Candlelight is the cheapest change you can make to a table and the easiest to overdo. Here is the arithmetic.
How many
Count by table length, not by guest:
| Table length | Candles |
|---|---|
| 48" (4 seats) | 3 to 5 |
| 60" (6 seats) | 5 to 7 |
| 72" (6 to 8 seats) | 7 to 9 |
| 96" (8 to 10 seats) | 9 to 13 |
Odd numbers, for the same reason odd numbers work on a shelf: an even group resolves into pairs and stops the eye. We went into that in the rule of three.
Group in threes, do not space evenly
Nine candles in a line down the centre of a table is a runway. The same nine in three clusters of three is an arrangement.
Cluster them with mixed heights inside each group, and leave real gaps between the groups. The gaps are where the serving dishes go, which is the practical half of why this works.
The eye-level rule
A seated adult's eye is roughly 12 inches above the table. Keep flames well below that or clearly above it.
Votives and tealights sit low and light the table itself — the plates, the glasses, the faces from below. Tapers in tall holders put the flame above the sightline. Anything that lands a flame at exactly 12 inches means your guests spend the evening leaning around it, or worse, staring into it.
Low is the safer default. A table of votives never blocks a conversation.
Unscented at the table. Always.
This is the one rule with no exception. A scented candle on a dining table competes with the food, and the food loses — your guests taste the candle.
Save scent for the entryway and the bathroom, where it does its job before and after the meal rather than during it.
Light them early
Light candles 15 to 20 minutes before guests sit down. It lets the wax pool evenly across the surface, which stops a candle tunnelling down the middle and dying early, and it means nobody watches you go round the table with a lighter.
Trim wicks to about a quarter inch before lighting. A long wick gives a tall, smoky, flickering flame; a trimmed one burns steady.
Never leave a burning candle unattended, and keep them clear of the runner's draping ends.
What to use
For the low layer, the Speckled Mercury Glass Votive Holders come 24 to a set, which covers a long table or a reception without renting anything. The speckled finish breaks the light into points instead of a flat glow. $74.99.
For height, the Amber Ribbed Taper Holders are 20 to a set. Amber glass turns an ordinary white taper into warm light rather than white light, which is most of the effect people are chasing. $119.99.
If you want one set that does both jobs, the Ribbed Glass Candle Holders flip over — tapers one way, tealights the other. Six pieces in three heights, so a cluster of mixed heights comes out of a single box. $59.99.
Where candles sit in the order
Last. Set the runner, the plates, the flatware and the glasses, then place candles in the space that is actually left. Doing it the other way round is how a beautiful centrepiece ends up being moved to the sideboard when the food arrives.
Odd number, clustered in threes, below eye level, unscented, lit twenty minutes early.