First off, thank you to Sharon for the opportunity to connect with her readers. I’m Sarah, and I work at CandyStore.com. We have a lot of experience helping people plan candy buffets for their weddings and events. I am excited to share this great tip to get you started. Here goes!
If you’re new to building a candy buffet, you may be intimidated by the prospect of building one yourself. Don’t be. The main reason people give up on having a candy buffet at their event is not money, it’s fear*. The solution to removing that fear is here. With one tip, we can soothe this savage beast.
“Fear?” you say. I ain’t scurred. Right, I’m not talking about grizzly bear fear or public speaking-type fear.
I’m talking more about the fear that it’ll take too much time to plan and fear that even after all that time it won’t turn out well. It’s that overwhelming, my-brain-just-turned-off feeling where you just think. I can’t even. But you CAN! Here’s the tip that will save you:
Size Matters
This is true in many avenues of life, even scientists agree. With candy buffets, it’s a little more nuanced. It boils down to choosing the appropriate size buffet for your event and budget. You don’t need to have a magazine cover-style Candy Buffet of the Year spread.
If building a diy candy dessert bar gives you anxiety attacks – are you ready? – use a small table.
You can see your shoulders dropping already. Your breathing is getting more relaxed. That’s it, thaaaaat’s it.
And yeah, a small table – that’s it! The beauty of a small table is that you can break it down in your mind more easily. It’s more doable in your head. It’s also less expensive, easier to plan and has just as much impact as a large table, if not more. Now that you’re nice and relaxed, here’s the rest of the plan.
The biggest decisions you have to make for a candy buffet have already been made.
What Colors Should I Use?
You know the answer already. Since you’ll likely want to match the colors of your event, that takes care of that step. Bulk candy can be bought in most general colors now-a-days and even some more specific colors like maroon and aqua. Gold candy and dust are popular and fit within many events color schemes. Just be careful with the edible stuff.
Ok, this is already gaining momentum! You’re on your way.
What types of containers do I need?
You need 3 types. Big, medium and small. There we go with the bear metaphor again, goldilocks. A nice looking candy buffet uses zones to create depth and (sometimes just the illusion of) abundance. There’s more detail in my DIY candy buffet guide here, but basically, that feeling of abundance is harder to create over a larger space. Keep the table small.
The Candy Buffet Zones
Put the small containers – bowls, platters – in front and put your individually wrapped candy bars here. Other appropriate things to put here are baked goods and desserts that don’t ‘scoop’ and wrapped items that might get handled a bit. Larger, bulkier items tend to work best here. Cookies, cupcakes, etc.
Medium containers in the middle will contain some unwrapped candy that may need somewhat gentle handling. Gummy sharks, old-fashioned stick candy, chocolate covered espresso beans. Use tongs or scoops where appropriate.
In the back you put your tallest containers. Fill them up with wrapped or unwrapped bulk candy. Depending on how tall they are scooping may be awkward if people need to reach over the rest of the display. Consider wrapped candy that’s easily grab-able by hand if this is a concern. Foil-wrapped chocolate balls are great and come in a ton of cool colors. Alternatively, use single-color gum balls or another easily scoop-able candy item.
Centerpiece Optional
If you’re getting the hang of this and your brain is flowing with ideas, consider this. An optional centerpiece. If you wanna go the extra step, use a loaded up cupcake stand as a center piece and curve your zones around it. Cupcake stand, flower arrangement, or even the event’s main cake or dessert!
You may need a slightly bigger table for this, but by now maybe you feel like you can handle that. If not, stay small. A high and tight candy buffet looks much better than a loose-goosey arrangement on a bigger table.
Add a personal touch
This is the part you’re already good at. Once you have the layout all worked out, add some personal touches to the decor. Some ribbon around the containers, maybe some tasteful confetti will look nice, fresh flowers. A framed picture of the honored guest(s).
Tie it into your existing event decor. The dessert bar doesn’t need it’s own theme, it is merely an extension of the theme of the party it lives in.
Final Thought
I’ll leave you with this one last thing. There are no rules. Have fun with your arrangement. If you get overwhelmed, dial it down. If you’re feeling empowered and want some more knowledge, we put together this amazing infographic (below) from my Ultimate Guide to DIY Candy Buffets. Pin it, print it out, use it to your advantage.
I’ll be answering any questions in the comments section, so let them fly. Also love to hear about how it went! So please let me know if you used these tips and how your candy display table turned out. Love to Sharon and SugarEd Productions!
(* You may be saying, fear isn’t the only reason people give up. They might also think it’s going to cost too much because they’ll have to hire someone to build the darn thing. This is a subset of the fear you have of doing it yourself. There’s no reason buying some bulk candy and some containers should be expensive. The bang for your buck is there if you can get past your fear!)
Thanks again Sharon for permitting me to write to your readers about what I love! I’m happy to answer any questions from anyone here in the comments section. Ask me anything. 🙂
I’m thrilled to have you and this great post!
Hello! Sharon!
I love love love this idea! I am going to suggest this to a potential customer for a
house warming party! Of course my infamous cupcakes in the center!
Question is how much to charge to client?
Thank You !
Cheryl Handford-PZC
This I really have no idea…. cost of candy plus your labor?
Than You so much for sharing this information with the public. I wish I could find a way to save it. This is very helpful and I sure appreciate you and all you do for the caking community.
I am a big fan of candy buffets as well! My daughter is just dying to have one at her upcoming birthday party. I wanted to buy some pretty unique candy, I think that would make it even more fun. Do you have any tips or suggestions as to where and how I could buy unique candy? Thank you so much for all of the helpful suggestions!
Hi Brooke! It’s tricky to know what you mean by unique candy. I feel like that might be a little subjective. Some people might say gummy sharks are unique, others may not agree. There are some great places online to buy candy of a great variety, I’m partial to CandyStore.com of course. Try searching for ‘novelty candy’ if you want things like giant Pez dispensers in cartoon characters. Locally it might be hit and miss. BLockbuster Video used to have good fun candy, but alas…
Feel free to shoot me an email if you want. My email address is sarah [at] [the domain mentioned in my comment].com
I’ve been asked to make a candy table /wedding cake/cupcake table. I’m way over my head and so overwhelmed. The table I will be using is about 4feet long and maybe 3 feet wide. Please give me suggestions of how to set this up. There are approx 120 guests attending. Thank you so much in advance
Hi Nancy, I know it feels overwhelming, but you can do it! I would recommend with a 4′ x 3′ table that you keep it tight. Cupcakes will be helpful to take up space and be a main center piece. Get a cupcake stand, and make that the centerpiece of the table. I’m sure you know what colors the party / event will have, right? So next step is to choose some candy from candy by color pages like the ones on CandyStore.com.
Get some individually wrapped candy and some unwrapped in bulk. The unwrapped look nicer in glass containers / vases but people will need scoops and something to put the candy into like a Chinese takeout box or something cute. The wrapped is good for handling straightaway, and if kids will be bombarding the table, it’s way more sanitary to have wrapped candy be the first reachable candies.
Then just add some flair. Picture frames with photos or fun messages inside, ribbons, streamers, all the fun stuff. The great thign about a candy buffet is that the beauty lies in the choas on some levels. For example, If you were forced to throw this together in only one day (shotgun wedding!), I would say just get as many things on the table as you can and then try to reorganize the layout until a moderate amount of symmetry is achieved.
As for having 120 guests, we at CandyStore.com have always recommended 1/2 pound for each guest. That can go up or down depending on the candy buffet’s role in the party. Is it THE dessert, or is it primarily a showpiece? Will you need to refill / restock it halfway through the party?
Good luck, you’ll do great! Send me a picture after! email: sarah [at] the website i mention above. 🙂
My niece, Kaitlyn, got married on July 16, 2016. I had never seen a candy buffet until then. They didn’t have the 3 zones like you described. I think that would have made more of the WOW factor for them. However, their display was very cute and was a huge hit by all the guests in attendance. It is definitely something to think about for future parties that I throw. Thank you for a wonderful explanation of the different types of candies, containers, and the zones. This was a great help. 🙂
Sharon,
I am putting a candy table together for my wedding and I am having the hardest time trying to get the colors I want. I am not sure where to look. My colors are dark teal, white, and grey. However my centerpieces will be reds oranges and yellows. What should I do my wedding is a month and half away.
Hi Jennifer. It’s tough finding candy in the exact color you want when you’re looking for a non-standard ie non primary kids rainbow color. A sacrifce is probably in order as it will save you time and money rather than special ordering a small batch candy in the exact color you need.
In your case dark teal is probably the biggest challenge. There are tons of white candies and gray can be found if you’re not too particular on the shade. It’s sometimes lumped under the ‘silver candy’ category.
http://www.candystore.com/colors/silver-candy/
For teal there are options like MMs but not exactly DARK teal. See example here:
http://www.candystore.com/teal-green-mms/
Another issue you may have is that the color you see on your computer screen may be different than the color I see on mine. Different monitors display colors differently. And then on top of that candy is made in batches. One batch may be darker or lighter than the next.
So you can see its tricky getting specific non primary colors.
If you can make some sacrifices somewhere and allow for some variance in what the color will actually be when the candy arrives, you’ll save yourself stress, time and money.
If you must have it absolutely perfect try contacting a candy manufacturer directly. Some smaller companies may be able to specially make the exact color you need. But at this point in the game it’d be a huge time crunch. And pricey.
But whats wedding planning if not expensive and stressful. 🙂
Good Luck!
~ Sarah
CandyStore.com
Great article! The advice is practical, clear and well thought out. I am planning a candy table for a medium-large event (70?) with a tropical theme. The guest of honour also likes fruit such as a pineapple tree, carved watermelon and banana dolphins…. Would you incorporate the fresh fruit into the candy display or do two separate tables? The function of both is merely snacks and fun favours. I appreciate any feedback you could give. I have never done a candy bar but feel empowered and excited to try it!
I’m planning a candy bar for my daughters wedding…I have all the containers…i have two questions..1: should I be concerned about the apothecary jars tipping over and if so, can I secure them with something? 2: what are some clever ideas for guests to put their goodies in or on? Thanks in advance…