(Closed) Tips for anyone that wants a Candy Buffet

• VegasBaby
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: September 2010

oh no! I was just thinking, maybe there would be a way to nicely suggest that the guests only fill one bag?! We’re going to be giving our guests the container for our candy buffet as their seating card so hopefully that will elminiate multiple trips!

• allisonc
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: October 2010

Goodness gracious! Thanks for the tip! We were thinking of doing candy and cookies too, and some of our family is kind of doubting that this idea will be popular at an adult reception. I guess we shouldn’t worry anymore! Maybe we will keep it covered/hidden til after dinner though!

• KMSull
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: August 2010

Wow… that’s pretty intense! Maybe tehy were deprived of candy as a child? I can’t imagine anyone eating 6 bags! That’s a whole lot of teeth brushing! Glad to see it was such a success. What did you tell the people who asked about the refills? I would have said something like “oh, well, we only intended for people to take one bag but some people got a little greedy”… just because I can be snarky like that.

• LatteLove
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: June 2009

Wow, you had a really different experience that me with my candy buffet!  I bought enough candy for each guest to fill up their containers and about 50 more to have two. We were left with so much candy I’m only now just finishing it up!

But we put each take out box at the place settings, so there was only one per person.  We figured some would get eated during the evening and most guests would take some home.

• moderndaisy
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: May 2010

Every time I have seen a candy buffett at a wedding, it is almost exactly the scene you described. The second it is put out, people literally run over to it and try to stuff as much candy into their purses/pockets as possible. People LOVE candy!! Definitely overestimate the amount of candy you need to put out for guest favors – count on each guest getting at least two bags full. And try to have some ‘large’ items that are too big for each guest to take more than 1 like a large cookie or cupcake or something.

• Linz1231
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: December 2010

I work in events at a hotel, and we had a couple who did a candy buffet as their favor.  360 attendees – about 50 of them children.  They did very small white bags with tissue paper, and about 10 kinds of candy.  Off the top of my head I remember..

Trail Mix

M&M’s

Skittles

Hot Tamales

Hershey Kisses

Chocolate Covered Raisins

That’s all I remember.  They used lots of glass jars and scoops.

It was insanity = = people hit it as soon as they walked in the door.  It was so messy.  There was candy smashed in the carpet, and I kept an eye on it and refilled.  The little bags were so small the candy went everywhere. 

• KellyV
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: September 2009

we did a candy buffet, and it was the same – adults went NUTS over it!  We did buy over 100lbs of candy though, so we did have a few lbs left over.  But our 145 guests all had some and many of them took multiple bags.  Info and pics below!  OH-and we unveiled it AFTER dinner!

ok in regards to the candy buffet – all I really did was go to BJs the day before the wedding and grab and run lol.  Saw something, thought itd be good, grabbed it.  I had about 130 adults, 15 kids, and left with minimal candy.  I did put glassine bags on the buffet, and people were walking around all evening with them.  I did buy some specialty candy from Dylans candy bar (rock candy and siwrly lollipops and those stick candy like peppermint sticks…things that are hard to find) I have my BJs receipt in front of me, here is what I bought: (total: $166.05)

Keep in mind these are bulk quantities, usually 5lbs or more

1 bag of Starbursts

1 bag of those caramel cremes

2 bags of mini resses PB cups

1 box of peppermint patties

1 bag of tootsie roll midgees

2 bags of skittles

3 bags of hershey kisses

1 bag of peanut m&ms

1 box of Nerds Ropes (HUGE hit)

1 container of Twizzlers

1 container of Crystal Light Sugar Free candies

2 bags of red Swedish Fish

1 box of 100 blow pops

1 container of peppermint puffs

At Dylans candy bar I bought

20 Rock Candy sticks in various flavors

2 bags of cotton candy

20 stick candies

5 giant swirly lollipops

Had gifted to me

5lbs of white plain m&ms (unless youre going for monotone, go regular.  Those suckers were EXPENSIVE!)

several bags of Buckeyes Candies (chocolate PB – an Ohio State Thing)

My venue provided the containers (score!) but found many of them at Michaels, Pier 1, ebay, and online.

They also assembled the buffet – but my hints are to keep one type of candy per jar so its not overwhelming to look at; scatter candy around the bases of the containers (so people arent afraid to touch it); use varying heights of jars AND the tablescape – they stacked something under the tablecloth to make sections of teh actual table higher and it looked incredible; dont overanalyze.  I didnt even think about it.  Just walked into BJs, grabbed, and left in about 15 minutes flat.  There is such a selection its easy.  I did read somewhere to be sure you have 8-10 different types of candies, and about 8-10lbs of each.  I went over that, but we used it for favors as well as during the reception so we wanted to be sure we had plenty.

Oh – and to display the blowpops, I bought a large styrofoam cone from Michaels, painted it navy with Crayola Paint, and stuck the lollipops in there.  We made a circle of them at the base so it wouldnt tip, then spaced them along the top and topped it with a giant swirly sucker.  That is 100 blow pops in that cone!

[attachment=513783,67751] [attachment=513783,67752]

• Miss Chapstick
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: August 2009

I had the same problem as the OP!

When our wedding coordinator brought us into our reception room to see it, we passed our candy buffet, and it was 90 percent gone. We were shocked. We later found out that some of our teen guests were taking extra for their friends and family who did not attend (nor were they invited!). Thankfully, my husband and I got some before it was completely gone, but there were definitely guests who didn’t get any at all. Thankfully, we also had a small cookie buffet on our cake table, so people got some sweets to take home.

We also bought a TON of extra candy, and we assumed we’d have tons of leftovers. Nope!

I would suggest that any brides who want a candy buffet to somehow barricade it or make it clear it’s off limits until the reception actually starts. I wish we had done that! I’m sure most venues have large signs that they could make up to say something like, “The bride and groom respectfully request you wait until after dinner has been served to partake in the candy buffet.”

• MissChirpie
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: July 2010

Wow. I was thinking about doing a candy buffet, but now I don’t think I will. I don’t want to spend nearly $200 on candy just to watch people greedily stuff their faces with it. I’m so grossed out.

• crebre80
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: November 2010

definitely have a candy station attendant and it won’t get so insane.  that’s the only way you’ll be able to stop the madness.  at every event that has had a candy bar the scene has been pure pandamonium (sp?)

• kayakgirl73
• 12 years ago

• Wedding: October 2009

Ours went over pretty well. We had some leftovers and it was Halloween. We did have no kids. I also think that judgeing by the number of bags left, some people either never saw it or didn’t partake of it. Oh Well. Maybe I should have had the DJ annouce it. We also had a cookie bar.