Making your own candy buffet

There are so many things that can be done a week or two before the wedding day so during the busy couple of days before the wedding you aren't running around like a chicken with your head cut off! One of those things is throwing together a candy buffet! There are a lot of companies out there that will charge you an arm and a leg to put one together for you, but since it is really easy and fun to make one there is no reason why you should pay triple the amount of money for a candy buffet! 

Very early morning prep, sorry I have no makeup on and my sis is in a robe!

Step 1: Find a variety of clear glass containers. Vases, apothecary jars, trifle dishes, and bowls work well. To find unique containers first look in your own home, then ask friends and family members ( I borrowed my wonderful sister in law's apothecary jars) your local flea market or antique malls will also have a good selection. A website that has a lot of candy buffet supplies is save on crafts. 

Candy buffet ready to go!

Step 2: Choose your color (colors) or theme. Maybe you want a striking all white candy buffet that will look really elegant, or like me have a few different colors, or you want a vintage candy theme with no color scheme. No matter what you choose you will be able to find plenty of different kinds of candy options. I chose pink, green, and a little bit of lavender as my accent color. I ended up with flavors like watermelon, sour apple, peach, raspberry, grapefruit, pomegranate, key lime, and strawberry. 

Step 3: Ordering candy!!! It is so hard to try and guess (basically) how much candy you will need to fill a container (My largest container held 4 lbs of pomegranate salt water taffy). Some things I had a little extra of and others I wish I had a little more, but I made the best of it and it turned out great. I used an amazing company to order my candy, but before I did I watched a few videos on youtube to make sure I had an idea of which candies give the most bang for the buck. Salt water taffy that comes in a variety of colors and flavors is the cheapest for how much volume it takes up. Also tootsie rolls, gumballs, gummy bears, or anything with a wrapper takes up a good amount of volume in a container. There are also several colors and flavors of yogurt covered pretzels that taste amazing and take up lots of space!

 M&M's give you the least bang for your buck, they are so expensive AND 5 lbs of M&M's takes up as much space as 1 lb of salt water taffy. The main reason I chose to order from nuts.com is their fair shipping prices, I ordered over 40 lbs of candy and when they have to ship that overnight with cold packs it can get pretty pricey!

I spent about $300.00 on my candy bar and not only was it beautiful and yummy it also served as my wedding favors. I made gift bags by taking small plain white bags from a craft store and putting a cute heart stamp and then a stamp with a little saying "all you need is love". I used ice tongs that I borrowed and small scoops from my local restaurant supply company as the serving pieces.

Thank you for reading, more to come!

Love, Anna