So you have a special event coming up. We’re excited for you! Candy buffets, sometimes called candy stations, add panache to all occasions. We can help you put together something that exceeds your expectations and impresses each one of your guests, even your persnickety mother-in-law.
Candy buffets, fun and festive (and edible, of course), make great features for weddings, bridal and baby showers, milestone birthday parties, retirements, holiday gatherings, and more. Not only are they a unique decorative element that adds dimension to your food and beverage selections, but candy buffets can also serve as a party favor station (doing double duty saves you cash!). You don’t need a professional to make a dramatic candy buffet to coordinate with your event. Here’s all you need: a table, a little imagination, and our resources at CandyFavorites.
Ready to get started? Let’s do it!
Step 1: Identify your theme OR your color preferences. Insects or animals for a children’s festivity? Retro candy for a milestone birthday? Color selections could include monochromatic shades of white and ivory for a wedding or bridal shower, brown, black, and cream for a groom’s table or a gentleman’s birthday party, or pink, green, and orange for a sweet sixteen. After that, It’s up to you and your imagination! We can accommodate just about any ideas you have, so get creative. Have a terrible taste? It happens. Don’t panic. Call us, and we’ll walk you through it, like candy 911.
Step 2: Get a head count. Generally, it would help if you planned on buying 8 oz of candy per person, which means for a party with 100 guests, approximately 50 pounds should do it (we have more tips about how much to buy waiting for you below, so read on).
Step 3: With your theme in mind and your guest list tallied, you can build your candy buffet using the simple template here:
Height
You will need to set up your table with various containers to showcase your fabulous candy selections. Choose simple, clear glass containers that never fail, or jazz it up by using just about anything else, from wooden boxes, paper bags, baskets, colorful vases, vintage buckets, and more.
The trick with containers is to get variations in height: short, medium, and taller pieces to add drama. You can also use risers to get height variation among your containers. Remember, you don’t have to spend much money on this part. Party and craft supply stores sell various decorative containers at reasonable prices, so go wild (but stick to your theme, of course).
Color
This is the fun part: go shopping for candy! If shopping for a color scheme, Try limiting your choices to two or three primary colors if shopping for a color scheme. Each color can certainly have variations of shades within the same family but stick to three primary tones. On the other hand, if you want a color explosion or are trying to replicate the candy store look, then go nuts, but choose all primary colors or all pastels, so the final effect looks pulled together. We’ve made shopping for colors so easy with our Candy Color section that sorts all of the candy available by color, with dozens of shades of colors from which to choose.
Texture
The key with texture is to add some shimmer here and there. Then, all you have to do is select a few goodies from either our Shiny Wrapped Candy section or our Glossy Candy section. Make sure your candy textures vary with hard candies, soft ones, and maybe some gummi candies. All these will be found when you are sorting by color, making it super simple! When shopping for different textures, think about adding some tall candies like candy kabobs, swizzle sticks, and lollipops (we have special sections for each of these on our site, too).
Layers
Now it’s time to put it all together. Dress the table with the perfect tablecloth, arrange your containers, and fill ‘em up! Add candy scoops and set out your gift bags if you’re using them. Now layer in other details that seem fitting, like pretty framed mirrors for a wedding candy buffet, perhaps attractive labels for your containers, vases of flowers, candles in coordinating shades, or something theme-specific. For example, a birdcage might go nicely on a feminine candy buff or butterfly nets for an insect-themed table.
Additional Pointers
How much candy?
Again, the rule of thumb is 8 oz of candy per guest. Another tip: 5 pounds of candy the size of M&M’s, gummi bears, or gumballs, for example, just about fills a small fishbowl or a shoe box. You might want to budget for more candy if your event stretches well into the evening. Don’t leave anybody without their fair share!
In case you need more information, we’ve assembled this oh-so-helpful page to help you know exactly how much to buy. Nice, right?
Note on Chocolate and Summer:
Chocolate and other highly-perishable candies should be ordered in cooler months if you are shipping to hot weather destinations to ensure they arrive in tip-top shape. If you aren’t that organized (we get it), you can add ice packs and Thermo Cases to help protect your goodies. Please read our Hot Weather Shipping page for more info.
Now you are armed with all the information you need to create a fabulous candy buffet for your upcoming event, and we are at your service with thousands of candy selections from which you can choose. Of course, you can shop for all your candy by color to make it snappy, but don’t forget that we have dozens of other candy categories, too, to help you zero in on precisely what you want for any theme or color scheme. As always, let us know how we can help!
