Total Sweetness: A Candy Buffet At Your Wedding Reception

The last wedding I attended treated the
guests to a candy buffet. It was a hit with
guests of all ages.The bride used the colors of
the wedding in the candy, presented them in
glass containers and used frosted Chinese take out
boxes with bride and grooms name and
wedding date on labels on the boxes. She had
flowers on the table, personalized cookies bought
from a favor store and it was sprinkled with
flowers and petals. It was total eye candy!
Sorry for the bad pun, I just felt it coming on
and ran with it.

Since we were from out of town, the bride
packed us up some extras for the plane
trip home...and you could hear our candy
jangling every time we hit turbulence.
We enjoyed the candy more than the yummy
dinner at the reception.

So how can you put together the perfect candy
buffet for your wedding reception?

• Plan it in your mind, map it out on paper or on your computer.
  

A candy buffet should be a feast for the eyes and
part of the decor. Choose clear glass containers,
unusual shapes, vases, oversize martini glasses,
anything to give it a good visual vibe. You'll need
scoops for the candy and containers or candy bags
for your guests. Do you want to get really creative
and create a visual scape with candy ponds, green
paths and a gingerbread house? Its only limited
by your time, budget and imagination.

• Budget enough money to give it a great visual impact.

Don't try to gauge the amount you need to by
calculating how many ounces you need per
person. When it comes to candy, throw that
out the door. Your goal is to have more than
enough candy to have an interesting presentation
and not to run out of candy.

• Match the colors of the candy to your wedding colors.

This will give it a great visual impact, you can layer colors
of the same candy in your clear containers to make it pop.
Vary the kinds of candy on your buffet. You can use some
colorful foil wrapped chocolates in your wedding color with
some colored M & M's, white Good and Plenty, colorful
lollipops, you get the idea.

• Kick it up a notch.

Vary the heights of the containers by using risers,
boxes or milk cartons covered with fabric (like a
tablecloth) to give it more visual interest. Caterers
do this and it also makes it easier to get the candy
you want without knocking down some of the
containers.

• Finish it off.

Add flowers in vases, floral arrangements, a picture
of the couple or flower petals to give it some
visual interest.

• Enjoy and enjoy the kudos from your guests.

Don't forget to pack some extras in your carry on
to enjoy on your honeymoon. It will be a sweet
treat to remember the sweetest day ever!