Weddingbee boards

I've been wanting to do the "candy buffet" thing that so many of you in the hive have been talking about for awhile now, but I don't know if it's something that I can really incorporate into my budget or something that the FI is really on board about.

However, my aunt and mom both have chocolate fountains that they haven't used and are brand new.  They've offered to have them at the reception, but I'm thinking maybe it's just a little out of date and not really going forward with a 2008 bride's modern style.

What do you all think?  Is this still something that we could have and maybe make it a little more creative then the norm?  Or, are we doomed to come across as a bit too 80s and less en vogue? 

We were thinking of having those large pretzel sticks, graham crackers maybe use white chocolate instead of just brown . . .

Ideas? 

i was at a party for work in december with a chocolate fountain. im not a huge chocolate person, but EVERYONE including myself was all over it- it ran out several times. and its not like there was lack of other food/ options. and it was also holiday party time, when everyone's sick of eating junk. if a non chocolate lover who is junk food-ed out can get a little crazy over a chocolate fountain, so will your guests. PLUS it saves you buying a hundred mini bags, candy scoops, glass canisters, finding your favorite candies in your wedding colors, etc.  UNLESS you get waxed bags & let people make a chocolate pretzel for the road. combo favors, i love them.

Well, I'm planning on having a chocolate fountain at my wedding in May 2008 so it better not be out of style!  hahahah

um you do NOT want to know what else they add to the choco!!

I think it is a GREAT idea and definitely one i considered. If you are having a catered 3 -course meal, you may want to consider asking your caterer if they will switch out the dessert portion for a range of dippable good like pretzels, marshmallows, fruits, etc. MY site was going to do that for me at no extra cost because I wouldn't want to pay for a chocolate fountain on top of another dessert.

I have to agree with sweeny2be in that I went to a wedding with one of those smaller chocolate fountains and it seemed out of place because really, only one person was able to get to it at a time, and it caused quite a traffic jam. But that being said, the traffic jam is definite testament to the fact that it was still popular! The only thing is, the reception was outside and that was no good for the chocolate fountain. With the little bit of wind we had, the chocolate was flying everywhere and soon dried out :( But grown men and women (and grandmas and grandpas) were still trying to salvage as much chocolate as they could! it made for quite a hilarious site. :) 

Thank you for all the feedback, everyone!  I didn't know that so many of you were so supportive of the ol' fountain.

I think someone had a sort of "survey" of which you would like more, fountain or candy buffet and everyone chose the buffet.

I think the fountains are not small and should work for the reception.  I'm to further investigate and see what all I need to get.  But I appreciate the suggestions on strawberries and other fruit, too.  Great idea! 

I think they are great.  My cousin had one and we are tempted as well.  You can have lots of great healthy fruit or some other options are angelfood cake (still healthy as far as cake goes) marshmallows, pretzels, and candy canes.

The fountian was a huge hit a great option to go with the cake instead of a full really unhealthy desert buffet!

I'm really really curious about what Anti-Zilla is talking about.  What do they put in the Chocolate Fountains?  My imagination is going wild right now.

chocolate fountains are wonderful!! i don't know about in style or out of style, but i'll tell ya, we had both a chocolate fountain and a candy buffet at our wedding and everyone LOVED them both. we didn't have a very big fountain, but we served it at the same time as the cake so not everyone rushed the fountain at once.

in any case, they are totally delish and everyone will enjoy them. Try mixing it up with pound cake and rice krispy treats for some extra fun. :)

Strawberries can get expensive, but clementines (which are really inexpensive) are delicious in fondu.  As are green apples, bananas (brown quickly - put lemon juice on the apples) are my other favorites.  Pretzles, marshmellows, pound cake, and angel food cake also make the list.  I have only had the giant fountains at a bridal fair, but we have a fondu pot at home and we (randomly) fondu a lot.  It is a relatively healthy dessert if you use dark chocolate (don't add anything) and fruit, takes 2 minutes max to make, and cleans up in a jiffy.  Enjoy!