Just don't use real lit tea light candles on the table surface! I went to a dinner party once where the hostess had lit tea light candles at/near the top of each place-setting. Somebody managed to set the bread-basket linen on fire, one person's sweater sleeve caught fire, and then something else burned but I can't remember what it was. That all happened right at the BEGINNING of dinner and I immediately strongly urged everyone to douse the tea lights! lol! :p

This post was edited by party_music50 on Sat, Nov 16, 13 at 11:18

You may not want to place them too close to each other as some of the flameless candles are made with wax and will melt. I've stored some outside in our garage only to find they have melted because of the summer heat. (We live in California and it gets in the triple digits in the summer.)

Maybe mine was a duh idea, and I agree one should definitely be careful. All warnings are much appreciated, and I'll try to come up with something sensible and cheerful. Thanks for your help.

I think you will be fine with the flameless tlights. And they are cheaper than ever! I saw some at Homegoods (I think it was Homegoods) for $4.99 for a package of 12. They even had them in different colors and with or without bling.

Found two 4" X 6" flameless pillar candles plus garland at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $20. Thinking of going back to purchase some as gifts.