Before you begin designing your candy buffet, an important aspect to remember is that the candy by itself is inexpensive, creating the buffet does add up to a significant added expense to be included in the planning of your wedding budget.One of the item I stress to Brides is to buy enough candy!! It is suggested that candy buffets work best when they are planned through the eye and not the numbers. Some articles suggest buying a certain number of ounces per guest, but the more successful candy buffets seem to be those that are planned by the size of the table and the containers that will be on the table. To create a tantalizing buffet, I suggest to buy 5 to 10 types of candy that you want to display and purchase 15-20 pounds of each of these candies. This may seem like an over abundance of candy, but a large table overflowing with candy has a presence at your wedding and does not look like something you threw together at the last minute. You will also need enough to have the buffet refilled. This will ensure all the guests have an opportunity to enjoy your selections.
What kind of candy should you buy? Well it depends on the theme of your buffet. Do you want an all white buffet, or do you prefer that the candy buffet matches the color scheme of your wedding, or are you having a theme wedding? For example if you are having a beach theme wedding, you can serve candies from the boardwalk: saltwater taffy, caramel apples, fudge, peanut brittle. Another option is to have a retro candy buffet displaying such items as candy bracelets and necklaces on the elastic cords or the little waxed bottles filled by sugar water.
After you've decided on the types of candy that you want to display you will need to decide how you are going to display the candy. Interesting containers will change your candy buffet from ordinary to extraordinary. Use containers in different shapes and different heights. Clear containers are the best to show off your candy displays. Also use containers that are wide enough for a candy scoop to fit inside. A suggestion to make the whole look pop is to use displays to raise some of the containers, giving your buffet height. An old catering trick is to take a catering rack or a milk crate and turn it upside down on the table, and cover with a cloth. Glass blocks or square glass vases turned up-side-down are also creative alternatives for a more modern look. When designing the set-up of the buffet, remember that not all guests are the same height. You will need to ensure that the jars/containers are easily accessible even when raised up. A finishing touch would be some flowers, candles or framed phrases matching your theme on the table with your candy.
One last item to consider, you need to think about how your guests will take the candy away from the buffet. Some brides have suggested using small cellophane bags, or classic white bags, or even take out containers matching the color theme of the wedding. Nashville Wraps is a great source for ordering these items in bulk. Whatever type of container you use, make it fun and personalize with small labels through My Wedding Label.
1 comment:
In all my years as a banquet manager, a candy buffet is something new to me. I've only seen it appear the last quarter of this year. Our sales managers have either been pushing it or our brides have requested it based on what's the new "in thing". Regardless, our candy buffets didn't look quite as good as the photos on your blog. Good for you.
Please visit my blog So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager and tell me what you think. Either way, Merry Christmas.
Post a Comment