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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Here are some pictures to our candy buffet.
Where did you get these letters? They are adorable..the perfect touch!
I bought them at Michaels. I painted them and put sticky rhinestones I found at Michaels also
Our wedding 20/09/2008
Hello
I have never posted here but I used this site to help plan the candy buffet for my Michigan wedding back in May. I found this site bookmarked in my wedding section under favorites and I am trying to clear some of those out now that the wedding was over. Since others helped me so much I thought I would post to possibly others.
We had such GREAT success with our candy buffet. We still get compliments on it and people say they are telling friends how awesome it was! We set it up the day before (all the sealed candy) and then my mom set up the unsealed candy before the reception began. We had one of my friends play “candy hostess” and kept re-filling things through the night as need be. I didn’t mean for it to be open before dinner, but people went right to it and filled their containers. We used the Chinese containers from Paper mart and I made my own labels. I also used ribbon and tired a bow on the handle. One of the places we got candy from was in MI at a cute little mom and pop store (I like to support these), Rau’s Country Store. They were great to work with and had a lot of candy I was looking for. They carry a lot of nostalgia candy. We used them for taffy, swizzle sticks, stick candy and gummies. They even cute me a deal since I was ordering so much. Otherwise I used Sam’s club and got Valentine candy as my colors were pink orange and green.
I actually got a lot of my containers shopping thrift stores with my mom. TGMAXX and Michael’s also had a great selection. We put labels out with what candy was so that people knew if they were getting something sour or really sweet and people really appreciated that. My scoops came from a Kitchen Outlet store (I don’t remember the name). Hope this helps!
Would you be willing to sell your candy jars??
Hi! This is Patty from SimplyCandyBuffets in Illinois! Last weekend we did a large wedding in purple and ivory and thought I would share the photo’s. Hope you enjoy!
Oh My Goodness!!!! Patty this is breathtaking!! Absolutely Amazing! Its perfect to be honest and an example of just what I was looking for!! The table used for the buffet, was it a 10 or 12 ft table, and how many jars did you use? Also, I noticed that all of the jars have tags, do they just have the bride and grooms name on them. And I also noticed you have a little sign up for “hugs and kisses from the mr and mrs” Luv it! where there any other signs you had up? Oh and how did this couple introduce their candy table, like some others, I am using the candy as their favors. I am so nervous about my candy buffet table, in case you couldnt tell with all the questions. Thank you soo much Patty for all that you have contributed to this page!!
Thank you Kristin!
It was beautiful! If we’re not using a round table, we always use a 9 foot table. This event was at a Country Club but most Venues use three, 3 foot square tables put together with the tablescapes/linens on top. We always get 2 linens so we can put risers and elevate the candy on different levels. I think for this one, I used 21 different containers. And yes, every scoop and jar is ribboned and customized to the event. Candy Buffets are so hot right now, we do 3-4 Buffets every week between Bar Mitzvahs, Holiday Parties, Corporate Events, Weddings, Rehearsal dinners, Showers, and Birthday Parties. The biggest mistake I see people make when they do their own is they have too large a table! People tend to think a longer table is more accessible for their guests. That is not true. Even weddings we do for 300-350, we still use a 9 foot table and crowd it with sweets and treats so it really has that “Wow” factor when your guests arrive. When is the table opened? When dessert is served! Most people want the table to be a take home favor. Though the Candy Buffet is visable duing the entire event, usually the DJ or announcer will announce in the beginning of the wedding, that though the Candy Buffet may look like some serious eye candy (LOL) it will be opened when dessert is served. We ususally don’t put the take away bags out untill then. People are oooh and aweing it all evening. I guarantee you, if it is done right, your guests will be talking about it long after your event is over! Hope that helps Kristin. Good Luck!
Hi Patty,
I am just getting into the candy buffet business down in Miami, FL and was wondering if you could help with a few questions! Do you provide your own table and linens or does the venue help you with those? How do you know how much candy you need for a certain amount of people? And what size baggies do you use? Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
Patty that is awesome….do you have any pics. of your Halloween parties? If so, please forward those to me @ trryser@aol.com. or post them to this thread. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE it.
For all of you needing pink M&M’s, I was at Sam’s Club yesterday and they had 56 oz. bags of pink Susan Koman M&M’s. They had peanut and regular. I think the price was $7.88 per bag. My daughter’s wedding planner says you can freeze them and they stay fresh. Does anyone know anything about how long you can freeze them? I had planned on buying some around Valentine’s day, but I really only need the pink ones, not the red.
I am doing a baby shower, and the theme is all white. It will be for around 60 guests. Can someone please suggest how many different kinds of candy I should get and which ones? Also where can I get great vases for the display?
Thank you!
Hi Emily, if you haven’t already, take a good look at google images for white candy buffets, there are many beautiful pics there full of display ideas for an all-white. OK, you said white, but look at the layering in the black and white buffet pic there and imagine how lovely that would look with very light baby pastels against white.
With white it is really important to mix up your containers and levels and add lots of visual interest that way since you won’t have bright colors to catch the eye. Also silver candies can look really nice in all-white buffets.
You can find the old fashioned round jars with glass lids and the candy jars with silver lids at Walmart in the kitchen section with cannisters (at least that is where they are at the ones in my area). If you want some pretty, daintier looking pieces try TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Tuesday Mornings. They have good prices on their pieces and you never know what you’ll find there! I am still looking for different containers and have found several that are interesting at Walmart in the vase and floral department areas. They seem to be reasonably priced as compared to other stores. I haven’t looked at Michael’s yet, by several people have said they found the martini glasses reasonable there. Good luck!
Emily,
I am in the process of planning my Feb ‘09 wedding and am doing a candy bar…I have picked up numerous designs of vases and bowls from various places. Check The Christmas Tree Shop, the Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, Michaels, Ac Moore, Marshalls…you will find all varieties at cheap prices. Look on the sale racks too. Sometimes they have great containers as well. For an added effect, I am wrapping ribbon that matches my colors around the dishes. I am also putting cookies on the table. There is so much that you can do with this idea!
Happy planning.
Nicole
Hi, I really love candy buffets and want to get into the business. Can someone help with where do I start? I like the old fashioned glass jars, but have had trouble finding them. any help would be greatly appreciated!
Google Apothecary jars and you will get tons of searches. You can also go to Marshall’s, TJ Max, Michaels, Macys to get good deals on nice jars.
I am doing a CandyLand Party for my 8 year old daughter and have found nice jars at all the listed stores. Good Luck! Great business : - ) I love it!
Hi,
I noticed that your comment said you were planning a CandyLand party for your daughter. My youngest daughter is turning 7 in Feb. and has decided on having a candy themed party. I was wondering how your party turned out, if you could give me any pointers, how much candy did you need, how many containers, anything that you think would be helpful. I would love to see any pictures if you have them. Did you make a cake or have one made? I am planning on making one myself and am just starting to look at ideas. I was so excited to see your post. I see so many posts about weddings, but yours was the first I saw about a child’s party.
Thank you,
Valerie
San Diego, CA
Valerie, check out this candyland party guide, it’s tailored to sweet 16s but I think it has some good tips on decorating for this theme for any age.
Hello Ladies I have 8 big bubble vases for candy or for centerpeices. I will send you pictures if you are interested. E-mail me at ElizabethC2001@hotmail.com. I am willing to sell them for $45. I would prefer if someone here in Houston TX would like them but if I have to ship them I am willing to as well. Please let me know. Thanks.
Hey Ladies, okay, I have a question….
When/how do you ‘bring out’ the candy buffet?
I don’t want to have guests and kids cleaning it out before the end of the evening, as it is our favors, but it is there for their enjoyment…
Do we just replenish everything, so guests can fill their bags/boxes and take them home, or just let there be a free for all as soon as they enter the reception hall?
I’ve some pretty cool glass pieces, and I’d like to see them displayed with the candy in them for as long as possible, as opposed to bringing the buffet out later in the evening. I’ve also have quite a few kids in the wedding party and as guests, and do believe it will be difficult to keep them from the candy buffet. I don’t know what we should be doing.
What does everyone else intend to do, or have already done? Any help would be much appreicated.
i think you right about having it out so soon. consider having it on a rolling table if possible if you plan on bringing it out later OR have a table set up for the kids so maybe they will stay out of the bigger table. if kids have something of their own and it is the same you shouldnt have a problem.
Hey girls!
I just had the best wedding EVER and am now Mrs.Wilson!
We had a black and white wedding… with light pink tones here and there.
Hope you enjoy it… : ) here are some pictures!
Good luck with yours!
Shannon-
Congratulations Mrs. Wilson! Your table looks amazing
My question is, are those huge black and white swirl lollipops laying on your table? Please tell me where you found them! I also am having a black and white wedding, with aqua accents. Those would be perfect.
Congratulations again and way to go!
Thank you : )
Yes, they are!
I got the majority of my candy from Candy Warehouse.com… now I understand it seems pricey - but the black lollipops were 12count for 24$…. I only got 3 boxes which was more then enough as not many people wanted them ( even though they were tasty! ) but looked great on the table!
We ended up with too much candy, but it was beautiful… the pictures I uploaded were in between the table being set up… so it wasn’t finished.
anything else let me know!
I have 4 old Fashioned Candy Buffett jars for sale. I wil sell all 4 of them for 50 bucks. I will pay for shipping. If any one is interested please let me know via e-mail aidenmama@yahoo.com
Your pictures look beautiful!! I was just wondering if you set up the table yourself or if you hired someone to do it for you?
Thanks and congrats!
Mrs. Wilson(!),
Just wanted to say that your buffet is absolutely beautiful - I only hope that mine will turn out so nicely. I’m also having a black and white wedding, and my accent color is red. Congrats!
just did candy buffet for my daughters 3rd bday. HUGE success…check out some pics
I know that someone mentioned Hometown Candy.com. Has anyone actually ordered from them. I placed an order with them yesterday morning and got an error message. I tried calling customer service, no answer, their fax # is disconnected and I emailed but haven’t received a response. I checked the Better Business Bureau and they has an “Unsatisfactory” rating. They have had 84 complaints registered with the BBB w/i the past 3 years and only 26 were resolved. I’m not sure what I’m going to do but I would caution anyone else from ordering from them.
If you have ordered from them and had a positive experience, I’d like to hear about it.
Thank you so much for sharing this information regarding your experience. I was just about to order from them this evening! Please let me know how it turns out for you! -Jennifer
I am the one that listed them on a post, but I haven’t ordered anything from them. My daughter’s wedding isn’t until next July, so I have been looking at prices but not ordering. On another blog someone mentioned http://www.bulkfoods.com. They have free shipping with a $75.00 order, but they don’t have as much variety as some of the other sites. Metrocandy.com also has pretty good prices, but I am not sure about their shipping. I hope your info with hometowncandy did not go through since you got an error message!
Sorry for the bad info!
Elizabeth,
Sorry I had to hijack your post but I was unsure of how to start a new post. Any whoooo if anyone is using pink candy in thier buffets rite aid has all the pink susan g coman candy in
mini reeses peanut butter cups wrapped in all pink, pink wrapped york pepper mint patties, all pink plain & peanut m&ms
pink wrapped hersheys kisses. they are selling for $3.79 a bag except for the m&ms are on sale till saturday for $1.99 a bag
Just thought I would share!
Hi…..This is Patty from http://www.SimplyCandyBuffets.com I was also having some trouble ordering from them. I did find a Candy Wholesaler that I had never used before and the service was impeccable. They’re name is GroovyCandies.com I love to order from Candy Warehouse but when you’re ordering candy every week for Candy Buffets and it’s hot in California, the shipping is outrageous to ship via Air frieght versus ground, and they won’t allow you to send any gummies or soft candies unless you ship air freight. Also, I’m doing a Fall Bar Mitzvah and ran across at Michael’s today the large, medium, and small hay bales to stick lollipops out of (they were shrink wrapped in plastic) …but had an idea to use them for a wedding I’m doing this week end for risers to elevate the candy jars on different levels. Just put them under the tablescape. I usually use glass blocks but they are heavy to haul in sterilite containers. Just a helpful hint if anyone is trying to come up with a simple solution for varied levels and were really inexpensive. I do this for a living and you girls are amazing with your endless and creative ideas! I applaud you! Best, Patty
I am launching a candy buffet-party planning business in Idaho. I did my daughter’s wedding this summer and bought so many beautiful pieces that I feel I’d like to try this venture. I have a question about how you charge for your services. If you could give me any ideas, I would love it. I have wondered if the remaining candy goes home with you since much of it is for WOW effect! Please give many any input. Also, do you think it is profitable to pay large fees for advertising at wedding shows? Holli
hOLLY where are you located?? I am in Nampa!
Deb- I am in Nampa also! I am going to be at the wedding show this next weekend at the Civic Center.
Elizabeth,
We had ordered some candy from them and the next day found a website saying not to buy from them….lots of complaints. We could not get through to anyone to cancel so we left a message telling them to cancel the order immediately. Then we called our credit card company and filed a complaint. They did credit our account back.
Well tomorrow is the big day! I’ll try to get pics on here asap. All the candy and supplies are at the venue already. I am using a lot of things to raise up containers for different levels so it looked quite odd to see me carrying in a ton of boxes and milk crates, cds, and encyclopedias! LOL I’m going to decorate the containers with ribbon once I’m there since I was afraid they would get messed up in the boxes. Other than that it’s all mapped out and set!
Hopefully I’ll be back wth pics soon!
Good Luck and Congrats!!
Wow, it was a HUGE success!! I hadn’t showed any details to the bride (I am the Wedding Planner) ahead of time and she was soooo excited when she saw it! Everyone was extremely impressed and were even posing in front of it for pictures. I was so busy that I didn’t get pics before everyone dove in but the photographer said she would get me the pics as soon as she has them ready.
I will say…expect the unexpected. I had asked for a 6-8ft table and they ended up giving me a huge buffet table, over 12 ft! It was also higher than a normal table to I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to reach but it was perfect.
For “risers” for different levels of height I used milk crates and mini milk crates and books and cds. For the cylinder containers last minute I ran and got green apples and stacked them in them for color, that was an economical way to add color and worked perfectly.
We were pretty close with the amount of candy, I think we ended up with a couple ziplock bags left over. I’ll have to tally up the final total of lbs I bought.
Thanks for all your help!
I can’t wait to see your pictures! Congrats on your success and thanks for sharing so much with us.
This is such a great discussion of candy buffets, thanks to all for the great tips - I have utilized a bunch of them. Especially from Tammy - your buffet turned out awesome, thanks for the ideas!
I’m getting married in December, and it’s a black and white wedding with red as an accent color. I’ve decided to do an all white candy buffet, but bring in the other colors in a small way. I took Tammy’s idea for putting ribbon on most of my glassware (almost entirely purchased from Marshall’s - TJ Maxx had just as good of a selection, though, as did Walmart - these are by far the cheapest places to get the glassware) with a hot glue gun. I also wanted to go with a “natural” theme, so hence the background (check out my “mock-up”). The reception location is going to have Christmas decorations up, so I threw in the red and green colors on the base. I also have fabric that will be on the tables (black and white) tied in to the table base.
I ordered my serving ladles and scoops from a restaurant supply place (www.instawares.com) - the cheapest I could find. I recommend 2 oz. serving ladles AND scoops, anything else seems too big.
I haven’t bought any of my candy yet (plan to do it online at some of the bulk places mentioned here previously) because I’m afraid of melting problems.
I also followed Tammy’s suggestion for http://www.papermart.com (9 cents/apiece with reasonable shipping) to get the Chinese takeout-type containers. Also, I bought custom-made stickers (They have our names and the wedding date with a black and white damask pattern - http://www.myownlabels.com) to put on them, as well as black raffia to make bows (to tie in the natural theme again).
I bought all of the natural themed stuff from Michael’s - they have some really great decor and if you can find a coupon (they seem to be abundant, just do a search for Michael’s coupon codes and find a printable one) the prices are pretty good. Also, they just came out with a line of “$1″ items, so while I was there I got all of my thank you cards in a black and white damask pattern for SO cheap.
Great job! I love the decor! I can’t wait to see the final buffet!
looking great!
Can y ou tell me what the item numbers were for your scoops…I got overwhelmed looking! LOL
Good Luck!
What candies are you thinking of ordering??? I am considering all white as well for my candy!
Deborah - I didn’t realize it, but I think that the http://www.instawares.com website switches up their inventory pretty much all the time. I think that they just have a certain number of each thing and when they’re gone, they’re gone. I went back and tried to find the same scoops I bought and they weren’t there! So I recommend just looking there periodically to find a good price. Also, it has been mentioned on here several times, but if you get a good coupon for Michael’s (I have gotten several for 20% off the entire purchase), they have the 2 oz. silver plastic scoops there in the wedding section, 2 for $5.99. They are actually pretty nice. Sorry for the trouble with the instawares website!
no worries! LOL I just thought I wasn’t finding them! I can’t fnd them at my Michaels. What are they with in the wedding section???
thanks so much!
Deborah,
Sorry so long to reply - have been so busy! Regarding the scoops in Micheal’s, they are up high in the wedding aisle, around where they have some bags of candy and close to the stuff for making your own wedding bouquets. Look at the very top - they are in a plastic box with two per box, side-by-side.
Thanks for all the compliments! Everything looks great! I cant wait to see the finished product, make sure to post pictures!
Hi!! I’m getting married on Friday and I am having a candy bar for my favor, but I was wonfering when it should be set up. In the begining or towards the end of the night? Any input would be great!!
Thanks!!!
Tracy,
You can set it up, but cover it with a sheet…or having it somewhere hidden and have someone take it out…Make it uinique!!!! I think you should set it up at the beginning, you want your guest to see it and admire….You can let your guest know that it is for later and that you would like for them to refrain from them getting any…:D Congrats and Have a wonderful day.
All depends. For the wedding I am doing Saturday we are having it available from the beginning, this *should* avoid long lines at it later one. But we could go through a lot more candy this way….we’ll see.
Good luck! Can’t wait to see pics!
I am getting married next August and since my ceremony and reception are at the same place I am going to open the candy bar for my guests while we are gone to take pictures. My wedding is a fairy tale theme with pink, white and black colours. Since it is a year away, I was wondering how soon I could start stocking up or what could be frozen (and still good)!?! Note: My centrepieces include chocolate princess themed lollipops so I don’t want too much, if any chocolate.
Well Im married!! Its been a crazy couple of weeks, but I finally have time to post a picture of the candy buffet from my wedding August 30th. It was taken by my sister in law so its not a professional picture, I will definately post those when I get them in a couple weeks. Im excited to see how they turned out. Here is my candy buffet or turquoise an kiwi green. I bought my candy from candywarehouse.com, metrocandy.com, spanglercandy.com, and from sams club, and a few grocery stores. I went kinda crazy with candy, when I saw it and it matched i bought it. I have alot more information on my webiste url if you go thru that theres a ton of blogs on my candy buffet, where I got everything and so on. To all of you Make sure you have someone at the wedding to refill!! We didnt really have time to plan that, so my dad tried refilling once, but there was a huge line so it was hard. Everyone got their candy and we do have alot of candy leftover, which is because I bought too much Im sure but I was nervous there wouldnt be enough. There was a constant line for this thing, it was awesome, everyone thought it was so unique and have never seen such a thing before so it as great. Good luck to you all! Your guests will love them!
Great Job! I love the color scheme! Congrats!
What’s your website Tammy? How many pounds did you go through and for how many guests? Anything that was “more popular” than others?
Thanks Joy! its not really my website but a wedding website I blog on, this is my page though. http://www.weddingbycolor.com/tmela808
I posted alot about the candy buffet because I was very excited about it! I worked on a excel spreadsheet someone posted on here along time ago with candy and pounds and had 110 pounds the last time I worked on it, but I added alot more after that and kind of gave up on the spreadsheet. There were 210 guests, and we did have candy left over, but of course we are eating it,lol. I will give my fiance some to bring to work every once in awhile.
As far as what was more popular than others, I have to say it was all popular. Even the candy that I wouldnt think would be popular, like more of the gummy things, the sharks and rings and so on were and my immediate family wanted the left overs. I had 16 pounds of Jelly Bellies, I got 10 pounds of berry blue on amazon for like $50 with shipping which I recommend to anyone who wants jelly bellies, its the cheapest price. But to my suprise, that Jar didnt even go empty, I was shocked thinking those would be the first thing to go. I probably have like 9 pounds left over! The dum dums didnt go as much as I thought either, but those are always good left over. Other then that, everything went equally. I didnt have m&m’s because I didnt want to have them shipped because it would have been to hot, and I didnt feel like paying for them in 6 ounce bags, they werent missed though. I did have turtles, not in my color scheme, but those went fast. They had boxes of 24 at card factory outlet for $2 so I got alot of those. There was a constant line, and if we were more organized about filling the jars better through out the night without a doubt all the candy would have been gone as people were going nuts over it, and eating it through out the night. Hope that helps some and I didnt babble on too much,lol.
Tammy
Tammy
you mentioned a spreadsheet in excel for the candy party, where can I get one of those?
I am interested in doing a candy buffet for my friends party that I am throwing for her and was wondering about costing? and how long in advance I should get it together?
Wow, that is a great Jelly Belly price! I just looked now and it’s much higher. I have to make my last run to Wegmans and Sams tomorrow.
I hate being a perfectionist with this stuff….I’m never happy with it and change everything 500 times! lol
Blake: There is no way to edit our posts once we add it is there? Just wanted to make sure I’m not missing it. I hate re-reading my typos LOL
Thanks!
Joy, I’m sorry, there was a brief time when I thought we could do that with this upgrade … But not yet.
The problem is that we have to moderate comments because there are so many spammers looking to stuff in links to their site. And when we moderate comments it stops you from being able to edit your own.
I will definitely keep looking for something, I know it would be MUCH better. I typo all the time!
Okay, how about popcorn balls? A friend of mine has offered to make popcorn balls for the table. Also, how about chocolate dipped pretzel sticks?
I say absolutely on the pretzel sticks!! They would look great!
I’ve heard popcorn is also a good addition, but I would refrain from popcorn balls! They’re bulky, sticky and what would your guests put them in??? They would get stuck to each other and other candy if put in the same container, which would have to be pretty big. I would rethink the popcorn balls!!
Happy Planning!! I love this stuff!!
Okay is it just me or are the posts not all in the right order? Like some are on the day prior and still between ones from a different day. Ugh, I’m finding it all hard to follow and know who is talking to who.
Okay, that vent over…
Yes, think you could do pretzel sticks, maybe in low glasses and have them fan out a bit. Or if you wanted to chocolate coat them and add sprinkles in your colors that would work too. I agree with the previous post, I would skip the popcorn balls. But check out gourget popcorn by the gallon bags, it looks great! I’ll let you know how it worked out next week.
Hi Joy, yes, we made it confusing! Now you can reply directly to a person using a “Reply to this comment” link under their post. This will make the board MUCH more readable than before — before, everyone’s reply just floated to the top and then everyone had to guess what it referred to.
But right now it’s pretty strange-looking, because every board is a mix of old-style comments and new-style comments. It will get much prettier after we all use “Reply to this comment” and create threaded conversations for a while. Thanks for your patience!
Ahhhhh, It’s all so clear to me know! LOL
Thanks!
Thanks Blake!
Popcorn ball!! That’s a great idea….You can add food coloring to the marshmallow mixture, so that the balls would have the color that you are taking…
Or
You can drizzle some of the melted marsh. onto a plain white ball….that would add some color to it ….
It will great!!!
adding a variety of things to your table is awesome…
what colors are you taking?
Lety, Joy & Paris:
The popcorn bags will be individually wrapped so that they will not stick to each other. Good idea on coloring the balls but I was thinking we could just use cellophane bags with pretty ribbon (like caramel apples) to hold it together. I was thinking of putting them in a big punch bowl so they would be easily accessible. I was also going to put the hand-dipped pretzels with sprinkles
in their own bags - they sell pretzel bags at the local craft store.
Here’s a question that I don’t think has been answered - I don’t want anyone to touch the buffet until after the meal so I am putting two wine glasses on the table with hand-dipped, chocolate covered pretzels. But, how do I announce the buffet and how do I keep these teenagers’ grubby little paws away from it?
Also, I didn’t want a color theme to the table because as the theme is Broadway, the only true colors are black, silver and gold - a bit boring. So, I’m going to make it look like Willy Wonka blew up at this table. We shall see if my visions will transform into reality…
I love this site - who else could put up with my neurosis about my daughter’s party!
Thanks!
I figured…You would keep the balls separated, they tend to get messy and that way you wouldn’t have to bother getting bigger goody bags…Lets see you you can add snoballs to the table…Walmart has a box of 20 for like $4.00..its had depth to the table…I think! You can marshmallow scewers dipped in white or brown chocolate…Just a thought.
Lety, what are snowballs?
Snowballs are pastries….it’s a round type of cake filled with white cream and the outer part is covered with pink coconut!!! Walmart has a generic brand…
Is there a Party city in your area…If you do, you can go there and find some decorations with the broadway theme….
If you are doing a Broadway theme then what about a round table in a corner and have a red carpet leading to it with ropes on either side of the carpet. It would be dramatic and people could see if before hand but you would have it roped off til after dinner when the DJ announces it….maybe with “How Sweet it Is” playing?
You could do the random colors or even Red, Black, Silver, and Gold….very easy colors to pull off too.
I love rock candy, loose or on strings and it could add a “diamond’ look if you do end up with the more color coordinating look.
Just a thought
Joy:
Awesome ideas on the Broadway theme! I love roping it off. So, I called some rental places and, yikes! They charge outrageous amounts to rent the ropes and the stantions (the metal bars). $160 for the night. That’s nuts. I wish I could just go ask my local bank if I could borrow them for the night!
Rock candy - awesome idea. You are a wealth of knowledge.
Rebecca
I know Ive been reading on this site a lot, and perhaps I missed what kind of party you are having for your daughter, but if you are having a dj, or even if you arent, you could introduce the candy table by playing “I want candy”. You could cover up the table with a white cloth or if you have a screen of some sort depending how big your candy table is to have shield it for a while.
Just a thought, Im sure whatever you decide it ill be great!!
Good Luck
It’s a Broadway-themed Sweet 16 because she’s into theatre and singing. So, the table will look really cool because it’s going to have a black tablecloth with tiny christmas lights on it and then a shiny see-through fabric over it so when the lights go down, the table will glow. I wish I could take credit for that idea but it belonged to a friend. Any way you look at it, it will sparkle and shine.
Rebecca,
I found this photo…this might give an idea…you can place a round table under balloons….
That’s a wonderful idea, Lety. I’m calling balloon places right now. My thought is that it will be pricey but that’s not going to stop me from finding the cheapest place!
And, I’m pleased to report, SUCCESS! I found the large swirly lollipops at Walgreen’s for $1! I don’t remember who gave me that idea but thank you soooo much.
Keep the ideas coming!
Great - sounds like you have it all together!! Yea I was worried about you with those popcorn balls, but individually wrapped and easy accessibility I say go for it!!
Good Question about folks not touching it!! The first wedding I saw a candy buffet at - they had the table hidden and didn’t pull it out until towards the end of the night! It was litterly a parting gift as folks headed out for the evening. I thought it was a nice surprise!! They obviously had designated folks to do all that though!!
Since it’s a party for you - it’ll be hard to keep those teenagers away - I look forward to hearing some of the responses to your question! Good luck!!
Wow, I can’t believe they are sooo expensive to rent! That’s crazy…I’m trying to come up with a make shift idea. I know we have a few places here with those black iron stands,the ones that typically are stakes in the ground and have hooks. But I’ve seen ones that have a base, maybe you could use those and drape a nice red velvet ribbon across or if you can sew you could make the velvet rope. (or even white Xmas lights)
Or if you have anyone good with woodwork, I can’t imagine it’s be that touch to make some stands/poles and spray paint them gold/brass.
OR beg the rental place….I have a few friends that work at them and if you find a more family run one you can usually work a deal.
It sounds like it’ll be fantastic!
Hi Joy:
I found a rental place that will rent it to me for $70. Much better than $160! I’m going to take your idea and do that. Thanks so much!
Did I say how much I loved this site?
Oh that’s fantastic!! I think it will make a fantastic impact! Can’t wait to see pics!
Yes, Sam’s Club is great for a lot of items. My only prob with those places is that I wanted more of single colored items. A silver and gold one would be so easy! lol
For online candy I love Metrocandy.com. I have a spreadsheet of the candy prices from each place (that I was interested in at least) and they are by far the cheapest in the items I was looking for…if you need to pay shipping anyway.
If any of you have Wegmans Grocery Store I found them quite cheap and you can pic out the colors you want in their bulk bins. Most of the items I got were between 2.08-3.79 per lb there, even single colors.
I just ordered a HUGE order of the green apple cinnamon 1 inch gumballs from gumballmachinefactory.com it was 850ct for 37.50 including shipping. They look really cool and filled up an ENORMOUS container! I believe it’s 15bs of gumballs so it would have cost me much more of any other single colored item and they were here within 3 days with regular shipping! Highly recommend that site if you need a big filler.
I’m waiting for my popcorn to be delivered, I got it from http://www.kukuruza.com by the gallon bag.
I wish our TJMaxx and Marshalls had candy, neither do at all here.
We do have a candy outlet here though with everything $4 a lb so I’m waiting til I get everything in before going there for the final items like the lollipops and colored licorice and all.
Oh and I am using some small tongs for items as well, I found it easier for some of the candy (and saves the odds of people throwing huge scoops of candy in their bag
)
Counting down….9 days to go!
Congrats and Good Luck!!
Sounds like you’ve got it all down!! I look forward to seeing pictures of your candy buffet!! I hope you post them!
Where do you live? I was curious because you said something about the store that has candy 4 bucks a pound…
Oh and Paris, I’m in Pa, north of Philadelphia. The candy place is actually in a Candle Factory in the Poconos and it has huge bulk barrels of at least 50 different candy. And if they don’t come in single colors of the kind you want they will give you gloves to pick through…time consuming but a money saver.
How much are you all paying for candy per pound (with shipping if you order online?)
Joy -
Thank you so much!! I haven’t purchased any candy yet, just doing research!! I’m getting married in March 2009, so hopefully I can get some valentine’s day candy deals!! My colors are hot pink and white, with a little soft pink mixed in. The more research I do… I think how expensive this is, but it’s the one thing I REALLY want! I’ve really compromised other things i.e. ice sculpture!! I know I’m a little over the top!!
At this point, I’m just learning from all of you girls!
No patience for stuff like that!! Ha!! Keep the tips coming!! Pics please!!
Oh and I could never pick out pieces of candy by color - I can barely shop the sale rack at TJ Maxx!!
Haha, well I’m not the bride, just the coordinator….so It’s my job to pick through the bins LOL For my own wedding I don’t know that I would have been so patient! LOL
Oh you can definitely do a fantastic buffet with those colors! Don’t forget about Good and Plenty pink and white candy! Those will probably be affordable in bulk and perfect colors… already sorted! haha
I’ll definitely post pics when I’m finished. I’ll be doing the trial run (again) as soon as I get the popcorn in. Then I’ll go up to the candy warehouse for the rest.
Where do you live Paris?
You’re right that does make it easier - not being the bride!!
Yep and coordinators are paid GOOD money to pick through those bins!! Fun fun!!
I jotted down good and plenty - you are ABSOLUTELY right! Those are perfect and probably not as expensive as the others!
I can’t wait to see your pics - sounds like fun!! Do you do a lot of candy buffets with your job? You should not have told me you were a wedding coordinator!! I’m gonna be buggin’ you for advice!! HA!!
I live in Springfield, Illinois (the capitol city) (originally from the Saint Louis area) I’m about an hour and a half from Saint Louis and 3 and a half from Chicago and about 3 from Indiana, so it’s not a bad location!!
I just started so this is the first Candy Buffet I’ve done for a wedding. I also work for a Chocolate Fountain Company so I love all aspects of weddings….especially the sweets obviously! lol
Ask away, I love this stuff and I’m glad to help!
Okay here is an idea of the amount of Popcorn 2 gallons is. I just got it now and I’m actually surprised, the size bags look nothing like on the site. Still will fit in one of the large containers though with a little extra. I placed a 5×7 picture next to them to give you an idea of the size since they look much smaller in the pic than they are. I also added a pic of how many gumballs 850ct really is! lol
The other pic is the reese PB cups and the rootbeer barrels
Okay, so I’ve gone everywhere and to every candy site imaginable and the cheapest places to buy wrapped candy is B.J.’s and Costco. Every single item that I looked at was cheaper - not to mention no postage and handling. I even went to the Candy Warehouse and it was still more expensive. Another place that I found seasonal and hard to find candy was at, believe it or not, Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx. They had an item called a Marshmallow Shish-Ke-Bab and it was a large straw skewered with multi-colored marshamllows. It will make a wonderful addition to the candy centerpeice. So, that is definitely the way to go. Now, if I could only find the big lollips at a good price…
walgreens, dollar tree & toys r us all had the large lollipops in this week
If you have these stores in your area call to see if they have them in stock
Really? What state do you live in? I will definitely go to all those places this weekend! Thanks so much, Corinna.
Rebecca,
I live in California.
There are some pictures way down at the bottom from my anniversary party. Also if you have a winco check them out, very reasonable
I have to agree with you Rebecca I found cheap candy at Sam’s and even Marshalls and TJ Maxx. I used those marshmello straw skewered (you can see it on my candy buffet pictures below). I had been taking care of mine for a long time and when I took it out the bag it broke. I was so mad. I broke the pieces off and put it in a candy jar. It was only $4.99. I bought the colorful candy rox sticks at Marshalls too and they were 6 for $3.99. I had a lot of candy left which I plan to use for another event. Good luck ladies. Oh and of all places I found the large jumbo lollipops at Walmart on sale for 2 for $.99. I bought only 10 but wish I would have bought more. Those were the first to go. I bought he lollipop covers from Viola.
I found a website http://www.hometowncandy.com that seems to have the best prices on candy that I have found on the internet. They have free shipping on orders over $175.00.