I love candy buffets at weddings – they give the guests something sweet to munch on during the evening and to take home and look very cute, colorful and coordinated.  But I have done a ton of them at weddings over the years and I think that might be the problem – I have done a TON of them over the years and I am ready for something new!  Here are some suggestions for alternatives to the ever so popular candy buffet – all with a local Columbus twist!

Jeni’s Ice Cream -  Jeni’s ice Cream is a local Columbus favorite – local ingredients crafted into unique flavors handmade in small batches right here in Columbus.  They have a cart they can bring out to weddings and events which is always a HUGE hit with guests!  Their on site minimum is $800 – that includes 4 flavors of ice cream, a Jeni’s staff person to set up and serve the ice cream, dishes and spoons.  That covers up to 125 people and each additional person is $4.  It would be a great addition to any wedding but especially a summer wedding with an outdoor element – nothing like a dish of Salty Caramel on a warm summer night under the stars.  Give their Kitchen a call at 614.488.3224 – they’ll take great care of you!

Al’s Delicious Popcorn – How about a popcorn buffet instead of a candy buffet?  Another local favorite, Al’s Delicious Popcorn has been around since 1985.  They handcraft over 60 flavors of popcorn right here in Columbus.  They have flavors that range from the traditional (butter, cheddar and caramel) to the more unique (bacon & cheese, watermelon and Kahula).  The set up would be the same as a candy buffet – large jars labeled with the flavors and bags or boxes for the guests to select their favorites!  Al’s 1 gallon bags of popcorn range from $2.75 for original popcorn up to $8.25 for their cheese and sweet flavors – comparable to what candy would cost in the long run.  You can try all the different flavors at their Bethel Road location – a fun date for you and the fiance!

Brezel – Instead of a buffet of some kind, you can always incorporate treats in the form of a late night snack.  I have seen cookies and milk, pizza, sliders and donuts but right now I am loving the idea of big, hand rolled, flavored pretzels.  Brezel is a local Columbus company that makes ridiculously good, hand rolled soft pretzels.  Their specialty flavors include jalapeno and apple cinnamon in addition to original.  I asked the owners Marie and Brittany about custom flavors for weddings and this is what they had to say:

We’re happy to work with the bride and groom to create a custom pretzel flavor. Our prices for this type of work depends mostly on the cost of specialty ingredients and packaging considerations, but we do offer some adjusted pricing on bulk orders. We are very flexible. All of our pretzels are handmade. If a couple can dream it… we’ll try our best to create it!

Any of these would be delicious additions to your wedding reception and I love that they all support local Columbus businesses.  Enjoy!

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 9:16 pm and is filed under EDEP Weddings, Fun Stuff, Weddings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.