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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Hi! I’ve been reading all these! Such good ideas!
I’m doing a candy buffet for my September 2008 wedding. My colors are fuschia, apple green, white and espresso. I have about 13 vases to fill candy (probably going to get a few more)- with about 83 pounds of candy thus far. I am expecting to have about 200-210 guests. How many pounds of candy should I have?? I’ve really shopped around for the best prices per pound and ordered my candy through http://www.bulkfoods.com and http://www.economycandy.com. I didn’t want to order generic candy- I wanted candy people will actually want to eat. I already ordered and received it.
I have caramel apple pops, blow pops, spearmint leaves, cherry slices, gummy frogs, yogurt malt balls, chocolate caramels, chocolate peanuts, chocolate and yogurt pretzels, chocolate raisins, chocolate malt balls, gummi apple rings, good and plentys, grapefruit gummis, watermelon and apple licorice, sour watermelon slices, green jordan almonds, pink jordan almonds, and green fruit slices.
-All my candy goes with my color scheme.
Hopefully I can help anyone too!
I also have some of those vases that Brittany has- I got mine from Michaels, but feel they aren’t very big. I also got some trifle bowls from Bed, Bath and Beyond for $8. I got scoops from Michaels, and I am planning on getting ladels too.
So, does anyone know what is the standard amount of candy to buy per person? Just wondering if I didn’t buy enough or bought too much.
Thanks!
Beth
Here are two photos of the candy buffet from my daughter’s wedding on 5/31/2008. Her colors were cornflower blue and black — so we tried to stay as close to possible with the candy in those colors.
We used Hershey Kisses for fill-ins on two items that we ran out of — which worked out fine, since the silver wrapper went with the color scheme.
Hi Brittany,
I would be interested in a couple of those.
I sent you an email regarding what I’m interested in.
Thanks
Jennifer
Tammy,
Did you find good buys for the salt water taffy and the candy sticks you bought? Where did you find these candies?
Thanks!
Here are the rest and please note that on the 1st glass in the pics below, it is a shorter glass than the rest but the bowl is very large it holds about 2lb of candy.
Ok, I dont know what happened the last time but here are the pictures of the glasses i have. I have half a dozen of each so if you are interested PLEASE let me know, I have no idea what i am going to do with them otherwise!
hey brittany,
i was wondering if you still have those glasses that u were selling. if so please email me back to let me know. thanks!
Mary Ann,
I would also love to have a copy of your spreadsheet: dana_marie_walker@yahoo.com
Thanks for all the help!
PLEASE send me the spreedsheet!!
I need all the help I can get
shannon@v3tucson.com
thank you so much ladies
I would love a copy of the spreadsheet as well.
Claudialief@gmail.com
Thank you
not sure why my photo didnt show up before. here is it again!
Hi Jennifer!
Yes! This is my own business! LOL. At times it seems like a lot of work but the finished product is oh so worth it! People are in awe all the time. I have been asked if I franchise, but have been alittle busy of late to give it much thought. http://SimplyCandyBuffets.com we not only do weddings, but are booked for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Rehearsal Dinners, Theme Parties, Sweet 16, Halloween, Birthday parties, and Corporate Events, and we travel! So, in answer to your question, yes, it’s mine and please feel free to contact me! We have loads of sources!!!!!!!!
Hi Tammy,
Where did you order your candy?
My candy is started to be delivered and its so exciting. Its so hard to tell though if ad when theres enough. I still need to order my m&m’s, Jelly Bellys, hershey kisses, hershey miniatures and whatever else I decide. I have to figure out how many “pounds” I have actual ordered so far to maybe give me a better idea of what else I need to get. Its exciting though seeing all the candy together! As you can see, Im doing the candy in my colors, my fabric too for the candy buffet is going to be the Michael Miller Caribe Disco Dot which will look adorable I think! This is one of the things I am looking most foward to see at the reception!
Patty,
is this your own business? I would love to get involved in something like that. Did you start this on your own?
Thanks
Jennifer
windpooh2@verizon.net
Hi Patty,
I’m going to check out your site. I’m in the process of scheduling my popcorn/candy buffet. I may contact you for some additional information.
However, does anyone know where I can get some glasses at a decent price?
Thanks
Jennifer
I would love a copy of your spreadsheet. I’m ready to purchase the candy and could use your help. My email address is windpooh2@verizon.net
Also, I found a website http://www.bulkfoods.com that has good prices on bulk candy, I think. Does anyone know of any sites cheaper?
Thanks
Jennifer
Mary Ann,
I would love a copy of your excel spreadsheet. My email is ahiggins84@hotmail.com I am planning to do a candy buffet myself, but not until next summer, so any help would be terrific!
Thanks, Andrea
Hi Everyone! This is Patty from http://SimplyCandyBuffets.com in Illinois and we do Candy Buffets for all types of Life’s Celebrations! I just thought I would add a helpful hint to all of those thinking about doing a Candy Buffet. Candy Buffets are about that “WOW” factor! At http://SimplyCandyBuffets.com we allow 3/4 to 1 pound of Candy per person. Be creative! You can mix in Gourmet popcorn, Chocolate Tuxedo Strawberries, Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods, Cupcake Towers, Lolipop Towers, Giant Cookies. You want to have a Candy Buffet that people will be talking about long after the event is over! Make it whimsical. Customize it to you and your Groom’s favorite candies or sweets. The last event “Simply Candy Buffets” did we ordered over 300 pounds of Candy for 70 people. It was amazing!!!! People were coming in the banquet room from other weddings just to see the Candy Buffet. If I can help any Brides, please feel free to contact me!
Best, Patty
Hi there Mary Ann!
Thanks for the information. I would love to see the sheet as well, my email is sstone2 at cbs.com. I am having half the amount of guests, so half the amount of candy will probably work out fine right?
Also, what did you provide guests to hold the candy in? Boxes? Bags?
Mary Ann,
I would LOVE to see your Excel spreadtsheet! You can email it to Sunset2354 at yahoo.com. I am going to have around 220 people I believe. Did you have alot of candy left over with your 237 guests? or just enough? I still ma having trouble figuring out if Im ordering too much or not enough candy. I would definately rather have more then less, we can always eat the candy at the after party!
Thanks so much!