Let's take candy buffets to the next level.. shall we?

Alright, here it is. My first blog! I am really excited to start getting some of my planning thoughts out there. I am even more excited to get feedback and start putting some of these things into action at our upcoming events.

I am the first to jump on a trend. I love a new wedding or party hit, and I love sharing it with my clients. When there is an unexpected element at a party, it creates a refreshing atmosphere. It can change the entire personality of the party. Of course people expect the balloons, the cake, the VIP.. but adding something extra can only intensify your event.

Today I want to blog about candy buffets. Yeah, you probably guessed that from reading the title. I know. I wasn't feeling mysterious. Sorry. :)

We've seen this trend for awhile, and it rocks. It's a great alternative to tacky favors, and allows guests to personalize their take-away gift. Plus, it makes an excellent detail for your day as it will be a focal point as well. Photographers love this stuff! WE love this stuff. It's gorgeous and yummy. You can't go wrong with this but here are some alternative ideas to the traditional candy buffet..

- Cookie Buffet! Use vintage or cohesive cookie jars and fill them with different types of cookies. You can have a baking night with friends before and make them with love, or just order them! Adding a tong to each jar with a label for cookie type would be a cute touch as well.

- Holiday Buffet! i'm going to go with halloween themed because it's the closest holiday and we are working on this with someone! Many people are afraid to let their kids trick or treat, or don't live in an area to do so. So, host a little get together for your little monsters (or friends) and make a buffet of holiday inspired treats. You can do monster rice krispy treats, eyeball cake pops, candy apples, pumpkin roll, popcorn balls, candy corn, etc. For this specific set up, you could buy little pumpkin carriers so the kids can feel like they are actually trick or treating. They get to pick their own treats, and go home with a sack full of goods.
**This would also be great for family get togethers at christmas! Everyone could bring something, and you can have a swap with gift wrapped boxes on hand to be packed!

- Popcorn Buffet - Have a fresh popcorn machine on hand and present a bar full of seasonings so that the guest can have an authentic box of popcorn at a desired taste for now or to go. You can also do the traditional set up and fill apothecaries with premade popcorn in different flavors and get popcorn boxes for them to fill.

- Cake Pop Buffet - This is a really cool alternative to having an event cake, but adding the cool element of the buffet. Here you can set up different shaped and themed cake pops in vases, punched in foam, or laying on a plate. I've seen a lot of these done lately, and there are endless possibilities. You can decorate them pretty much however you want, and it's a less messy version of the cupcake. The serving size is nice, too!

- Bread and Butter Bar - This really works well for a country themed wedding. You can supply serving sizes of fresh baked bread pre-wrapped and small jars filled of apple butter. This can be a nice homey snack, or a breakfast the next day for your guests. This would also be nice for a destination wedding, especially if all of your guests are staying at hotels. This has also been done with jam ("spread the love" theme). Adding the bread just gives you variety, as well as the buffet feel.

Obviously, there is a lot of oppurtunity here. These are just a few ideas. You can really do a lot if you have anything in variety that won't require maintenance (i.e. things that will need to be refridgerated). I'm looking forward to trying a few of these out in the near future and posting photos from our own events.* So, Stay tuned!

*All photos provided by various artists via Pinterest.