One Simple, Attention-Grabbing Alternative to Candy Buffets

Ah, you. The relentless and restless trendsetter. "Candy buffets?" you exclaim. "How 2007!"

Been there, seen that.

Not to worry, though — fellow trendsetters are doing your dirty work. And they've already rustled up alternatives.

For example: the popcorn buffet.

"I had a client who wanted a snack at the end of the reception. But she wanted something different," explains Mark Kingsdorf, chief consultant at The Queen of Hearts. "She didn't want the candy buffet, and she didn't want the Philly pretzel."

Kingsdorf suggested a popcorn buffet, starring his signature secret weapon: Dale & Thomas popcorn.

"You've probably heard of them," he says. "Oprah had them on a while ago."

Martha Stewart introduced the popcorn buffet around 1999 or 2000, he elaborates. Its brilliance lies not only in the novelty, but the simplicity.

"It's dead simple to do. All you need a really large bowls, or tall glass cylinders with some width." Then add small bags and a smattering of small scoops, to help keep proportions (and costs) under control.

"Their white chocolate/peanut butter popcorn is out of this world," he says.

One thing to strive for in your pursuit of the perfect popcorn buffet: a balance of sweet and salty.

"For that reason, I love kettle corn," explains Kingsdorf. "It's sweet, it's salty ... and it's also no mess."

Just be careful with the salty snacks, he says.

"My client looked at the cheddar/chipotle, the spicy BBQ. They looked fantastic. But realistically, you're looking a room full of orange fingers — not the greatest thing for a black-tie wedding."

For that reason, Kingsdorf suggests sticking with the sweet stuff. "White chocolate peanut butter ... " he intones. "Double chocolate caramel chunk.

"Your guests won't leave disappointed."