The overhead light in most dining rooms is a single fixture, usually too bright and pointed straight down at the turkey. A row of paper lanterns hung low over the table does something different. It pulls the light down to the level of the people sitting there, warms everything up, and makes a regular table look set for an occasion.

This guide gives exact counts for a 6-foot table, an 8-foot table, and two tables pushed end to end, plus how high to hang the lanterns so nobody has to look around them to see across. Every product named below is in stock as of today. A full table for six comes to $53.98, and a Friendsgiving for sixteen comes to $111.86, which clears our $99 free shipping threshold.

The Setup: Three Lanterns on One Cord

The simplest way to light a long table is our jute rope triple-socket pendant cord, $34.95. It's 19 feet of natural jute rope with three black sockets that drop about 2 feet down from the main cord, spaced about 39 inches apart. Three lanterns on it span roughly 7 feet end to end, which is the length of a standard dining table.

The first socket sits about 11 feet of cord from the plug, with an on/off switch 3 feet from the plug. So you can hook the cord across the ceiling over the table with a few small cup hooks, run the rest down to a wall outlet, and leave the switch within reach.

Each socket takes a standard household bulb. Use our warm white 0.8-watt LED bulb, $1.90 each. It stays cool inside paper and gives the soft, candle-colored light you want at dinner.

Which Lanterns, and How High

The colors that work at a Thanksgiving table are white with gold or white with orange. We like a 14" white lantern ($1.75) in the middle and a 14" gold lantern ($2.46) at each end. Gold reads as dressy and goes with any place setting. For a more harvest look, swap the ends for 14" orange lanterns ($1.75).

For an 8-foot ceiling, stay with 14-inch lanterns. With the sockets dropping about 2 feet from the ceiling, the bottom of a 14" lantern lands about 28 inches above the tabletop. That is low enough to feel intimate and high enough that everyone can still see across the table.

For a 9-foot ceiling or higher, move up to a 16" white lantern ($1.87) in the middle. The bottom sits about 3 feet above the table, and the bigger center lantern fills the extra height.

One cord, all-in: cord, three bulbs, a white center and two gold ends comes to $47.32. With orange ends, $45.90. With a 16" white center for a taller ceiling, $47.44.

On the Table: Runner, Fairy Lights and Votives

Lanterns light the faces. The table itself needs a lower, softer layer.

• A white lace table runner, 12 by 108 inches, $2.76. Nine feet covers an 8-foot table with a little hanging off each end.
• 7.5-foot warm white fairy lights on thin copper wire, $3.90 a strand. Weave them loosely down the runner between small pumpkins, gourds and leaves. Each strand runs on 3 AA batteries (not included) from a small pack you can tuck under a gourd.
• For candlelight at the place settings, add a copper mercury glass votive holder at $3.95, one for every two guests. The rustic copper-red finish suits the season. Keep real tea lights on the table only, well below the paper lanterns.

How Many You Need, by Table

A 6-foot table, 6 guests: one triple-socket cord with three lanterns ($47.32), one lace runner ($2.76) and one strand of fairy lights ($3.90). $53.98.

An 8-foot table, 8 to 10 guests: one triple-socket cord with three lanterns ($47.32), one lace runner ($2.76) and two strands of fairy lights ($7.80). $57.88. Three lanterns still cover an 8-foot table. Adding a fourth crowds the end chairs.

Two tables end to end, 12 to 16 feet, 12 to 18 guests: two triple-socket cords with six lanterns ($94.64), two lace runners ($5.52) and three strands of fairy lights ($11.70). $111.86, with free shipping. Each cord needs its own outlet, so run one from each end of the room toward the middle. Keep the 39-inch spacing across the gap where they meet, and the row reads as one run of six.

Using orange on the ends instead of gold takes $1.42 off each cord: $52.56, $56.46 and $109.02.

A Round Table

A round table for four to six takes one lantern, centered. Use the 15-foot single-socket jute cord ($18.75), a warm white LED bulb ($1.90) and a 16" white lantern ($1.87). That's $22.52, or $26.42 with a strand of fairy lights around the centerpiece.

No Outlet Near the Table?

Go battery-powered. Our Omni360 3-pack ($27.64) puts a warm white LED inside each lantern, and one included remote turns all three on, off, dims them or sets a slow candle flicker. Each light runs about 12 hours on 3 AAA batteries (not included). Hang the lanterns from ceiling hooks with clear fishing line. Three Omni360 lights with a 14" white and two 14" gold lanterns come to $34.31, with no cord anywhere.

For the rest of the house this season, see our room-by-room fall lighting guide. For every lantern size side by side, see what size paper lantern do you need.

Quick Answers

How many lanterns should hang over a dining table?
Three, for a standard 6- to 8-foot table, spaced about 39 inches apart. Two tables end to end, 12 to 16 feet, take six. A round table takes one, centered.

How high should lanterns hang over a Thanksgiving table?
Hang the bottom of each lantern about 28 to 36 inches above the tabletop. Under an 8-foot ceiling, 14-inch lanterns on sockets that drop about 2 feet from the ceiling land at about 28 inches, low enough for warmth and high enough to see across.

What size lantern works over a dining table?
14-inch lanterns under an 8-foot ceiling. With a 9-foot ceiling or higher, use a 16-inch lantern in the center. Bigger than that and the end lanterns start to crowd the guests at the head and foot of the table.

What does it cost to light a Thanksgiving table with paper lanterns?
About $54 for a 6-foot table seating six, $58 for an 8-foot table seating eight to ten, and $112 for two tables seating up to eighteen. That includes the pendant cord, LED bulbs, lanterns, a lace runner and fairy lights.

Can I light lanterns over a table without an outlet?
Yes. Use battery-powered Omni360 LED lights inside the lanterns and hang them from ceiling hooks. A 3-pack with a remote is $27.64 and runs about 12 hours per set of batteries.

Paper Lantern Store carries the world's largest selection of lanterns and lighting, shipped from our Union City, California warehouse for 24 years.