For those who are considering the candy buffet as: a favor station, desert table etc. There are a few questions that everyone wants to know going in. First is always how much? 

How much candy, how much money?

Experience has shown that the best guesstimate is about $3 to $5 per person for the average. You want about 1/8th  to 1/2 pound per guest. Visually, you need to make sure that you don't favor variety over quantity.  My site has bulk candy quantities for a reason. A pound of jelly beans is about $9-10 retail (for Jelly Belly or any good type 'adult' candy), so for every 20 guests you would need 10 pounds (if that were all you were putting out). If you bought at a candy store or by the bag, it would cost you $90-$100 dollars. In bulk we can offer it for $68 or $6.80 per pound. Which is only $3.40 per guest.

At a candy buffet you want a smorgasborg of goodies- that is part of the fun of it! So you want at least 3 to 5 types of candy for 25 to 40 guest and probably 5 -9 for larger guest lists.  In order to have a nice presentation you don't want a dib of this and a dab of that on a big table. Go for large dishes of what you can afford and then garnish with the more expensive items like lollipops and truffles. Balance the truffles at $90 for a five pound box with gummis at $14 for five pounds.  Pick out some items that work with your theme and color and then add up the total lbs. For 100 guests you need 40 to 50 lbs. Then if you find it is out of line with your budget do some swap outs on some more expensive items to bring down the total. Don't forget too that this will be the favor, so you should consider what you would have spent on individual favors and substract that out.

 By coordinating the colors and the display, the less expensive candy with the pricier, you get an over all look that is opulent without breaking your budget. The linens and containers are part of what sets the tone, so even if  you have less expensive candies, if they are displayed in a silver dish- instant upgrade!  We can supply the matching linens and the containers or sometimes you can borrow from friends and family to put together a look.

There is a tipping point on each end where the numbers change. If you are only having 10 to 15 guests to a small shower, you might end up with more than 1/2 pound per person to get "the look".  In that case you are spending more per person. On the other end, if you are doing a wedding for 500 then you probably will not need 250 pounds of candy. In that case you can count on the non-candy eaters making up enough quantity that the few that take more than 1/2 pound will balance and you can cut down a little on the per person to 1/8 or 1/4 pounds and still have plenty.

If you have it in your budget, a very nice add is to have small paper shopping bags with handles done with your own personalized label for guests to put all their goodies in; That way, your guests are not trying to carry around the little bags of jelly beans and a long lolli on a stick. It all fits neatly in the carrier. If you can't afford it then make sure to think about what candy you want and fit your packaging to it.

Putting some of the offering out in tiny decorative boxes or containers adds a "platinum" feel to the event, you don't need one for every guest, it is just another offering on the table, but it adds a huge visual hit design wise.

Also you do not need to stick only with candy. You can mix in other finger or individual desert offerings or signature drinks etc.  Some Brides will surround their cake with a mini candy buffet and have a smaller cake. One great idea is to do the chocolate desert "olive" -almonds in a giant tall martini container surrounded by chocolate martinis or some other chocolate signature drink. Lots of impact, not too much cost.

Finally we can help you put together a great buffet within almost any budget. Call or write us and we can make suggestions to put together a package that will work for your event. Below we have listed three levels of buffet and what you get for each. Starting at $3 to $5 per person.

Small Buffet ( 5 items) $3 per guest 1/4th lb per

Jelly beans  $68
Taffy or hard candy $40
Milkies (like M&M)/sixlets or mints $45
Chocolate/yogurt covered pretzels   $79
Gummi or jellies $25

Medium Buffet (5 items) $4 per guest 1/3rd lb per

Jelly Bean  $68
Chocolat Almond or Milkies $40-$60
Assorted lollies and barber poles @.75 to $1 per  $100
Truffles $100
Hard candies or gummior jellies $40

Large Buffet (5-6 items) $5 to $5.50 per guest 1/3rd to 1/2 lb per

Jelly Beans/Gummi/or Taffy $70
Milkies/mint lentils/scented chocolate or malt balls $50-$60
Truffles $100
Hard Candy or jellies or licorice $50
Prezels or dipped cookies $100
Lollipops/rock swizzels/barber poles