How To Create A Candy Buffet!

Trend alert!  Candy bars are not just for weddings, they are hot for every kind of party from Baby Showers to Birthday Bashes to Retirement Parties.   

Last month SassyHubby and I threw a Sweet 16 for my BlueEyed Girl. (Sorry kiddo, but it really was sweet)  We pulled out all the stops.  Hired a DJ with a light show, decorated a hall, organized drinks and food, set up a fab photo booth and of course set up a Candy Bar for the ultimate in sweetness. 

I adore organizing events, fundraisers and parties.  When it came time to pull together a Candy Bar?  I really didn’t know where to start.  Off to the internet, Michaels Craft Store, Walmart, the Bulk Barn, Home Sense, Target.  I was an  unorganized, floundering crazy person.  Then I took a deep breath and made a simple plan.  Involve the Birthday Girl,  and just have fun.  So to save all of you the anxiety and disorganization; here are my tried and true steps to having a successful, fun and fabulous Candy Buffet for your next event. 

1. Pick A Colour Scheme: The colours for our party were violet, silver and white.  Although I was keen to only buy candy in these colours I was quickly reminded by the teens in my house that there aren’t many fans of grape flavoured confections.  We decided instead to just go with favourite treats.  Easy Peasy.

2. Choose Your Vessels:  As this was a “Sweet 16” and we had about 100 guests coming, we decided on 16 containers of various sizes.  Ensuring that each container had a big enough top (opening) for tongs or scoops.  Don’t want to break the bank purchasing all new vases?  Get creative.  Look around your house, borrow from friends, watch for sales at Michaels Craft Stores and utilize those 40% off coupons to pick up some new pretty glassware.  Don’t underestimate what can be found in the Home Sections at Target and Walmart, and of course Home Sense always has lots to choose from.

3. How Much Candy To Purchase: Start with a head count.  Research told me to buy approximately  8 ounces of candy per guest, for individually packaged candy, I purchased one per guest.  We followed this rule to a point, but what we ultimately did was set a budget and set out to fill those 16 containers.

4. Where to Purchase Candy:  The sweet stuff can add up fast.  We found the best prices to be at the Bulk Barn and Costco.  Watching for sales helped!

5. The Details:  Don’t forget tongs, and candy scoops to help serve up the sweets as well as some cute little favour boxes or containers for your guests to gather their treats in.  Those little favour boxes were harder to find than expected.  Eventually we found silver and white stripped boxes that suited our needs at Party City. 

6. Design Your Table:  Lay out your table with your empty vessels at home before you head out to your venue.  You need to figure out spacing and aesthetics.  I chose to add some strong milk crates (duct taped to the table for security) to add some height and dimension to the table.  Once at our venue, I draped the entire table with violet table cloths.  For a little extra flair I added some uplighting.  Once we all agreed it was good to go, it was time to bring on the candy.

*What I would have done differently? Created a centerpiece to anchor the entire candy buffet and fill some space.

The end result?  The Candy Buffet was a huge hit with the kids and the leftovers weren’t bad either.  The key to making this a success?  Relax, have fun, involve the kids and not expect perfection.  The Candy Buffet was a great place for the teens to gather, chat, grab a sweet or a bag to take home and enjoy during the party.  I’m already looking forward to the next “Sweet 16”!