lantern look for me. I want to throw a summer soirée with them.

There’s something really effortless and somehow also… British? about this vibe with the ribbon. I dig it.

I need to be here. The tropical tone paper lanterns can take absolutely thrills me.

Very Alice in Wonderland. These are of course fabric shades, but I think you could recreate something similar with paper.

Cool to me!

Alright, what do we think? Are we scared of this being kinda lame? Have we recovered from hipster-chic weddings (will we ever?) Are we willing to try again?

The moment I have a backyard, I will be experimenting heavily with lanterns. Stay tuned and I would love to hear your thoughts!