Wedding Reception Forum

Does a candy buffet ACTUALLY get eaten/taken?

I'm considering the idea of a candy buffet,but I don't want to buy all of the candy if it will end up not getting eaten.... What is y'alls experience with them?
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Re: Does a candy buffet ACTUALLY get eaten/taken?

  • I think it depends.... At a cousin's wedding last summer, they ran out.  At FI's cousin's wedding last weekend, they had about half leftover.  I think the ratio of candy:guests was the same at each wedding, and they each had a variety of candy, and both had no kids or very few kids.  IDK what the difference was that one was a bigger hit than the other. 
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_does-a-candy-buffet-actually-get-eatentaken?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:66af1016-a795-4676-8e2e-b718f8162573Post:e02b8c8f-3475-4e9e-b5bb-9988e678e6d7">Re: Does a candy buffet ACTUALLY get eaten/taken?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think it depends.... At a cousin's wedding last summer, they ran out.  At FI's cousin's wedding last weekend, they had about half leftover.  I think the ratio of candy:guests was the same at each wedding, and they each had a variety of candy, and both had no kids or very few kids.  IDK what the difference was that one was a bigger hit than the other. 
    Posted by jesslynn1012[/QUOTE]

    That's very interesting..
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  • Ours was mostly gone by the time we got to the reception venue after pictures.  We planned about 1/4 lb per guest and about 30 of our 250 guests were under 13.
  • I think it's more popular at weddings.  I did it for my friends wedding shower and I still have cnady left over.  And it was last summer.
  • The last wedding i went to before the bride and groom entered the room it was gone...lol but i plan on doing one also, i believe its better than doing those little favors for each guest!

    Lilypie - H1jI


    Daisypath - MFL5



  • I've seen it both ways: plenty of leftovers and gone quickly. Of course I've also seen it where the "good" stuff went quick and the "lesser" candy was there until the end so in the end it comes down to your guests preference and the amount you supply I guess.

    I know if your wedding was filled with guests like me there would probably be a lot left as I don't generally eat candy or deserts.

    I know that doesn't help much but this one is a tough call because I can't say how much candy was provided for the weddings so I don't know if they were a direct comp.
  • IME, it's the kids that eat it.
  • We had no issue with leftovers at DD's wedding and I have been to adult only weddings where they were a hit.

    I think you get into problems when you put out wierd stuff or your candy choices are determined because they color coordinate with your wedding.  If you put the good ole safe choices (like chocolate for sure!) you shouldn't have a problem with leftovers. 1/4 - 1/3 pound per person is a safe bet and have bags or containers that hold about the amount  you want them to take.
  • edited June 2012
    We had a candy buffet as our favor and hardly had any candy left at the end of the night. We bought the equivalent of 1/3 lb per guest and by the time H and I got there after cocktail/appetizer hour, it was very picked over; in fact, I wished we had bought more!

    I think it does depend on your group of people. While the adults definitely ate too, we had a good number of kids present who gobbled it up.


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  • I had a lot left over but I bought way too much--like 1/2 lb. a person AND I made the mistake of having too small containers--so even if they were filing them up, I was still going to be left with too much candy.  Plus I planned for 150 and only had 110. 

    I'm still glad I did it though.  It was a "hit" except for my own mistakes and it was really pretty all set up.  I sold alot of the unopened bagged candy so it wasn't a complete loss.  Just make sure you buy closer to 1/4 lb. per person and have good sized bags or to-go containers.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_does-a-candy-buffet-actually-get-eatentaken?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:66af1016-a795-4676-8e2e-b718f8162573Post:18425f71-f841-4e93-b1b5-fdfea5548666">Re: Does a candy buffet ACTUALLY get eaten/taken?</a>:
    [QUOTE]IME, it's the kids that eat it.
    Posted by dokchampa[/QUOTE]

    not in my experience.  I only had 7 kids out of 140+ guests.  Everyone loved the candy.  Especially an 80  year old


    OP it really depends.  sometimes it's the crowd, sometimes it's the type of candy you are getting.  

     We specifically choose candies that not only we like, but our guests would like also.  We had some old school candies for some of our older guests.  They loved seeing candies from their childhood on the table.   It put smiles on their faces.   We asked our moms and aunts what their favorite candies were growing up.  It was fun.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I had a little left over, but that was to be expected!! I had sour patch kids, twix, gummy bears, whoppers, pretzel m&ms etc. but I also had mini brownies, cheesecake bites, and a couple other dessert type treats. It drew a little bit more attention to the table because there was something for everyone!!
  • edited June 2012
    I have been to several recent weddings that had candy buffets and from what I have seen everyone, not just kids, seem to love it.  I would not worry about it going uneaten or getting stuck with tons of candy so long as you plan correctly, and 1/4 lb per person seems about right.
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  • Thanks ladies! I'm only having twenty people..so i'm quite nervous doing one.. but I think i'll do a small one with simple candies that if there is some left over it won't be a problem. (Hersey's Kisses,m&m's,twix/snickers).. So I guess it would be more of a chocolate bar :p
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  • I think they are waaay awesome!! But, I just came from my cousin's wedding on June 1st, and nobody even paid any attention to it. So I guess I don't really know. Maybe it just depends on what kind of candy and where you have it located, and how many people are big candy eaters. I would think the food and cake should fill them up, but ya never know!! I think it's a cool idea though :)


                                                           -Crysta

  • sxcwedsxcwed member
    10 Comments Second Anniversary
    If you have that small of a wedding, I'd say go for it.  Worst case is that you'll have to eat it yourself afterwards.  The last wedding I was at with arouns 100 people, no one took the candy.  Some family members ended up baking cookies and stuff for it too and we had so much to pack with decorations that we couldn't fit even a quarter of it in the car so we had to dump it. 
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_does-a-candy-buffet-actually-get-eatentaken?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:66af1016-a795-4676-8e2e-b718f8162573Post:8826929e-7702-4df1-816f-a5a5050ca4d8">Re: Does a candy buffet ACTUALLY get eaten/taken?</a>:
    [QUOTE]If you have that small of a wedding, I'd say go for it.  Worst case is that you'll have to eat it yourself afterwards.  The last wedding I was at with arouns 100 people, no one took the candy.  Some family members ended up baking cookies and stuff for it too and we had so much to pack with decorations that we couldn't fit even a quarter of it in the car so we had to dump it. 
    Posted by sxcwed[/QUOTE]

    Holy moly!! That's crazy. Thankfully I have at least two sisters who LOVE chocolate XD
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