Candles and table centerpieces bring a sense of formality and elegance to parties and all types of special events.

Candles - and the candlesticks and candelabra that hold them - traditionally are used at weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and large banquets. But they are appropriate for many other events, too.

"Candles add elegance and a festive note to any formal or informal gathering of people," says Sandy Butler, president of Chace Candles, Albuquerque, N.M.

"Candlesticks and decorative candelabra are staples of rental stores," says Mark Frankel, executive vice president of Franklin China, Warminster, Pa. "Candles are appropriate for celebrations such as anniversaries, birthday parties and gala celebrations. They are used at banquets held with corporate management and sales meetings, conventions and trade shows and also on holidays."

Other events include grand openings for symphony, ballet and opera companies, and fund-raising banquets and awards ceremonies. And they add a special touch to private parties and other celebrations.

Those responsible for sponsoring and organizing such events rent candelabra, candlesticks and centerpieces and either rent mechanical candles or purchase wax candles.

Butler says customers fall into several general categories:

• Florists - primarily for weddings, receptions and banquets.
• Hotels, clubs and restaurants - for special banquets and weddings.
• Caterers - for all types of special events, receptions and weddings.
• Individuals - for weddings, anniversaries and private parties and dinners.
• Businesses of all sizes - for banquets as part of company meetings and sales promotions. Some corporations employ their own meeting planners while others depend on outside consultants to make arrangements.

Butler believes churches are a strong market neglected by many rental stores. "More and more churches have wedding coordinators to handle their ceremonies. At the present, it appears florists are working more closely with churches and are getting the rentals and sales," she says.

Candelabra and candlesticks are relatively inexpensive and durable items that quickly pay for themselves with rentals. For sales, long-burning votive candles in disposable holders are popular items. Mechanical candle rentals are growing in popularity with both rental stores and customers.

"Mechanical candles have the advantage of staying the same height and not dripping wax on candelabra, table linen and carpets. They look like wax tapers," Butler says. "They use inexpensive wax refills, and flames are very resistant to air currents, making them virtually dripless."

Inserts for mechanical candles are available with burning times ranging from 212 to 412 hours. Mechanical candles are available in various colors and sizes. Popular rental sizes are 8, 12 and 15 inches long.

Adjustable-height candelabra in brass, silver or powder-coated color finishes have multiple branches or arms. Arch, arc, angle and unity designs are popular variations. Butler says 12-inch candles usually are placed in standing wedding candelabra and 8-inch candles in aisle candelabra.

"Floral shops use the same candelabra as the rental industry," Butler says, "but they select 15-inch candles. Rental stores with floral customers need to stock 15-inch candles."

Centerpieces, often designed around candleholders, allow store personnel to be creative. A variety of candleholders and decorative votive holders are used in combination with real and artificial flowers, tabletop mirrors and other elements to make centerpieces. Low-maintenance centerpieces are created with powder-coated candleholders matched with colored mechanical candles.

Centerpiece candleholder styles include those that hold a single candle and others with bowls of two or more candleholders. Clips hold glass chimneys in place.

"Four-and-a-half-hour votive candles in disposable plastic containers are rapidly gaining acceptance in the rental industry," Butler says. "Votives are used in some wedding candelabra and in decorative tabletop holders. Once the event is over, the candle and holder simply can be thrown away."

"Centerpieces can be made from a wide variety of materials, including wood, plastic, glass and metal," Frankel says. "Candle centerpieces made of brass, crystal and wrought iron have interchangeable arrangement heads. Bases can be mixed and matched for candles with or without glass chimneys."

The party and special events business is more than just renting equipment, Butler says. Store personnel are in a position to suggest and influence what will be used at their clients' functions, renting and selling all the extras their stores have available.

"One of our customers operates a rental business in a town of 17,000," Butler says. "The store stocks mech-anical candles in two sizes and in 11 colors with a minimum of 60 candles for each color in the two sizes.

"The party department manager has so many different ideas of ways to use the candles and create different looks, centerpieces and settings using inexpensive items such as cans, brandy snifters and balloons," she adds. "For years, this enthusiastic and customer-oriented manager, working in a small community, has generated strong party rentals and sales for her store."