I went through a tea-light phase but I found they didn't work well in practice. They only produce about 1/3rd of the light of proper candles. I have a holder which takes 7 of them but it's not the most convenient solution. I'd rather have proper household candles.

I'm not a big fan of candles in any case. They are quite bulky and there is a fire risk. I have a variety of LED torches instead, some of which will run for over 100 hours on one set of batteries. It takes less room to stockpile batteries than candles. I keep both disposable batteries and the Eneloop rechargeables. I can recharge from solar power or from a car lighter socket as well as from the mains. The Eneloops are the low-self-discharge ones so you can charge them in advance and they'll mostly hold it until needed.

If you are going to use candles - and I do have a few - then it's worth finding a good candelabra to hold them. You can stick them to a saucer using a bit of their own melted wax, but if you need a lot of light a proper holder is safer and more convenient.