Candy Buffet...?

Question

Has anyone ever been to Wedding that had one or did you yourself have one? Tips, advice?

WOW Vanessa - your buffet was AMAZING! When you said 1 lb per person that can sure get pricey--even at the cheapest candy. :( I'm having a 5 tier wedding cake & cannolis too...I'd like that stuff to be eaten too. Any suggestions on keeping the costs down? And what were your guests responses? BTW--yahoo deleted my other Q--for who knows WHY?

Answer 1

I had an all white candy buffet with 24 types of candy. We had 250 guests, and aproximately 300 pounds of candy (the favor bags held about a pound and a quarter of candy each).

My mother and I bought all of the containers at Michaels, Target, Wal Mart, and she ordered a really tall martini glass online. Most of the candy came from www.candyfavorites.com, but we also ordered some custom candy.

The most popular candy was M&M's and individually monogrammed white Russian flavored truffles that my mom wrapped in clear boxes, and then she made little black bows and put them on each box.

How much candy do you need for your candy buffet???

Brides answers as to how much candy you need will vary as much as each bride and each candy buffet differ from one another. But of course, I believe my way is best haha.


1. Select your favor bag.
2. Take your favor bag to the grocery store and fill it with a variety of bulk candy (some that is very dense/heavy, and some that is lighter).
3. Weigh it. (We actually filled 3 bags and took the average of the 3 bags, but the weights were all very similar, so filling 3 bags with various candies probably isn't necessary, but if you want to be sure, go for it.) This will give you a good idea of how much candy each guest will take.
4. Multiply the weight of your "average" bag by the number of guests you expect.
5. Consider how many types of candy you have and how many containers... I personally decided I did not want my last guest to get the last of the candy... I wouldn't be very impressed if I went to a wedding and they ran out of candy, or I just had to take whatever was left over in the very bottom of the containers. We added an extra 20 pounds of candy to the total. At the end of the event, we had almost exactly 20 pounds left. These additional pounds will also come in handy if your guests are "munchers" and scoop up a handful of candy every time they walk by.


I should also add that the mother of one of my BMs was our "favor attendant" and she checked on the candy buffet every 10-15 minutes and restocked it as necessary. She made sure the containers were always full, and that there were enough favor bags out.

Favor bags:
We had 4 3/8 x 4 3/8 x 7 vinyl bags with black satin piping and a draw string. They held around 1.25 pounds of candy when they were completely full.
http://www.papermart.com/templates/76-0-10.htm

NOTE: We LOVED these bags for the favors, however if you should order them, when you get them home take them out of the packaging and open them up so they can air out. When you first open them they really smell like plastic/vinyl (to an extent I think it would make the candy taste funny.) After being opened for a few hours they were fine though!

http://www.thebestinfavors.com/chrome_candy_scoop.htm
I think the candy scoops are actually prettier in person... You really can't see the detail on the heart at the top of the handle, OR the rhinestone in the heart in the stock images. They are on the small side, however if you have a variety at your candy buffet, you don't need huge scoops as most people want a variety of candy.

Where to Order Candy

www.candywarehouse.com
www.candyfavorites.com
www.bulkcandystore.com
www.bulkfoods.com
www.metrocandy.com
www.groovycandies.com

Monogrammed Truffles
www.weddingfavorites.com/p-MNGTRF.html

Custom Pretzel Rods and Sugar Free Truffles
www.sarriscandies.com

Answer 2

Candy is chock full of sugar and perservatives....it takes forever to go bad. Like a year or more. If you do store it DO NOT put chocolate candy in the refridgerator. That's how you get the funky taste and that wierd white film over the whole thing. Candy should be stored in a dark, dry place that is kept at room temperature like your pantry. If you keep it on a window sill the sun may melt it....just use common sense. Candy Buffets are almost always a hit.....just make sure you have enough candy! Nothing is worse than having a bride with a gigantic candy table but only puts out three or four measly bags of Halloween treats. Whenever possible try to borrow containers from people or you will invest a good chunk of change on vases and bowls making it more expensive than indivdual favors. Also, white lunch sacks decorated up with a hobby stamp is just as pretty as the specific "wedding" bags at four times the price.

Answer 3

YES--It's a great idea to have a candy buffet!! It can be set along with a chocolate fountain if you wish too!

A candy buffet would entail you picking out a theme for your buffet table....whether it be all the containers the same or of various sizes or types! Medium Tall size with a wide mouth work best...perferably glass and get little scoops. You can purchase both at a craft or kitchen gadget store...Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or Bed, Bath & Beyond! It depends on how your budget stands! You can look for vases at a Dollar store or Walmart also! Attach some sort of decoration to the little scoops making them big enough so someone, a kid doesn't run off with them! Hopefully! Decide on what kind of container you wish to provide your guests with...clear boxes, clear cellophane bags, parchment bags, chiffon favor bags with a string on them or any other type you could think of....make them a small size...not too small not too big....you provide a big bag....someone might just want to fill the whole thing! Pick candy that represents you and your partner....childhood candy....event reminders....such as certain chocolates he might have given you at your first Valentines or such or just stick to certain types if you wish....the ideas are endless....Decorate your table as elegant as you would decorate your cake table! Use the same theme as you have for the other tables. Linens, flowers...be careful not to set candles towards the front...you may set an array of tall candle holders BEHIND the vases/containers to give it a flowing look but be careful that they are not in the way of people knocking them over! I would stay away from the candles....stick to beautiful linens and you can create different levels also by adding different stands or add height beneath the linens with boxes or such and arrange florals accordingly around the heights and vases! Personalize you bags with monograms/dates, or a thank you card from you both! Your idea comes with lots of fun and a good way for people to remember your wedding for a long time! A sweet way at that! Good Luck!

Answer 4

Hi. No...I have never been to a reception that had a candy buffet. Sorry, I meant to get back to you on your earlier question regarding this. Your pics with the candy buffets looked great.

Everyone is always asking how to make their wedding more personal, enjoyable. I always think that doing something unusual or different is GREAT!!

Unfortunately, I don't think it would work where I live....it's a small town with LOTS & LOTS of kids attending weddings....so I think it would all be scooped up within about 5 minutes of the reception! But, I do think you should go with it. I LOVE candy!!

EDIT: I don't know why I got a thumbs down....but anyway...VANESSA...your candy buffet looked awesome! Very unique and different!

Answer 5

the pictures from Vanessa look great!
i don;t see why not go on with the idea. even though it is a wedding. think about how you feel when you go to a Chinese buffet, or country buffet. it is a feeling of joy and excitement. they will all feel like "kids in a candy store". why not get that feeling for everyone at the wedding. not everyone will feel in ecstasy like you will. so, this is a great opportunity to have them remember it for a long time and leave on a full sweet stomach. go on, and don't get only the expensive candies, get the ones that everyone loves. include your personal favorites, too. have fun and take pics.

Answer 6

I recently officiated at a wedding for Halloween, that had a candy buffet. It was pretty cute, with blood coloured punch coming out of a skull fountain and gummy worms in the finger food.......they served buffet foods of the regular kind also, with a hot table for 'real' meals.
It works well if you do it right. Label all the items with warnings of nuts and allergens...I always request that cheese be labelled as I am allergic..It can be done simply...have a legend that states 'red star - contains nuts" then stick a red star on the serving container......'blue star - cheese'..etc etc
There were a lot of kids at the wedding and the candy buffet was a great hit with them....
It can work out cheaper than a sit down menu, depending on your venue, as is fabulous for back garden, or 'rented hall' weddings.

Answer 7

I have been to a wedding with a candy buffet and am planning to have one at my wedding. A good idea is to coordinate the candy with the colors of your wedding so everything will tye in and look beautiful. You can go to any craft store and get vases to hold it in and scoops to. Also add flower and decorations to the table to make it look like one huge art display. It will wow your guests. :0)

Answer 8

I heard of a cake buffet where you only serve up different kinds of cakes and desserts instead of a full buffet. This is particular good if just having an afternoon reception.

If you have a candy buffet - I just worry that people will feel a bit funny after all that sugar!

Answer 9

I've been to one that had a dessert buffet that included make-your-own sundaes, all sorts of sweets, etc. I'm not sure if that's what you are referring to.
It was cute, but I thought wow -- this was a LOT of food on top of all the food they already had spread out throughout the day.
I'd suggest that you don't have to overdo it with the sweet selection. Also -- I wish they'd make it more allergy friendly for those of us who have to be so careful, especially about milk and nuts, etc. Otherwise those people have to avoid it altogether and feel left out. That's just one thing I'd keep in mind, if you can (if there happens to be any known allergics in the guest list).

Answer 10

We had the dessert table - Viennese Hour - it had a variety of desserts, including fruits some dipped in chocolate and what not ... we also provided take home boxes since it was a way for guests to either bring home a piece of wedding cake or dessert for later.

I haven't heard of a candy bufffet but I'm sure there's one out there.

Congrats and best of luck