How to Start a Wedding Candy Buffet Business

If you love the idea of a wedding candy buffet, why not start your own business providing this to brides? It's fun, it's easy, and it's a great way to earn a living.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. You need a business name, usually obtained through your county, and a business checking account. You'll also need a website and the website address should match or be very similar to your business name. Choose a name that's easy to remember and to spell so customers can find you easily!

2. Typically a wedding candy buffet business offers brides several different options and she simply chooses between them. This is easier on everyone than if you allowed her to pick and choose every candy and container. So make up 5 or 6 different choices, from least expensive to most expensive.

3. Create mockups of your buffets; this means buying the containers, candy, decorative items, and sample signs. Put a nice cloth down on your kitchen table and arrange everything as they would be for the actual wedding candy buffet and take pictures. You'll use these for your website and marketing material.

4. To set pricing, you can typically take the price of candy, add an amount for your hourly work, and then double that total. This will then cover the work you do shopping for candy, traveling to locations, and purchasing new containers and other items when necessary.

5. To actually set up a wedding candy buffet the day of the wedding, make sure you have access to the location at least a half hour before the reception starts. You'll also need to know what time the reception ends so you can close up the buffet and collect your containers and other items.

6. 
   Your wedding candy buffet will look professional with signs or tags.

   Include tags for the type of candies they are. This will add a decorative element to the table and really draw guests to it. You also want to use fabric and ribbon to decorate the table; remember that a wedding candy buffet should look like a part of the reception!

7. Many who run a wedding candy buffet business stay at the wedding reception throughout, just as the caterers do. This way you can refill the containers as people pick through them and assist guests as well. Brides will probably appreciate this type of services, rather than you leaving your things there and coming back later.

8. To get containers for your wedding candy buffet business, shop flea markets and thrift stores. Avoid full-price retailers! Remember that eventually a container will be broken or misplaced so you don't want to spend top dollar on something too fancy or too expensive.

Tips & Warnings

• Conduct your business like a business. Keep track of expenses and receipts. Write up a business agreement that outlines your services and the cost and have the bride sign it before the wedding.
• Offer friends or family a candy buffet for their next party at a reduced cost in exchange for taking pictures that you can use on your website.
• As your business grows, keep an eye on the internet for additional wedding candy buffet ideas and incorporate them into your own work. This might mean decorative items that catch your eye or the way a buffet is arranged.
• Don't forget you can offer the services of a candy buffet at kid's parties, anniversary parties, graduation parties, and any other event as well!