Expert: Mary E Webster - 1/14/2004

Question
is there such a thing as putting rice around the bottom of the candle inside  the votive holder so that the candle doesn't get the votive holder so hot?  had never heard of this until a wedding- wouldn't the rice burn?

Answer
After 40 years of working with candles, this is a new concept to me!  Yes, I think the rice would burn.  And if anything touches the edge of a glass votive holder--other than the wax--it often breaks, leaving a terrible mess.  I've seen wicks that are too long touch the side and, the other big mistake is leaving a match in the candle.  It becames a second wick, which makes the candle super hot.  I think rice could easily have the same bad effect.  Additionally, if wax gets too hot, it will ignite.  That's one of the reasons that the proper size wick is so important.

Mary Webster