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 intersted in having a candy buffet, but where should the favor bag be located?? Should they be on the buffet table, or at each individual place setting???
Here are a few more pics for now!
A cute autumn buffet. What I like about this: the pretty pumpkin-colored satin fabric they’ve ruched beneath it. And they use levels to set some of the jars higher. And use lotsof different shapes to the jars: squares and rectangles, low ones and higher ones. You see a cute mix of sort of homey, old-timey candy here: hard candy sticks, toffee … this has a nostalgic feel that seems really sweet.
Another cute autumn buffet. I like the halloween feel here, it’s humorous. Again, they put bowls up on fabric-covered boxes (looks great). Very halloween colors in the candy, and the loose foil chocolates scattered over the table are a cute touch. The fishbowls look kind of like pumpkins here, which is perfect.
A wild and crazy candy buffet. Isn’t this just the greatest? Who knew you could throw together so many colors, containers and candies and have it look this fantastic?
And I know, budget is always a consideration, esp. after you’ve planned most of the rest of the wedding … but it really shows how having enough candy for the visual effect pays off. It’s willy wonka-ish … makes me want to dive right in.
Soli, I was hoping just the same thing! I have another pic somewhere … :-? If I find it, I’ll post it. But I’d love to see some from brides who have pulled this off already … and all your pro tips now that you’ve done it!
In the meantime, check out this gorgeous pink & green candy buffet by Jennie, an adorable all-around designer in Seattle. You can learn more about her polka dot wedding here or see all her flickr photos here.
If you have recently had a candy table, can you please post up some pictures? Thanks
Abby… girl what are you doing surfing the net when you’re getting married in 2 weeks. You probably have waaaaay too much stuff to do! Hey, I like your idea about using boxes to give you different levels. I never realized how many different sizes there were until I just opened my eyes and started looking! GOOD LUCK!!! Be sure to report back!
Jennifer - I am having a candy buffet at my reception in 2 weeks (ahh) so I have not done it yet but here are my plans. We have a bunch of different size bowls, vases, etc. We are going to use different size boxes under the table cloth to give it a “lift”. On the candy choices, I have a total mixture of candy as well; wrapped (twizzlers, kisses, laffy taffys, blow pops, packs of doublemint gum) and unwrapped (reeses pieces, m&ms, skittles, mike&ikes). We just found gravy ladels on sale and plan on using those for the uwrapped candy (perfect size and shape).
We really just wanted to go with “fun” candy, so really did not have a theme per sey.
Hope this helps. I will let you know how it goes.
Okay so I love the idea of a candy buffet! Question to throw out there (well, maybe 2 questions) 1. I like the idea of having my containers at different levels… what do I put under the table cloth to give it that effect? I read milk crates but they seem way too big. ALSO, 2. I was thiking about using a mix of wrapped candy (Hershey kisses, etc) and unwrapped (skittles, m&m’s). Is that okay or am I breaking some type of candy buffet rule?
For candy scoops, I got mine at Restockit, they were the least expensive I found at about $1.50 per scoop for a 5 oz aluminum scoop, and if I remember correctly, their shipping wasn’t out of control either…I believe I got 12 scoops for less than 30 bucks.
I would love to know the answer to how long ahead of time you can purchase the candy too, I am assuming that anything chocolate should probably be purchased not too far in advance, but chewy or hard candies can probably be purchased months in advance, as long as they’re sealed up well.
On the pink candy, there are soooo many options….there is a website, I think it’s Candywarehouse that lets you search by color…..jelly beans, koppers or m & m’s, I found pink gumballs, pink chewies…there’s tons of different kinds…strawberry puffs, grapefruit slices, watermelon slices….etc… I also found pink and white marshmallow hearts, pink canada mints, pink candy sticks, pink and white whirly pops…that’s probably the easiest color candy to find
I am having a candy buffet at my 11/23 wedding. I actually found it cheaper just to go to Sams and Costco for the candy. The online sites were cheaper until you added on the delivery. I also checked out sales at Target, they had a great sale right around the start of the school year.
Just a thought!
For all those people that have already had a candy bar at their wedding… How far in advance did you order your candy, if you got it online from those bulk candy sites?
I am getting married March 15th 2008 and I decided to go with the candy bar (buffet) as well for wedding favors. My colors are blue and white with a touch of yellow. I decided to use white chinese takeout boxes decorated with blue ribbon and vice verse for the blue takeout boxes. I also decided to do another favor which is blue cotton candy. I believe this will go over well. It is very unique and inexpensive.
I am getting married March 29th 2008. We are planing to have a candy buffet at our wedding. I have already gotten our bags at walmart believe it or not. In the arts and crafts section they have quite a large selection of wedding supplies. I chose a favor bag kit! Everything from our invites to bubble sticks and even guestbook,cake cutter and envelope seals are all double hearts. I got the favor kit for $9.98 and it makes 50 personalized bags. You get the bag, ribon ,and printable tags you can print yourself and personalize to say anything you want. I also got my invitations and some other decor to match, and it is all printable from my home computer. Check them out at http://www.wiltonprint.com I am only having a guest count of about 75 so $20.00 for all my bags is not a bad price to me. I was also thinking about just doing a bag of one single candy. Silver hearshy kisses I would print the tag to say……” A bag full of kisses from the Mr. and the Mrs.” plus the date. I love the candy Idea it just seems so fun! I recently went to a friends wedding and they had little bags of potpouri people just left them at the tables. I think the candy will go over well and hopefully be remembered.
I own a Chocolate Fountain company, and i saw the cutest idea for decorating a candy buffet table. The bride bought the wooden letters at wal-mart to spell out candy buffet, you can spary paint them in your colors, she used green and pink, then she glued little fake rinestones to them. On the pink letters she used pink jewels, and green for the green letters. She did every other letter pink or green. It was sooooo cute. There is soo much more you can do with these letters. You get a piece of plywood and spray paint it, and then glue the letters to it instead of just setting them up on the table, then it’s higher on the wall for everyone to see. Just an idea since most places won’t let you hang things on the walls. And plus it’s soo inexpensive, and who doesn’t have a wal-mart??? Hope everyone enjoys this idea
I’m helping my daughter plan her July 08 wedding of pink, white and black. Any ideas of pink candy for the buffet? If looking for jars, don’t forget to check the liquidator stores like Big Lots and Old Time Pottery I found a great large glass jar for $5.00. How soon before the wedding can candy be purchased?
Looking for cheap candy scoops for the candy buffet. Any ideas on where to buy?
I am back again with another suggestion– I am planning a church sweetheart banquet for approx. 300+ people. After some of the people on my committee came to my son’s weddng and saw the candy buffet–they want to do the same for the banquet.
I will be using chinese 1/2 pint boxes that have metal handle for them to fill with the candy. In checking everywhere possible :”> I found papermart has the cheapest @ .09 each. They do offer other color and sizes for more money. 
I am having a candy buffett for my wedding in May of about 120 guests. I found most of our candy jars at AC Moore and Ikea. We also got the Sand Etch Kits (also from AC Moore) and are etching our mongram on the fronts of them. It makes our letters in like that frosted look. However, I am having some problems finding some neat containers. I wanted to do the chinese take out boxes, does anyone know of where I can get them for a great price?? Thanks!
I didn’t realize the candy buffet was popular with weddings- my daughter decided to go with a candy theme for her “sweet” 16 birthday bash in February. About 100 friends and family will be invited. At first she thought it would be babyish- she was glad to see this website.
We decided to select eight candies that reflect phases, aspects and aspirations of and for her life. For example, since music has been important in her life- she plays the flute, one jar will be full of Whistle Pops. We are also doing Now and Laters for friends now and in the future, Nerds for being smart, candy canes for Christian faith, Sweet Tarts and/or Jawbreakers because life can sometimes be hard and sour, but also sweet and finally candy necklaces, bracelets, lipstick and ring pops- all things girly!I even found a company in that makes chocolate coins using fair trade chocolate grown by farmers in Ghana-these will represent her African heritage, future prosperity and social consciousness. Each candy will be displayed on a small table with a picture of her at different ages and a candle to light in a candle lighting ceremony.
I found a website for CCW Plastics that sells clear plastic hex jars (the kind that sit on their sides-similar to penny candy jar above) in small quantities. The large gallon size I need for our displays come 8 for $22.
We decided to use the small brown penny candy bags for folks to put their candies in. We’ll fold down the top to make a kind of cuff, punch a hole in the cuff and thread multi colored pastel curling ribbons through the hole for an inexpensive, yet authentic favor bag. I think I can get 100 of these bags for $5.
Finally for decorations I bought some of those large twisty citronella torches in candy colors during summer clearance at the craft store- a dollar a peice. I’ll attach some colored ribbons with straight pins and paint the sticks white so they look like oversized Unicorn Pops. Instead of regular baloons, we’ll decorate with those punch balloons- they are rounder than regular balloons and come in solids and swirls. they look like big gumballs or jawbreakers-they’ll look great all over the dance floor.
I still haven’t figured out table decorations yet-maybe lollipops in a sundae glass? I’ve tried to keep expense down by doing a lot of this myself since I have the time-ideas welcome.
Hi - we have a HUGE wedding of about 700+ guests.
How do I do this candy buffet thing in a reasonable way w/o spending CRAZY?
I need help finding the small packages to put the candy in, that way guests won’t feel free to take ALL the candy…
help!
a rough rule of thumb that I used (and worked very well) is to figure 1/4 lb of candy per person. Rembering to have wrapped and unwrapped because the wrapped will take up space in container.
Because nothing would be worse than running out of candy 