Weddingbee boards

We are using galvanized buckets filled with gravel.  Then we are inserting 3 really long thin bamboo poles and hanging the lanterns from the poles.  These will go around the perimeter of the room.  We are kicking around using pipe (pipe & drape) in the corners of the room and stringing them across.  But I think that will be too much for the room.

Shimmer - it took a little trial and error, but we used tall narrow buckets from ikea.  They were heavy enough when filled that they didn't tip.  We went with narrow to keep the poles more upright.  The weight of the lanterns depends on what you use to light it, but they are still very light.  Bamboo is flexible but strong.  We did a test run with rods from Cost Plus World Market. But we aren't stringing across a room using bamboo. 

You could use long closet dowels from Home Depot in an umbrella stand.  That might work.  I have built So many trials IN the store before I purchased my supplies.  Never hurts to try

We are hanging one or two from each rod.  We have 7, 9, 10 foot rods.  I screwed eye hooks into the end of each rod to hang the lanterns.  You have to think about logistics.  We are renting a small Uhaul the day of the wedding to get all of our stuff to the wedding.  I'm DIY'ing a lot of big projects.

We bought the bulk of the rods from a local wholesaler.

You can also find the rods at local landscape/plant stores (not florists but for outdoor plants).  They come in a variety of lengths and widths.  Tie some fishing line between the tops (a little slit across the top will wedge the line in) and then hang your lanterns from the line criss crossing the room.

We did lanterns strung on bamboo poles outdoors, but MissRO's idea should work just great indoors.  My daddy built our pole set up for me. I think they're different from MissRO's in that each "set" was three poles -- two uprights and a cross beam. The lanterns were hung off the cross beam.

Also, I was just reading Real Simple magazine,and they mentioned hanging stuff off the ceiling using 3M removable hooks.  (Yeah, the PostIt people.)  I guess they make super strong, yet removable, hooks. Not sure if your "no stuff on the ceiling" would extend to these, since they *are* supposed to come off with no trace.

I'm out of town, but will post my pictures when I get back

Karen from Huckleberry Karen Designs shows the bucket and bamboo idea in her blog.  Its pretty much what I'm doing with throwies to light them.  We bought our bamboo from http://www.solaibamboo.com/ .  We are also getting our quasi Chuppa Poles from them as well.