Monday, January 10, 2011

How Sweet It Is

Candy Bars have become very popular at weddings the past few years. It's a great decorative element for your reception and can either be a sweet treat at the reception or double as a favor. Here are some tips for creating your own!





How Much Candy Will I Need?
When the Candy Bar is first set up it will be a beautiful display, then guests will dig in and you'll want to have enough for replenishing at least once or twice throughout the night.

You can figure on 6 ounces per guest, some they'll eat during the reception and some they'll take home with them. So if you have 200 guests that's 1,200 ounces or 75 pounds.

You can have as many different types as you want, but even if you had two or three your Candy Bar can still look full and beautiful.

Usually 5 pounds of one type of candy is good for each container. Keep in mind the type of candy determines how many containers you'll need. For instance, 5 pounds of chocolate covered pretzels will take up more space than 5 pounds of M&Ms.

When to Buy Your Candy

If you're ordering online, place the order at least six weeks in advance. You don't want added stress of waiting for your candy to arrive!

What Kind of Candy?
Your wedding colors are a great place to start! Wholesale candy websites allow you to search by color. Candy Bars look great when they're color coordinated, even if you just have two colors in mind.

Your theme (if you have one) can dictate the candy choices. Saying "I Do" on the beach? Serve tropical Starbursts, coconut or pineapple Jelly Bellies and chocolate sea shells.

Is your groom's name or your new last name Clark? Serve Clark bars! Hershey Kisses or Hugs are an obvious choice, as well as M&Ms with your names on them--or if you're really lucky and your name starts with an M you can use the regular ones!

Keep in mind the location of your reception. If it's an outdoor wedding in the middle of August, you probably want to stay away from chocolate. Check out these websites:

Candy Warehouse

Groovy Candies

Oldtime Candy

Bulk Foods

How Should Guests Take the Candy?
The easiest is a favor bag with a 10-12 ounce capacity, available at any party or craft store. Chinese take out boxes are really cute, or small square boxes. You don't need to give each guest a ton of candy, just enough to appease their sweet tooth. You can personalize these bags or boxes with your new monogram, or just the first letter of your last name.

Set Up
Your life will be easier if you do a trial run at home. Play around with the arrangement of your jars until you get it just right. Once it's perfect, take a picture so set up is a snap.

Some venues allow you to drop off items for your reception the day before. If they're not booked the night before, you might even be able to set up the table early, leaving just the candy to be put out the day of. Your wedding coordinator can set this up for you (if it's part of your arrangement) or you can assign a friend who isn't in the bridal party to set it up. Whatever you do, please do NOT leave this on your or your mom's list of things to do on the Big Day.

Clear apothecary jars, wide-mouthed fish bowls or vases work great for displaying candy. Silver scoops add elegance to your Candy Bar. Consider adding the following elements for decor:

~Engagement pictures, childhood pictures of the bride & groom, a floral arrangement (add this to your list of arrangements from your florist), candles, flower petals, a linen or runner in a corresponding wedding color, a cute wooden sign (like "LOVE"), wooden letters (the bride & groom's initials), stacked books or boxes to add height to the display

If you're serving chocolate, don't put it out until the very last minute. During your cocktail hour would be perfect, if it's at a different location from the reception. You don't want guests digging into melted sweets.

A candy buffet is a great do-it-yourself favor that your guests will love. Everyone likes to feel like a kid in a candy store!

Photos from The Knot

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