If you’ve been knee-deep in wedding planning, chances are you’ve heard of the “candy buffet” or “candy bar” wherein a table-long array of the sweetest and colorful candy is displayed for your guests to dig in.  The Wedding Candy Buffet made its debut to wedding guests all over the nation within the past few years and there are no signs of the wedding candy bar concept slowing down.  Wedding candy buffets are genius, really, and super simple.  The following are a few wedding candy buffet ideas.

First, decide on the type of candy you’d like to display in your wedding candy bar buffet.  You might be surprised to find this task to be quite harder than you think.  There exists hundreds of hard and soft candy in every color of the rainbow.  Reach back into time and choose some candy with nostalgic value, then add some of your current favorites.  Imagine candied mints, colorful jelly beans, wrapped chocolates, licorice sticks, and even childhood lollipops gracing your wedding candy buffet!  But don’t go overboard, limit your choices to only about 10 of your favorite candy.

Next select the containers in which you will exhibit your sweet treats.  Clear glass jars are the vessels of choice.  Create a standout showcase with a mixture of narrow and wide glass jars to tall and short glass containers.  Indicate each jar’s contents with a decorative tent card displayed in front of the container.  Alternatively, handwrite the name of the candy onto a beautiful sticker and affix to the front of the glass jar.  Provide a candy scoop by the candy jar for your guests to serve themselves a helping of the sweet treats.

Lastly, choose a generously-sized yet portable container that your guests can use to load up with their goodies and take home.  Gourmet food paper bags personalized with your names and wedding date is the perfect idea.  Or transform Chinese takeout boxes into a great container for your memorable wedding candy buffet.  You can utilize glassine envelopes with personalized labels to provide your guests with a unique candy buffet packaging. 

By offering an “all-you-can-eat, make-your-own” experience, you’ll invite your guests to create their own wedding favors that they’ll be sure to enjoy!  The wedding candy buffet is the perfect accent to your wedding that will make a sweet and lasting impression! (AJG001)

Crafting your own group of unique wedding favors does not mean you have to sacrifice quality.  Listed below is a collection of easy-to-do DIY projects that’ll provide your guests with elegant wedding favors.

1). Lottery Scratch-off Tickets. With scratch-off lotto tickets, there will be no doubt that each of your guests will use their wedding favors.  Simply place your scratch-off ticket into glassine envelopes and affix decorative personalized labels that cleverly read “Lucky in Love”.  A nice touch would be to include a penny that was minted in the same year your wedding will take place.  A perfect DIY wedding favor for any season!

2). Forced Bulbs. Take 2 to 3 forced bulbs (eg: paperwhites, amaryllis) and place them inside a drawstring burlap bag or jute bag.  Dangle a personalized hang tag that reads “Love Blooms” from the drawstrings.  Makes great fall wedding favors or winter wedding favors!

3). Homemade Jam. Share your family recipe for sweet homemade jam by canning them into miniature glass jars.  Tie a gingham wedding ribbon around the neck of the jar.  Hang a custom label that reads your names and wedding date.

4). Chocolate Bars. Perfect for the inner-graphic designer in you.  Remove the original paper wrapper and take note of its measurements.  Based on these measurements, design a new wrapper using your favorite illustrating software.  Print your design onto colored paper.  Wrap your new design around the chocolate bars.  Use double-sided tape to secure the ends of the paper wrapper.

5). Pears.  Pears are a delicious fruit that makes a wonderful symbol of your status as the “perfect pair.”  Create a rubber stamp with your names and date and the phrase “The Perfect Pair.”  Stamp onto squares of kraft paper or light-weight butcher paper.  Wrap around each pear.  Present in a rustic wood crate and invite guests to pluck their own pears.

6). Homemade Chocolates. Make homemade chocolates using one of the many molds out in the market today.  Put some of these sweets in a little translucent bag.  Tie a ribbon around the neck of the bag and dangle a tag that reads “Thank You.”

7). Homemade Cookies. Using a family secret recipe, bake cookies and place them in a small baker’s box.  Wrap in red and white baker’s twine and a darling hang tag that reads “Sweet Treats.”

8). Small Bouquet of Flowers. Place small sprigs of flowers into plastic vials.  Wrap several vials together with decorative fabric and tie with a colorful ribbon.  Present them all on a wick basket and invite your guests to pick their own flowers.

9). Small Potted Herbs. Small pots of thyme, rosemary and basil make practical wedding favors for a spring wedding or garden theme event.  Wrap a colorful ribbon printed with your names and wedding date around the clay pot to personalize the look.