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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Every Michael’s I have been to has the scoops hanging on the top row in the wedding section. They have been hanging up next to the sachets. I plan to get some this weekend myself. How many do you need?
Michaels does not have an online purchase option.
How many are you looking for?
Hey guys I went to Michaels and they did not have the candy scoops. Where exactly are they? Can we buy them online?
the scoops came from Michaels craft store $5.99 for a set of 2
Stacee, I think you are talking about the ones from Corinna. I also bought them, you get them at Michaels arts and crafts and they are plastic which is better really, no noises when people drop them on the glass containers.
where did you get the candy scoops with the cut out heart?
Thank you for all of your interest, I have PLENTY of glassware so if you are interested you can personally email me at bmarlow001@satx.rr.com.
Andrea, I found my second batch of glasses (lol) on sale for between $12 and $20 and i even found some of the small ones for as little at $5. The first set of pictures i put up i have either a dozen or half a dozen of each glass and the second picture i put up are the new ones and i only have what you see. I got a really good deal for most of these and i would love to just get rid of them for what i paid for them even maybe a little more.
I hope to hear from all of you soon
And i will be sure to put up pictures of the finished product after the 21st! I cant wait!!!
Corinna and Brittany,
Where did you find your glassware? And Brittany you said you found most of it on sale, if you don’t mind, what kind of price did you pay?
Hi Brittany-
I am very interested in purchasing a number of your vases for my ouw candy buffet. So please email me with some info on prices and let me know if they are still available. thanks
katie
I am also REALLY interested in buying the used containers for my wedding on 11/1/08. I would love pricing information. Claudialief@gmail.com
Thanks
Tammy,
There wa two serpentine tables & one round table
yes the peanut m&ms were from valentines day
the metal tin favors had the personalized m&ms
the apples were from a local candy shop they were awesome and inexpensive. as for the scoops we usedthe same ones for al the candies. I am sure no one used full scoops of anything. everyone wanted to have a good mixture so te scoops should be fine for all the unwrapped candy. your boxes are a bit larger than mine were, I used the pillow boxes so they held about 2 1/2 full scoops of candy maybe 3
Corinna, what an awesome job you did!! I have a couple of questions. First how Many tables did you use and how big were they. From the pictures it looks like you had peanut m&ms, where did you find them in your colors, or are they valentines? Last what is in the metal tin favor tons? Your candy apples are awesome, did you make them? I got the same scoops as yours but am worried they might be too big for m&ms and jelly belllies, as in alot for one scoop. Anyone recommend any smaller scoops I can use for those two candies?
Hi Corinna~
Are you interested in selling the glassware? I own http://Simplycandybuffets.com in Illinois and would be happy to buy your glassware. If you’re intetested in selling it, please feel free to contact me at candybuffets@aol.com Thanks so much
By the way………you did a magnificent job!!!!!! Your buffet was awesome! Best to you and your groom, Patty
two more
Here are a few pictures of our candy buffet from last weekend.
I had 120 guest and honestly didn’t buy that much candy. We had candy left over and evryone filled their boxes and some returned for more.
We had 2 (the ones from costco) bags of personalized hersheys miniatures. One bag of reeses miniatures (costco size)
5 pounds of malt balls
5 pounds of eachblack & red jelly beans
5 pounds of gum drops
5 pounds of gummi bears
5 pounds of cherry hearts
5 pounds of sour cherry balls
5 pounds of jaw breakers
5 pounds of jordan almonds
5 pounds of m&ms
3 pounds of kissables
3 pounds of hersheys kisses
5 pounds of taffy
2 pounds of dinner mints
1 pound of gum balls
a large container of sugar free candy
40 pepermint sticks
20 large lollipops
20 unicorn pops
50 candy apples
50 personalized m&m tins
50 jones soda bottles
There was quite a bit of candy left over
Hey! This is comment is for Brittany. I am very interested in your glasses. My wedding is in November so after June is perfect. Let me know if they are still avaliable. Thanks:D Rebecca
duh… i forgot to mention i’m engaged now!!!!!… and I definitly want a candy buffet!
Hi everyone, I never even heard of a candy buffet until i was at my friends wedding in New Jersey and she had a candy buffet setup. I thought it was so orginal and it was setup up so beautifully. I later checked online for candy buffets and to my suprise they were very popular. I told my friend i was on this site reading a bunch of posts about candy buffets and she asked me to post a picture of the buffet she had at her wedding. In case you want to see the site that did her buffet, its called Lisa’s Candy Buffet, http://www.lbcandybuffet.com . Her picture is actually on the website. But i thought i’d chime in and answer the question below, i think it came out to over 1/2 lb of candy per person and there was just so much candy, it was great. I love reading these posts!!
Dana and Jennifer,
I bought the raspberry blue rings, the tootsies, and candy sticks from http://www.candywarehouse.com , I bought the gummy frogs, gummy sharks, fun dips, apple O’s, all of the laffy taffy, airheads, gummy grapefruit, and the babyruth baseballs and caps all from http://www.metrocandy.com , I bought the salt water taffy from http://www.sweetcandy.com because it saved me like $7 getting it from there then metrocandy. I got the dum dums from http://www.spangler.com , and the gumballs I picked up from gumballmachinevending.com because they were near by and way cheaper to pick up then delivered. I believe the rest of the stuff I am getting I am going to get from Sams club (hershey kisses, pixie sticks, hershey miniatures) and from grocery stores, Hope that helps! Good Luck!
Tammy
As if i needed more glasses i found myself buying about 8 more! ugh… Well here are the pictures so if anyone will be interested in any of these once i am done i will be more than happy to get rid of them after the 21st of June
I found a lot of these on sale so i will be willing to get rid of them at the price i paid (which was REALLY cheap) let me know, i know how hard it can be to find GOOD novelty glasses!
Yo Brittany
I would like to know if you still have any those glasses, if so could you e-mail me at dbrown5367@yahoo.com
Thank you