Wedding Blog
We’ve been planning to do a candy buffet as our favor since we got engaged. I’ve been approaching it with mixed feelings these days. For starters, candy is expensive. I’m really, truly trying to push that thought from my mind until I have to worry about it this summer. But beyond the cost, I’ve found that it’s hard to do a candy buffet and make it look great! If you don’t give a lot of thought to texture, colors, containers, and varying the heights, your buffet may fall flat.
Fortunately, Flickr has a Candy Buffet Photo Pool, so you can search through example after example with ease. To make the execution of this favor even more accessible, I’ve decided to break it off piece by piece. Let’s start with signage, take away containers, and texture.
Candy Buffet Take Away Containers
I’ve seen different boxes and bags for guests to fill up with candy. Chinese-style takeout boxes are popular, but I have no desire to have a stack of these just asking to be knocked over! The most functional (and affordable) option I’ve seen are bags that coffee is normally stored in, complete with the twist tie top.
Source: Flickr.com
I’ve found bags similar to these on a site called N State Packaging that come in black or white and are $19.35 for a package of 100 - brilliant! Slap a custom sticker on there and you’re done.
Signage
I think you really need something that leaps out at your guests. Since my black, white and green color scheme is all about high contrast, I love the white on black signs that this bride created. Doing reverse text like this (as long as you do it well - using legible font and large font size) draws the eye right to it! The labels placed on the jars are genius as well. I want to dig in!
Source: Flickr.com
Changing Up the Texture
It seems like so many of the candy buffet pictures are just rows of clear glass containers filled with different colors of M&Ms and jelly beans. I like the idea of using different containers and different types of candy to give the table different textures and heights.
Photo from Rebecca Thuss
The above picture would be so fun to do and I think would be incredibly easy to reproduce in a variety of ways.
Source: Jamali Garden
I love the Jamali Garden website because they have such great, modern products at really affordable prices! This 16 x 3 x 5 Kiri Wood Vase is only $12! How easy would it be to put a block of foam in it, cover that with black rocks or something, and then sticking in a bunch of different suckers at varied heights? So fun!
So now I’ve got an easy way to start the favor project… buying the bags, then designing the labels and the signs. Easy, easy! I’d welcome anyone’s suggestions out there for great places to buy bulk candy (anything local in Chicago?), as well as how you decided on the right quantities… this would greatly easy my candy buffet anxiety!
|
Share this post: It’s Only Candy… But Why is It So Stressful?
try the candywherehouse.com, metrocandy.com, ohnuts.com, bulkcandystore.com, and your local Sams or Costco.
There is the Home Economist in the Chicagoland area - there is one in Westmont and one in Skokie and perhaps more scattered around - it’s a very low-key version of Whole Foods
Ooh I love this post! We are doing a candy buffet as well and have been diligently scouring for candy and jars for the past month. I second candywarehouse.com and metrocandy.com. But we’ve also been looking for candy on sale at supermarkets/ pharmacies. We bought our pink and green M&Ms on sale post-Valentine’s day for $1.5/each! For jars we’ve been going to Michael’s/AC Moore/TJ Maxx/Marshals. Try to look for coupons for Michael’s and AC Moore online, you can usually get coupons for 40% off an item. HTH! Good luck! Oh and check out papermart.com for your paper goods, I think we will get out bags from there 
I just bought tin-tie bags from papermart.com. They were 13.95 for 100 in white or kraft paper.
Thanks for sharing the flicker link. We are currently working out our candy buffet and this offers loads of ideas. I didn’t realize how expensive the candy would be before we started either. We are doing simple white bags I picked up at Michaels (using 40% off coupons of course).
The changing up texture idea is super cute! You could even use MORE candy to achieve this — putting lollipops into containers of jelly beans, or something similar.
I have a girlfirend who decided she wanted to have glass jars for every different candy. We spent weeks going back and forth to Michaels with our 40% off coupons. It became a mission to not spend full price for anything! It was gorgeous when she was done and she went through candywarehouse.com. Good luck! I can’t wait to see pictures!
There are some phenomenal ideas and resources in this post! I’ve been thinking of doing a coffee and doughnut bar for our guests at the end of the night, but this makes a candy bar seem so sweet and appealing!
This post couldn’t come at a better time - candy buffets have been on my mind this week! I checked the weddingbee wiki, and one of the Bees said she purchased 1/3 lb of candy per person. I’m not sure how it worked out at the end, but it seems like a good estimate (as good as any, I suppose).
As for jars, since I live in Chicago, the wedding is in NJ, and it’s a semi-destination wedding at the shore, I’ll be using large glass bowls from our reception place. That way I don’t need to look for them, buy them, transport them, and then find something to do with them after the wedding. I’d say it’s worth asking to see if they have anything hanging around that you can use!
There are some great places online to purchase bulk candy. http://www.candywarehouse.com/ , http://www.bulkcandystore.com/
These are some of the places that I am purchasing candy. Great bags!
I really want to do a candy buffet, but not sure how to do it. Thanks so much for all these great links ladies!
I would have never thought to put lollipops and candy sticks in a vase filled with sugar! This is my new favorite candy buffet idea. Thanks Mrs. Stiletto!
and ps, if you’er looking for funky cheap containers to put candy in–check out your local thrift stores and garage sales. I have all of my jars and bowls and spent about $30 total!
I am currently doing a candy buffet for a baby shower that I am hosting. I have found that the best price on candy is at bulkfoods.com while they don’t break the candy down by color their 5lbs bags are by far the cheapest, and if you order $75.00 worth shipping is only 5 dollars.
Also I found that ebay has the best price for gumballs. HTH
I’m in love with candy buffets. They can be super affordable if you watch for sales and use those Michael’s coupons! Also a great place for any kind of container is save-on-crafts.com
Some options for “filler” could be coffee beans, gumballs, rice, colored or clear marbles, and of course jelly beans or sugar.
If you want it to do double duty, split the buffet up and put a few on each guest table, and they could double as centerpieces. Favors and centerpieces in one. Voila!
I work for the candy industry industry and have gone back and forth on this a lot. On the one hand, it makes sense I do one. BUT the pressure to have the ulitimate candy bar is pretty extreme in my case. So far, we’ve decided on assorted Ghiradelli squares, Hershey bliss, Haribo gummi bears, sea shell themed bulk candies (getting married at the beach), Swedish Swedish Fish, and blue and clear rock candy sticks. I originally wanted candies only in sea colors, but that’s just not going to work for us (given that I want to represent a lot of companies). I found a few containers on clearance at Target and have been buying up other containers each week with Michael’s coupons (I try to wait until the weeks when they have 50 percent coupons instead of 40 percent off coupons). Still have not decided what to give to people to put the candy in. I had not thought of the potential instability of the takeout boxes). Hmmm.
the tin tie bags seem so large - i envision people filling it to the top. oops, candy gone. i think the take out boxes or smaller bags are best, after all, it is just a favor with a sweet sample. super great ideas everyone!
I totally understand how stressful it can be. I run a candy buffet and for quite I’ve seen how quickly costs can add up. Contact me through my website–I can definitely share some tips. Good luck!
Glassine bags are a good, affordable choice for
candy buffets. These look like wax paper,
like the ones egg rolls come in at a Chinese
restaurant. Just make up
stickers on your computer with labels from an
office supply store with your monogram or
“Thanks for Being so Sweet”, etc. and use
them as bag closures. These can also be
used as cake bags. I believe they can be
found at PaperMart or at ULine.com.
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Stiletto, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, Non-Profit/Fundraising
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer and Photographer
Engagement Date: March 2, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: The 19th Century Club
About Me: My fiance and I love living in the city of Chicago with our cats Basil and Linus, and vow to never move to the suburbs if we can possibly avoid it! We’ve poured ourselves into planning a wedding that reflects our personal style - modern and high contrast with a vintage twist. Blogging keeps me creative, baking keeps me happy, and grande nonfat no foam sugar free vanilla lattes keep me sane.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics