— Lifestyle —

Candle Making 101: Creating My First Candle at Candlefish

August 23, 2019

Last weekend, my friend and I drove into Atlanta to attend a candle making workshop at Candlefish, an extraordinary boutique candle shop located inside the historic Ponce City Market. This store not only sells unique candles and accessories but also offers a variety of lessons and classes in house. I walked into this workshop knowing nothing about candle making but left with a deeper knowledge, understanding, and respect for this art. Creating my first candle at Candlefish was delightful and I want to share my experience with you.

The Class Set-up

A couple of chandlers in the making.

First, (and probably my most favorite part), the workshop is BYOB. There was plenty of rosé & bubbly being passed around by the “students”. The class size is limited to 12 people so the Candlefish Chandler (the official term for a candle maker) can guide you through each step of the candle making process. Our chandler, Jessie (read more about her here), was fun, attentive, and extremely knowledable.

The Candlefish Library

How beautiful is this store? We are not having any fun at all, ha ha.

Our class took place in a separate section of the store. After donning our aprons, we were instructed to choose our fragrance from the extensive Candlefish Library. There are 100 different scents in the library (each with its own separate number), but Jessie helped narrow it down to 20 aromas for us too choose from. It was a “blind” smelling with no labels or descriptions, just a number on each scent. That way our nose was able to determine the fragrance without bias. Let me tell you, my sniffer was definitely tired after smelling 20 scents. Once everyone chose their fragrance, it was time to start mixing and pouring the candles.

I took notes of each scent I smelled in effort to help narrow down my favorite. It was still difficult to choose.

The Science Behind the Candle

Candlefish provided all the tools and equipment for our workshop.

This is where our candle making adventure turned into a science experiment. Safety glasses and rubber gloves were put on, and we began to measure, pour, and mix the fragrance oil and melted soy wax. While not a difficult process, candle making has definite rules, precautions, and steps that had to be followed to ensure the candles would burn properly.

Making It Your Own

All stamped and labeled, my candles are almost ready to be brought home.

Once the candles were poured and the wicks set, we got to personalize our labels. Each candle label had a place for our chandler name and the date. We were also given a rubber stamp to notate what fragrance number we chose. The stamping gave the label an “official” look, I loved it.

This was a wonderful workshop full of fun, laughter, and creativity. It would be a perfect activity for a girls night out, day date, birthday, or bridal shower. I am looking forward to my next candle making class.

Helpful Tips:

  • Parking– Ponce City Market is always busy! While valet is always an option, plan ahead and give yourself ample time to find and pay for a spot.
  • Cost– $55 per person (participants must be 15 years of age or older). Candlefish offers other workshops with different price points and age ranges. Check their website for more class information and to register for a class yourself.
  • Candles have to set for 24 hours before they can be taken home – Candlefish will hold your candles for 2 weeks or you can opt to have them shipped for $12.