Candles are the Light of the Party

Candles are the key to great party style. Because good décor is essential to throwing a successful party, candles make an easy and inexpensive way to decorate for casual, playful and even the most sophisticated events.  In fact, using candles for entertaining is simple as long as you follow a few simple guidelines for decorating with candles.

First, choose the style and quantity of candles based on the type of party you want. A casual backyard cookout will simply require a few playful outdoor candles, some  citronella candles, and even a few jar candles for tables and deck rails, while an elegant candlelight dinner party might call for a collection of tall  taper candles and a few well-placed  votive candles. If you're planning to use candles for a holiday party or birthday celebration, you might want to make luminaries for your front porch or pathway and use tea lights and votives in  glass containers to fill the room with glamorous candle light.

Next, choose candle scents and candle colors. Choosing  fragrances that enhance the season (pine, mulberry or cinnamon spice for Christmas, for example, or rose, gardenia or hydrangea for Valentine's Day) is one of the benefits of using candles to set the mood for a party. Likewise, selecting colored candles that match the rest of your party décor – choosing candles with colors that complement your tableware and linens, for instance – will help strengthen and unify the mood and style of your party.

Finally, choose  candle holders that enhance your party candles and complement the mood of the party. If your party's theme is playful and whimsical, hand-painted ceramic candle holders and hand-painted glassware make excellent accessories, while glass votive or tea light holders in a single color lend an upscale, modern feel to cocktail parties and candlelight dinners. And silver or  metal candlesticks give any candlelit occasion a timeless and classic sense of style.