Post # 1
Member
12 posts
Newbee
We decided to do a candy buffet and needed a theme. His and Hers, wedding colors, you name it we thought of it. Our best idea was to use the first letter of our new Mr. & Mrs. last name! All of our candy (with one exception) start with the letter "S". Our venue doesn’t allow us to have chocolate so this really limited us but made for fun conversation at work and family parties.
With that taken care of and jars bought, I took to the trusty Internet in search of tips on how much and where to buy candy. Overwhemingly I read to buy from online bulk warehouses. So, one Sunday afternoon the future hubby and I sat down and placed our order. Luckily I found a coupon for a discount but it still seemed like a lot. On the plus side, we didn’t pay for expedited shipping but the candy arrived in 2 days.
When we opened the boxes, we realized we needed more candy. Credit card in hand, the fiance said "order more" but I said "wait". Instead of shopping online, we went to Smart and Final and Target and wouldn’t you know it….same candy….half the cost! What cost us $12.90 for 54 oz online plus shipping was $6.19 in the store.
They say hindsight is 20/20 so I thought I’d let other candy buffet dreaming brides know. Check your local stores before hitting that buy button online!
Post # 3
Member
1064 posts
Bumble bee
I totally agree, the online stores were so pricey, so Fiance and I hit up some after holiday sales, helps my colors are red white and black, and got great prices on clearance candy!!! It’s so silly to spend a fortune when it all tastes the same!
O Please post pics of your Candy Buffet Setup Thanks
Post # 4
Member
2207 posts
Buzzing bee
I completely agree. There is SOME stuff you can find online for cheaper, and we definitely utilized that. Id say we did 50/50. Another thing to take into consideration is the shipping cost. all that cany can add up in terms of weight…you might end up paying more overall (but less per unit) because of shipping. Best to comparison shop first! I am curious though – what sorts of candies are you using? No chocolate???
Post # 5
Member
12 posts
Newbee
Yes no chocolate! Our venue doesn’t allow chocolate favors so we had to come up with non-chocolate ideas. We decided to use the first letter of our last name "S" as our theme.
Skittles
Smarties
Swedish Fish
Sour Patch Kids
Suckers
S’mike and ike (my favorite to which I added the S) 
Strawberry Licorice
I will post pictures when we do the "dry run" for the buffet!
Any ideas on where to get scoops? I want the plastic 3 oz ones but again that shipping is almost as much as the scoops…I was thinking of using measuring scoops and covering the measuring portion with ribbon…hmmmm….
Post # 6
Member
216 posts
Helper bee
We bought all of our candy from the bulk section of our grocery store–we had tons, we were able to take advantage of sales, we didn’t worry about freshness or damage from shipping and it cost us about $300 for double the amount of candy we actually needed to feed 70 guests
Post # 7
Member
2207 posts
Buzzing bee
Wow you’re creative. I couldnt think of any S candy then I read your post was like "derr…" haha! As for scoops, try TheKnot.com’s giftshop. They have scoops there, though Im not sure what sizes. They were pretty cheap from what I remember. Also try this site http://www.scoops-scoops.com/ Theyre cheap. Not sure about shipping.
Cant wait to see the dry run!
Post # 8
Member
12 posts
Newbee
Thanks for the tips!
I’m still not sure how to transport the whole thing to our venue (it has to be there the night of the rehearsal). Should I ziplock the candy or put it in the jars and tape them
???
Post # 9
Member
2207 posts
Buzzing bee
Our venue is setting it up for us, we drop the jars off in advance and then the candy the day before or the day of. If you dont have that option, Id transport them separately in their original bags or large gallon size ziplocks and then do it the night before. Its only one night it should keep just fine. Does your venue offer a Day of coordinator? Might be sometjhing to look into – then you dont have to be the one to worry about this stuff. good luck
Post # 10
Member
687 posts
Busy bee
I found cheap scoops at Michaels! $5.99 for two scoops in their wedding section! Plus use their 40% off coupons thats in the newspaper every weekend! or sign up for their emails, they email you coupons too!
Post # 11
Member
12 posts
Newbee
Thanks for the tips! My fabulous father actually found some scoops, 3 for $4.99 at Cook N Stuff (they’re measuring scoops but oh well) they are bright colored translucent plastic and will look good with the candy choices we have. By The Way, I forgot to mention STARBURSTS is one of our candies.
Post # 12
Member
3 posts
Wannabee
This is SO helpful! Thanks for posting. How did you figure out how much candy to purchase per person?
Post # 13
Member
369 posts
Helper bee
That’s a nice theme.
I never knew that some venues did not allow chocolate. Does anyone know why?
Post # 14
Member
2207 posts
Buzzing bee
@shalolady – I read somewhere to account for about 1/4lb per guest, and then add some at the end because people will be munching throughout the night. If you buy small-ish bags (you can buy in in specific weights, like a 1/4lb bag, 1/2lb bag, etc) people generally wont take more than one home. Google "Glassine bags" and the weight bags will come up on certain sites.