How Sweet It Is: Building the Candy Buffet of Your Dreams
You're not alone. More and more brides want to see a tower of sweets at their reception.
Motives differ: some like how buffets allow guests to hunt and pick according to their personal sweet tooth.
Others like the fairytale flavor. Candyland, Babes in Toyland, Willy Wonka: some of our earliest dreams of abbondanza involve forests where gumdrops hang from trees, chocolate runs in rivers and pillars are peppermint sticks.
And if that makes you nervous, rest assured you have company. Because a candy buffet isn't free. Like any other "wow" aspect of a wedding, it's part of your overall investment. And while the waitstaff might pass the hors d'oeuvres and the venue lay out the linens, you could be on your own when it's time to design the candy buffet.
But not to worry: here are some tips from the pros for translating that bountiful delight in your head into a mouth-watering reality at your wedding.
The Secret to Sweetness
Scan all those photos of candy buffets throughout the web, and you'll quickly spot two things.
One, buffets are monstrously popular. And two, while some are a feast for the eyes, others seem to fall short of the heights their planners must have hoped for.
So what's the secret?
Here's number one: buying enough candy. Sounds simplistic, but it's key.
"The first thing I tell brides — you really can't do candy as a hard commodity. It's more a decoration," says Jon Prince, president of online candy giant CandyFavorites.com.
"I talk to hundreds of brides. They'll say, 'I'm having 200 guests, and I want to give each guest 3 ounces, so I guess I need about 37 pounds of candy.' Sounds reasonable, and 3 ounces might be enough to actually satisfy your guests, but visually? It won't be enough to make a presence."
Prince suggests that instead of seeing candy by the numbers, brides take an aesthetic approach. "You choose the flowers because they're beautiful," he says. "The candy buffet should be too."
And unlike flowers, Prince adds, candy serves double duty as an edible item. "Still, you have to budget the candy buffet into your wedding expenses. It doesn't work well as an afterthought."
But what about the wedding planners who suggest buying a pound of candy per person?
Prince says buffets work best when you plan by the eye, not the numbers.
"To make it look gorgeous, I'd start with the table, not the guest count. I'd take five to 10 types of candy, and buy 15 to 20 pounds each, whether you actually need that much or not."
He adds, "When it comes to candy, the more the merrier. If you have a large table overflowing with candy, you have presence. The biggest disappointment I hear is that the candy buffet didn't look substantial."
Like a Kid in a Candy Store? Here's What to Buy
Okay, so now you have a handle on those numbers. But between the heaping bins at upscale food markets and the galaxies of candy choices online, which temptations do you choose?There aren't any hard-and-fast rules, says Prince.
Not really, he says. Instead, it's the season's colors and themes that are driving brides' choices.
To illustrate, Prince describes an all-white Miami wedding where the couple set up 20 to 30 pounds each of white candies, placing the unwrapped varieties in jars, martini glasses and other interesting containers, and piling custom-wrapped mint rolls in front. "It looked fantastic," he says.
Mark Kingsdorf of The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants concurs: it's the themes that shape candy buffets. "And like everything else in weddings, candy buffets are getting more and more personalized, with more and more variations.
"Of course, 'Everything old is new again,'" he adds. "So you see things like retro candy buffets. At one wedding we did the candy bracelets and necklaces on the elastic cords; the little waxed bottles filled by sugar water.
"There are very few themes you can't do with candy. Beach weddings are fun, with all those boardwalk choices: saltwater taffy, caramel apples, fudge, peanut brittle."
"I like to focus," explains Prince, "but the focus can be anything. Candies you personally like, or a theme, or a texture. If you're having an all-white wedding, you'll want an all-white candy buffet. If you're having a destination wedding in an exotic location, you could choose dramatic, Caribbean types: Island Punch Jelly Belly beans.
"In the end, you want 'presence.' Mies van de Rohe once said 'Less is more,' but he definitely wasn't talking about candy buffets."
Fashion a Feast for the Eye
You're set. You've narrowed down your choices... and you've got the goods. Now how do you add those visual touches that turn your buffet from "aww" to "jaw-dropping"?
"Basically — and this is a good idea — the couple matched their candy containers to their floral vases."
Don't have quite that much fine crystal waiting in the wings? Here's a budget-friendly alternative from Kingsdorf. "Find some interesting containers: different shapes, different heights. Personally, I've used a dozen different containers from Ikea, and the most expensive one was about $10."
He adds that clear containers are best, to show off the contents, and that container mouths should be wide enough for the scoops.
"A nice bunching fabric gives you spill and texture. Put some of your containers on top of that."
The final touch? A floral arrangement. Or more cheaply, some complementary pillar candles in your wedding colors.
Kingsdorf adds that your most personal touch could be the candy bags. "At one of the weddings I did recently, the couple went to a dollar store and got a bunch of takeout containers in red, one of their colors.
"They personalized each container with a little sticker, which was inexpensive and very cute. Anyone could do the same thing: use a tag or little rubber stamp, or stickers.
"Just find a way to add that custom touch."
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (for Candy)
So why are candy buffets so sizzling hot these days, anyway?
Simple: they're a huge hit with guests. "Favors can be a tough choice," points out Kingsdorf. "Depending on your guests, you might find yourself picking up a ton of personalized CDs or bottle stoppers at the end of the night. But when it's edible, people eat it ... or take it home. I think a lot of brides are cueing into that."
Prince adds, "It's just a trend people are enjoying right now.
"But when you really dig down," he muses, "it's not about the product at all. It's about nostalgia.
"In a lot of weddings, two people are taking a major step toward adulthood. The candy buffet lets them connect back to any fond memories they have of childhood.
"Candy is powerfully reminiscent," he concludes.
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I am having a 16th sweet shoppe dance party and I want to have a very impressive candy bar, but I am on a budget. Does anyone know where to find jelly belly jelly beans of each flavor in one big case together? It seems like you have to buy each flavor separatly which is very expensive. Also, do any of you know where to find cheap candy containers and jars? Thanks for the help!
I am looking to buy candy in bulk. I need Orange and light blue candy. If anyone has any idea besides m&m.com Please let me know
I have about 6 jars to fill. Picture of containers. They will not have the fake grass you see in the picture.
Thanks!
you could try mini rock candies (on a stick) they can be made in any color you need, you can also try the sugar-coated gummy orange slices. oh and don’t forget about pillow mints, i’m not sure if they come in orange but they definitely come in light blue.
At Bulk Candystore, and other bulk candy outlets, you can search by candy color, flavor, etc. There are lots of possibilities!
Thanks Ladies!
Allison,I own Lily’s kandy kloudz and that’s what I specialize in.
Jelly beans are a great alternative to M&Ms. The Very Berry Blue and Tangerine flavors would be great for the blue/orange color you are looking for.
Also if you are looking for variety, salt water taffy orange and blue are great!! They take a lot of space making it cost effective and helps you add diferent textures and sizes.
Liliana,
Do you have a website?
thanks
allison
Lol never mind i clicked on your name and found it.. sorry!
Hi, okay.
i’m haveing a laue/hawiiian pool party with a candy bar, this summer,-planning ahead. i need some ideas on how to perfect it?
Hi Elizabeth,
I’m attaching a picture of a Hawaiian inspired candy buffet I created for a wedding showcase. Maybe it will give you some inspiration. I used Pineapple jellybeans, lime candy sticks and the taffy was supposed to be coconut but I replaced it with spearmint because they had no other white taffy in stock. So personally, I think you are smart to start planning this now!
Have a great day!
Tracey B
I have tons of glass ware to sell
If you have pics please let me see… I am getting married soon and need glassware!!!
Thanks.
dexter.stark@wku.edu
how much were you selling it for? what types of containers/what size?
Have you already sold your glassware? We are having a candy buffet at our reunion and I need alot! If so, how much? What are the sizes etc? Do you have pics?
Thanks so much,
Stef
All of your suggestions have been so helpful however I am still in search of pretty jars for my candy bar… Any ideas?!
Erika,
I’m not sure of your budget but try z-gallerie and sometimes they have great sales going on and you can some close to 40% off or try save on crafts.
If there is a Hobby Lobby in your area, then I would suggest there - tons of assortment and inexpensive too.
The cheapest way to find great glass for your candy buffet is to go to Goodwill. We found great retro glass and candlesticks to glue together for height and amazing glass candy dishes. The most expensive piece was $4. You are helping people in need and recycling and getting some really great pieces.
My fiance and I just went and bought jars for the candy buffet. We found some really nice glassware at Homegoods. Another great place to go to is Hobby Lobby or Ikea.
What time do you suggest opening the candy bar? Do you think some one has to keep an
eye on it?
I used this site to build my own candy bar for our Oct 2009 wedding and it was SO helpful. Now I am looking to sell the jars and other glassware we used for the candy bar. We also have 100 “candy bags” left over that say “Love Sweet Love”
I know how much this stuff added up for us, so I am trying to sell them at a big discount. Please email me if you are interested!
Rachel.Sobel@gmail.com
I have the following:
- 6 Large glass jars of all different shapes. We used these for our “candy bar”- $7 per jar, $30 for all jars
- 4 Martini glasses. We filled these with candy on the candy table. $15
- 11 glass floating candle votives. We put these down the center of our head table- $30
- 9 Large Ivory pillar candles. These are supposed to burn for 90 hours. We had them lit for 5, so they are barely used- $30
- 9 Glass Hurricane vases, opened at both ends. These held the pillar candles. - $5 per vase, $45 for all vases
- 12 Medium sized cylinder vases. We had three of these on every table with roses in them around a larger vase - $3 per vase, $70 for all
- 100 LOVE SWEET LOVE bags. These were our favor and once again, they forgot to put them all out. - .50 per bag, $50 for all
- Crystal garland, Large crystals to hang off things - $25
Thank you for all of the interest in candy table jars… just wanted to update the post that they have sold. I still have other stuff from the list, but those jars went fast! Good luck building your candy bars!
What items do you have left?
My daughter is having what we call a Quinceanera and she wants a candy buffet… She likes the bags that you used; where I can get the same kind? Thanks:)
Love all the ideas. I just purchased 9 glass jars and scoops from a women off Craigslist all for $30 an amazing buy. Try looking on craigslist or on these wedding site. My wedding colors are red and cream, any candy suggestions? Also two of the jars are large martini glasses.
Hello-
I also had a candy bar and just posted some of the stuff I am trying to sell from it. I saw your colors are red and cream… I am not sure if you decided how to bag the candy as favors, but I have these great bags with “Love Sweet Love” tags made in brown, red and cream paper/print. The venue forgot to put them out on the table, so half of them are un-used! Please let me know if you are interested. I hate to see them go to waste.
aww that would have been perfect but I had already bought little boxes and the stamp I’ll use to decorate them with. But thanks for the offer they sound cute
I would be interested in purchasing your bags if their still available.
Im having a winter wedding and my theme is old hollywood. I would love some help in ideas or even services to help me with setting up a candy buffet. I have a huge family so there will be plenty of childrern there as well. Thanx!
Im getting married in July.. does anyone know of any candy buffet businesses in northern Indiana??
Hi Gurly Gurl,
I am an event stylist and planner who specializes in high-end candy and dessert buffets in southwest Michigan that services Northern Indiana. Please e-mail me and I will fill you in on our service. I look forward to hearing from you! Best Wishes!
Hello Ali Swaim… I would love to email you but I need your email address first…
Please let me know what it is..
Gurly Gurl here is my e-mail address a1swaim@gmail.com
talk with you soon!
Check out our website, http://www.kentuckycandybuffet.com we are located in Louisville, Kentucky but can travel to surrounding areas. I hope you guys like it! :)
I have done several different candy buffets as a part of our wedding decorating business. Please feel free to contact me.
Northwest Indiana is where we are located.
Lynette
Just wondering if anyone could help… having a party for my Grandma and wanting to have a candy buffet. I am having around 40 people.. does anyone know how much candy I should buy? Thank you.
I would say about a half pound per person is good maybe a little less!!
AT MY WEDDING I HAD 150 GUESTS AND A LITTLE OVER 100 PDS OF CANDY AND I HAD A LITTLE BIT LEFT OVER I SAY FIGURE ABOUT A HALF A POUND PER PERSON IS GOOD.
Everywhere I have read it is a good rule of thumb to have 1/4 to 1/2 pound per person.
We did a one for our luau themed wedding. I got my jars at Ikea, some big plastic shellsea that could have been used as a punch bowl from OTC and tropical trays in the shape of tikis, flip flops, and surf boards. It was set up on three tiers, had a beach umbrella in the center with lights, with tan and blue tool to make it look like the beach. We had swedish fish, salt water taffy, choc cov popcorn, choc cov pretzels, i made gummy fruit kabobs, m&ms, mint meltaways they had palm trees on the top,twizzlers, flying saucers, and different flavors of tooties rolls and choc cov oreos. We tried to theme it after our favorite candies and beach feel. We opened after cutting the cake around 830 at night and it was everything was gone by 930! Sorry no photos people went crazy and we could get any
hi just wondering if anyone had good ideas for a babys 1st birthday party? theme is ocean/water & just needed some other ideas. a lot of the ideas are for weddings & ive seen them at weddings but really wanting to do it for my sons party.
I am having a may wedding in 2010. Any ideas to make my candy buffet table go with the month of may? All the other seasons are so easy to decorate and with spring I am just having trouble thinking of ideas! Maybe I am just thinking too much, I don’t know! Any help would really be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Jessica,
Actually May is great month. With Easter just a couple of weeks before, take advantage of the candy clearance sales at WalMart, Target, and your local grocery store. Easter has so many colors, something’s gotta match with your theme!
Okay, I must be old . . . I immediately thought of a Maypole (see photos). Basically, it’s a pole with streamers of various colors and a each child holds a ribbon and they dance in opposite directions, weaving in and out until the streamers are “braided”.
(See photos) It could be used as a very colorful addition to a candy buffet. Get a broom stick, paint it white, put it in a clay pot full of plaster of paris, add ribbons and flowers-viola! a maypole! Go to
http://www.rosiespitutorials.com/piimages4/maypmain.jpg
for a clear image of a maypole. Use ribbon and flowers that compliment your wedding colors.
Also, consider a garden theme . . . bright spring flowers, a green table cloth, a kite as a table decoration. Use a lot of pastel candy and maybe some bright yellow for a “sunny” look.
This is a great idea!! You could lay down fake grass and use plastic flower pots for the candy. You could even put large lollipops in the pots like flowers.
Use the color birthstone of may or your colors of the wedding if all else fails use white its elegant
TRY BLACKS & WHITES. IF ANY OF YOUR GUEST ARE RACE FANS, THEY’LL LOVE IT. THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 IS HELD IN MAY IN INDIANA AND BRINGS ALOT OF RACE FANS. YOU COULD USE THE CHECKERED STYLE TABLE COVER, OR LAYER BLACK & WHITE TABLE CLOTHS, YOU COULD ALSO USE THE COLOR OF THE FLAGS USED DURING THE RACE, AND MAYBE YOU COULD FIND SOME CAR SHAPES FOR CONTAINERS.
Hey everyone i just wanted to let you all know that if anyone is interested i have leftover candy for sale from my candy buffet at my wedding 2 weeks ago. All of it that isn’t still in the original bags has been stored in ziploc bags, and was just bough a little over 2 weeks ago. My wedding was saturday october 17, and the candy was bought on the 15th. If anyone is interested you can email me and i can give you a list of what i have.
Email - jenluvssteven19@gmail.com
Id love to hear any suggestions on what candy we should use for a camo wedding…yes camo.
http://www.candywarehouse.com has camo gumball and wrapped mints. I would go with a simple OD green tablecloth (just use fabric, drape it to the floor) and use simple glass jars and find some thin camo ribbon and use it to decorate the jars (I think it would be cute for the jars to have sweet little bows on them!) Use green candy (mint and sour apple)
and maybe mix in some gold wrapped candy (rolos, mini reese’s cups, etc) Also, I think I’ve seen some
camo balloons . . . use a small bouquet to decorate the table. My advice . . . keep it simple, simple, simple.
found on ebay — camo balloons
can someone please help, I am trying to start a candy buffet business and I already have all my supplies and I did a practice one for my daughters birthday party everything was very nice and the kids and adults alike liked it, I need to know how much to charge if I do this as a business, I bought way too much candy but set it up at a church event with about 50 kids and still had tons left over, I am going to use the left overs for a school dance coming up and for little bags to give out at halloween, so I definetely don’t know how much candy to buy either, but at least I now know which type candies kids like the most!
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, please help! sherry
Where did you get the glass jars from to do this?
Hey everyone! I am throwing a baby shower for a close friend of mine. There will be about 35 guests. I am trying to do this on a tight budget. The whole shower is done in different shades of pink. I had a couple of questions. 1- does anyone know where I can buy pink candy? The shower is in 2 weeks. 2- how much candy should I get? 3- I bought pink boxes for the guests to fill. They look a little small. Is there a guidline for how much candy each person should get. Thanks for your help
You’re in luck! This is breast cancer awareness month and their should be pink candy available. Look for hershey’s kisses, jelly beans and other candy in your local grocery store. You might want to mix white and or silver candy in with the pink (too much of one color can be a little “too much”.) There is no guideline for how much each person should get. I’ve been to showers and weddings where I’ve gotten 2 little pieces of candy in a favor box. Just make sure your candy isn’t all sour or all chocolate or all chewy. Use a small table so that you don’t have a lot of empty space. Also, consider putting pink frosted brownies or cupcakes on the table to “fill in”.
Here’s a photo of a pink and white candy buffet.
I hope it helps.
Hi Nancy….
My name is Heather and I am getting married this August 2010. I absolutley love the arrangement you choose, especially the kinds of candy vases you went with! By any chance, do you still have these and if so, would you consider selling them to me for my own wedding?? Let me know! my email address is hdecarolis08@yahoo.com
Can you tell me where you got the candy containers? My email is shelda237@verizon.net
Thanks
I do candy and dessert buffets and I just finished doing one for a bride that lost her mother to breast cancer. All in pink. Below is a link to a wedding coordinator’s blog that took some pictures.
http://aflawlessblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/ariel-and-riccos-sweet-celebration-of.html
I loved the candy Buffet. I have all the glass jars but I am having a very difficult time finding pink candy to fill them with. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might be able to find candy. I thought it would be easier considering it is Breast Cancer Awarness month but the only thing I could find where pink M&M’s. Thank you for your help!
anyone know a good online source to buy the pretty glass candy jars? thanks!
I have found a few places online to purchase glass jars (apothecary and others) at reasonable prices. http://www.Save-on-crafts.com, Target.com and Wal-mart.com Target and Walmart basically have the same silver lided glass candy store style jar, Targets 2 jars are a few cents more but for some reason I like them just a little more than Wal-marts.
HOBBY LOBBY has tons of awesome glass jars of all shapes and sizes.
TJ Maxx had a lot to choose from and at VERY reasonable prices.
DO YOU LADIES KNOW WHERE I CAN GET THE SIGNS FROM FOR THE CANDY TABLE LIKE TO PUT AROUND THE JARS W/ THE REALLY PRETTY RIBBON!!!???
Usually, they are homemade (unless you’re rich!)
I usually use PrintShop to print the signs on mailing labels (they come in different sizes, or you can get
round labels). Then I stick them to cardstock in a coordinating color (see the scrapbook section of any craft store). Then tie cut ribbon around the jars - I usually use glue dots (also, in the scrapbooking section). Or cut pieces of cardstock and make “tents” (like they use for escort cards) and place them in front of the jars.
I am posting a photo of a label I made with Printshop- it took me about 90 seconds to design, I would keep the same logo on each sticker (The Monogram J, with lovebirds) and just change the candy name). All I would have to do is adhere it to cardstock. If you aren’t fimiliar with printshop, find
someone who is and a crafty friend. Just made sure you’re using ribbon that is the correct size for the jars and not to distracting . . . the colors of the candy are decoration enough . . . a ribbon that is too wide and/or with too bold a pattern can ruin the look of your table.
THANK YOU SO MUCH NANCY YOUR ARE AN ANGEL!!!!!
