Erin and Walt’s beautiful wedding was a long time coming – these two started dating more than 10 years ago while they were still in high school. Erin’s parents had a strict rule stating that Erin could not date until she was at least 16, but Walt found his way around it, and we’re all glad that he did! Our amazing Paige shot Erin + Walt’s big day in metro Atlanta, with their ceremony at St. John Neumann Catholic Church and their reception at 550 Trackside. We love Erin’s gorgeous lace gown, the beautiful peony and hydrangea bouquets with touches of baby’s breath, the precious flower girls and all of the amazing lace-edged details that make an appearance at the reception.
Also, who doesn’t love a good candy buffet? Erin + Walt’s was beautiful, and a huge success! Are you having a candy bar at your wedding? Here are some tips to help you pull it off beautifully (courtesy My Love of Style):
1. Determine Your Budget: It’s important to figure out the amount of money you plan to spend on your candy buffet before you get started, as candy buffets are beautiful and can be cost effective for a large number of people, but specialty candy can quickly add up!
2. Colors/Theme – What is your wedding’s color scheme or theme? Once you determine your colors, you can then go on to select the candy you want to use on your buffet. Here, Erin incorporated the beautiful pinks of her flowers and bouquet into her candy selections. If your wedding is more focused on a theme, you can incorporate candy in that way too (e.g., incorporating traditional French almond nougat and macarons for a French-inspired wedding). Check out Candy Warehouse if you are buying in bulk for more than 100 guests, where you can browse by color, type, and theme, among others.
3. Candy Selection – When putting together a successful candy buffet, you want to make sure that the candy is colorful, but also delicious and appealing to guests. A good variety may include a combination of the following: a. chocolate (M&Ms are always a great choice) + b. hard candy (everyone loves rock candy!) + c. gummy candy + d. bubble gum + d. mints.
4. Candy Vases/Jars – Always remember candy buffets look best when there are an assortment of sizes and shapes of containers – Erin and Walt’s candy buffet is a great example of this). A popular selection to use is apothecary jars in varying shapes and heights (check out TJ Maxx or Homegoods for great prices on apothecary jars. You might also be able to score some deals from local thrift stores!).
5. Candy Scoops – Make sure you purchase candy scoops! You don’t have to have a candy scoop for each item on the candy buffet, but you do need enough to go around. For candy scoops, check out Party City (they have them in lots of colors) or Michael’s, in the wedding section. Plastic scoops should cost less than $1 each.
6. Favor Bags/Boxes – Don’t forget the favor bags/boxes for your guest to put their candy in. This is something you can get creative with, if you want to make your own checkout this video tutorial at Lupa & Pepi where Rachel shows you how to make a favor bag out of envelopes.
7. Decorate Your Table– Your candy buffet table should match the overall theme whether it’s a certain color scheme or a theme with certain colors integrated into it.
- Start with your table cloth – You can use a color table cloth, plain white or pattern table cloth.
- Elevate various parts of the table by using books or boxes (put the books/boxes under the table cloth), that way you can’t visually see what’s elevating the vases/jars
- Make sure to put the highest vases/jars in the back and the shortest in the front
- Add pomanders, flower arrangements or other decorations to your table to make it visually appealing
- You can hang pom pom balls, banners, or pennants from the ceiling or light fixture to make it a little more festive
- Decorate your apothecary jars, vases and utensils with ribbon and labels in colors that match your theme. All it takes to find some great free candy buffet labels is a little Googling and Pinteresting!
Do you have any other tips or suggestions for a candy bar? We’d love to hear them! Erin + Walt, thank you so much for allowing us to capture your beautiful day. We are so grateful for the two of you, and wish you all the best as you start this new chapter of your life together. Love is sweet, indeed!
Wedding Planner: Janice Blackmon Events; Ceremony: St. John Neumann Catholic Church; Reception: 550 Trackside; Florist: ABokay by Joann; Cake: HH Desserts; Catering: ABokay by Joann; Entertainment: Lethal Rhythms Entertainment; Dress: Liancarlo purchased at Kelly’s Closet; Shoes: Badgley Mischka; Hair and Makeup: Pure; Invitations: La Vita Allegra; Videographer: Jonathan Nye of Evolution Video Inc.