PJ says “Own Your Wedding Candy Bars And Reception”!

It may be a chocolate obsession, it may be sweets for your suite spot. It may be hot tamales, jelly beans, or Mike and Ikes, what’s your obsession?

The idea of candy bars at your wedding reception, even center pieces can be a combination of any treats, snacks and unusual elements! It’s about setting up a visual guest stimulation and additions during the reception are not just popular, but beg guests to take a closer look! Here are some tips on arranging an exclusive candy bar at your wedding, your way with PJ.

Every candy bar can be unique, you want to not just appease different guests who have different tastes. You want a fantasy table that takes your guests breath away! You want to hear that “ahhhhhhh, wow” as you stroll past your guests. From an unlimited sweet tooth, or guests drawn and addicted to special concoctions. Ask around, get some tips from friends (you know their weaknesses) even pinterest!

♥ ♥ ♥ Picking Your Candy ♥ ♥ ♥

PJ offers candy bar stimulation, let your candy bar represent you, your day and be memorable! From lollipops and suckers which are popular and expected to mixing it up with colors or use your wedding colors. Different flavors, shapes, don’t leave this to the last minute, make it fun, create your theme. Discuss colors you don’t want! For example: you’re getting married around Valentines – you’ve got the ultimate in choices from hearts, chocolates and symbols or order specialty candy and chocolates. Pink and white heart-shaped lollipops and will stick out from your display. Holiday times always include candy cleverly redesigned chocolates, cookies and seasonal colors from stars, to bells to angels. Regardless of season, you can always order candy personalized, monogrammed, wedding dated, bride and grooms’ name and personalize using your imagination. Make it fun matching up your the wedding theme and colors!

Candy bar packaging: choices for your candy bar include individually wrapping favors in cellophane or little boxes decorated with stickers and thank-you tags for guests and stacking and displaying them is only limited by your imagination. A candy bar can feature wedding candy with or without guests filling bags.

Candy bar colors: another easy! Jelly beans, jelly bellies and the conversation hearts can be hand selected for their script, use additional wrapping with netting or ribbon to add a gourmet-look. Is your imagination waking up?

Flavored honey sticks, mints in seashell shapes or theme shapes, marshmallows (try the blue ones-delicious, nuts, dips, accent with chocolate patterns, hearts, foil-wrapped chocolates like Lindt, Ferraro Rocheir, jaffas, flavored licorice and especially with our destination weddings we add local candies from the country!

Use seashells in your display for nautical and beach settings, “be unique” says PJ, Director of Romance at Destination Weddings.travel . You can saturate your guests with candies, or mix it up in several other themes and new ideas. Add a twist, add a sprinkle, add a little of yourself!

A Nut Bar, use almonds, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, dried fruit skewers, trail mix with small snack bags to fill. Go to the local grocery store, Cost Co, buy in bulk, don’t forget coconut and cutting up a coconut into strips.

A Wellness Bar with your own made and created granola bars! Ask a few friends to each make a specific granola bar and let your wedding party get involved and take extra pride in being a part of your wedding. Here’s some of our suggestions: extra chewy granola bars are a favorite, pick your own ingredients to customize your special day. From combinations of chopped or whole nuts, miniature chocolate chips, mint chips, sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped dried fruits, candy-coated chocolate pieces and more. Remember you can customizing shapes into squares, circles, use cookie cutters, find shapes to match your theme. PJ’s TIP: Use colored fruit or crushed candies to add to your colors.

An Asian or Japanese Candy Bar: let the fun begin, head to the local Danish ring cookies, Nissan Cisco’s Coconut Sable biscuit, Luv Yu Almond cookies, Ichioka Custard Cakes, Bourbon Elise (wafer cookies), Lion Soda kids candy, plum candy, Kasugai brown sugar candy, grape insect gummie, Senjaku Cola candy and much more.

Salad, Fruit or Vegetable Bar: use of different colored fruits as well as different colored and shaped vegetables, artistic displays of fruit, vegetable flowers and edible sculptures are beautiful ways to create an attractive bar and don’t be surprised if you find guests taking photos before indulging!

An Ice Cream Bar: offer 2 or 3 flavors (one being sugar free). Focus on toppings like crushed cookies, sprinkles of lavender, mint, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, crushed nuts, caramelized banana, wafer biscuits, the all-important cherry on top! There’s rainbow sprinkles, milk bottles, fruit tingles and Shaved Coconut, we’re just getting started! Other great topping ideas are Caramel, Strawberry, Passion Fruit, Butterscotch, Hot Fudge (hot means warmers setup), other jams and jellies. Add bananas for an expanded Banana Split Bar!

Special Needs and Candy Bars: Don’t forget about friends and family with diabetes. It’s a necessity to include sugar-free options, food allergies, hypersensitivities and label with a cute poem or tip, separate jars for gluten-free candies, peanut free, lactose intolerant candies, diabetic choices. PJ’s Tip: truth be told, only about 3% of adults and 6%-8% of children have clinically proven true allergic reactions to food. Just the same, be thoughtful, don’t alienate any guest from food stations or no options. (this goes for alcohol, non-alcohol bars) and special diets. Your guests will be grateful so they won’t miss out on that slice of wedding cake and champagne!

Branch and tree displays can include illumination, lights. Having a high-low presentation with tall peppermint sticks to chocolate covered rum balls, chocolate fountains with strawberries or other fruit for dipping, use white and dark chocolate, almond bark, add color, flavors.

How to Choose and Price Your Candy Buffet: special arrangements, containers – consider buying in bulk and the number of guests coming vs consumption. However, your candy bar planning must be visual even before budget. Accent your over all look with unique and interesting objects. Wooden pained word stands, glitter, illumination, unusual shaped. Focus is laid more on the overall look and not on the quantity per guest. It can be a real hit with your guests, if it is well-organized.

For our top 3 Wedding Tips see links below.
editor: Pamela (PJ) Ott
http://www.destinationweddings.Travel
pj@wildsidedestinations.com
503-260-0557

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