Candy Buffets...tacky or not??

overthere!

I love the idea of having a sweet treats buffet at our wedding and the prices are resonable enough as far as I can see I'm just afraid that the guests will think its tacky.

Has anyone else out there done this and how did it go down with the guests or was it a waste of money?

open to all opions

The Davestator

I think the first few times it was quirky and fun but now it's a bit cliched IMO.

Come up with something original instead of copying others.

Toto Wolfcastle

You say that you love the idea. That's the most important thing. If you want to do it you should do it.

lazygal

I don't think they are necessarily tacky, I just don't think they go with a wedding. I've never been at a wedding and thought, man I could do with a feed of cheap sweets right now. I'd put them in the same league as chocolate fountains and sweet-based favours, that is, they are not appreciated by most people. I'd be more inclined to put the money into an extra choice of main course or a round of drinks than a bucket load of sweets.

I really don't think its worth the money and effort, and certainly wouldn't be missed.

Moonbeam

I love the idea:-)
I love sweets though too:-)

helimachoptor

Fireworks

clint_silver

overthere! wrote: »

I love the idea of having a sweet treats buffet at our wedding and the prices are resonable enough as far as I can see I'm just afraid that the guests will think its tacky.

Has anyone else out there done this and how did it go down with the guests or was it a waste of money?

open to all opions

Do they work? yes, every time. I rarely see any left at the end of the night. Personally I wouldn't have had them at mine, I love sweets but dont think they go with drink. At 3am, when the munchies kick in and the residents bar has run out of the 2 boxes of pringles that they had, the body is looking for a zaytoon and youre giving it a cola cube, it just doesnt feel right.
But a great little thing for people to stuff their pockets with, youd be eating them for days after. MUCH better than putting little net pockets of 2 sweets on the table for everyone and probably near enough the same price.

Are they worth the expense? Debatable. if you like sweets, seem them at a wedding and thought "Im getting that for mine", get them. Ive seen worser things.

hoodwinked

we had one at ours recently,

the idea being rather than putting those awful jars of sweets at each place setting, people could help themselves

we were at a wedding recently where those jars of hard boiled sweets was done and the guests were commenting on what a waste it was because nobody liked the sweets and those few who did like them didn't want to be going around taking other peoples favours.

so for us we set it up that those who wanted lots could help them selves, and those who didnt eat sweets weren't leaving good sweets behind,

we asked our guests in the weeks leading up to it what was their favourate sweets, and went to a wholesalers and bought boxes of them (including the usuals like cola bottles, jelly rings (felt it was kind appropriate given the occasion),Love hearts, sherbets, mints..etc

the sherbet went down a storm with the teenagers and the younger crowd,

the mints were eaten by the older crowd,

and there wasn't a sweet left by 2am (to our disappointment, we thought we'd bought so much we'd be eating them until christmas)

so for €200 (as we got all the jars free and it was a diy table) we had what turned out to be most peoples "best party favors ever" (direct quote from many guests but again i think its down to the fact we had their favorite sweets rather than the generic hard boiled ones.

clint_silver

I think thats it summed up. You want your day to be remembered and if you're thinking what can you do to add to it, for 200e, its near the top of the list of things that you can do that will make an impact.

IIRC, Theres a sweetshop website somewhere, if you mailed the shop to all guests and get them to pick their favorites with a lot of time to spare. you should get a big list in no time.

Theres always a select few who likes sweets noone else does, a small jar of those for a 5er and years later youll still have people coming up to you going "I still remember you got those, Hadnt had them for years."

I take back my earlier comment, I would get them.

rainbowtrout

I was at a wedding recently that had one of these. While they've been around for a while, it was the first time I had seen one personally at a wedding. It was very popular. Most guests were early to mid 30s so there was very much a nostalgia element. They didn't go to any major expense either. When dinner and speeches were over and everyone was clearing out to the bar while the tables were cleared off the dance floor, it was set up in the lobby and there were little paper bags like you get for pick and mix so people could bring a few sweets to the table in the bar. When we passed back in most of the sweets were gone!

I'm not one for noticing all the extras (favours, chair covers etc) at a wedding and wouldn't have been bothered if there were no sweets, but it did work at this wedding. I had a mint crisp which I hadn't eaten in about 20 years!

Again, if like others have said here, if you want it and can afford it, get it, but you'd be as well just to buy the sweets yourself; a few boxes of a few different types and lay them out in bowls etc on a table rather than hiring a pick and mix style thing for the night. Way cheaper, and does the same job.

artyeva

you could head to ikea and get some cheap big glasss bowls and dishes, get little paper bags from a packaging company for half nothing, get a few of those little white scoops on e-bay or amazon, throw a white tablecloth and a little 'help yourself' sign on a table and bingo - sweet buffet. there are a few companies that will provide the sweets and set it all up for you but you'd save yourself a few quid by buying the sweets online and DIYing it. definitely ask a few of yer more discerning guests what their faves are. you don't want to be left with a mountain of pear drops [yuk!]... that is... unless you like pear drops :D

rainbowtrout

artyeva wrote: »

you could head to ikea and get some cheap big glasss bowls and dishes, get little paper bags from a packaging company for half nothing, get a few of those little white scoops on e-bay or amazon, throw a white tablecloth and a little 'help yourself' sign on a table and bingo - sweet buffet. there are a few companies that will provide the sweets and set it all up for you but you'd save yourself a few quid by buying the sweets online and DIYing it. definitely ask a few of yer more discerning guests what their faves are. you don't want to be left with a mountain of pear drops [yuk!]... that is... unless you like pear drops :D

Ya that was pretty much the set up at the wedding I was at.

artyeva

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Ya that was pretty much the set up at the wedding I was at.

whoops! on phone, just scrolled down to the bottom before i replied!

Gatica

I don't think it's tacky, though my OH would relegate the chocolate fountains to that group (as in tacky), he wouldn't with jars of sweets. There's something very 80's about it and can look very french and chic, which is why many people go for it.

The Davestator wrote: »

I think the first few times it was quirky and fun but now it's a bit cliched IMO.

I kind of agree that it's a bit clicheéd, though I'd probably say "in vogue". It's popular and I've seen at a few weddings. So if you're going for its originality, it's been done before; but if you genuinely like the sweets and the setup, then go for it!
Was at a wedding where they had really large jars with those sherbet UFOs and fizz colas and at the end of the night everyone was all over them.

byhookorbycrook

Awfully tacky, I think.Also overdone. But if it's what you want -and you have the money, then go for it.

Sleepy

It's just down to personal preference.

To me, worrying about the "look" and details too much is tacky. Being that concerned about what I see as the most superficial aspect of the day is degrading to what it's really about imo. But, that's just my opinion. Others see the things I'm doing that, in my opinion are "fun", as tacky: candy buffet, blow up instruments, inclusion of "funny" songs etc... (TBH, if I could get permission, I'd even have sky lanterns).

Some people are concerned with aesthetics and want the day to be serious. Others want to get married whilst scuba diving...

overthere!

Thanks so much for all your replys, if we are going to do it i think we will go with the DIY version sounds a bit more cost affective with pretty much the same result.

:D:D