Children at Weddings?

So you want children at your wedding?

Having children at your wedding can be fun but they can also create havoc at the reception. If you are using younger children as flower girls and ring bearers, you (and their parents) must understand that if a youngster refuses to walk during the processional or cries or throws a hissie fit, don't try to force them. It just is not worth the stress to you, the child, the parents or your guests.

Some ideas for children at the reception:

1. Ask your venue to place a table in the corner. You can supply various activities such as games, puzzles, markers, paper, crayons and small toys to entertain the children. Consider hiring a teenager to engage the children.
2. Offer baby sitting services to the parents. This plan is most effective if you are using a hotel for your reception. Reserve a room and supply movies, games, pizza and enough qualified sitters to care for the children. Parents can enjoy the reception and check on the children as often as they wish.
3. If only a few children will be in attendance, prepare a goodie bag for each one. Make the items age-appropriate and place the bag at each child's seat. They will be delighted to find their surprises and their parents will appreciate your gesture.
4. Some brides put "adult reception" on the invitations and that clearly indicates children should not attend.


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Save Some Wedding Green $$$

So you want to save some green (money that is) ?

Are you looking to save a few greenbacks? If you are, then think of having your wedding on a "off peak" day of the week. Saturdays are at a premium and cost the most. If you change your wedding day to say, a Thursday, you will save money just by uttering the word.

Most wedding vendors will offer discounts for "off peak" days. ALL you need to do is ask. Hotels, Caterers, DJ's, Photographers, Limos and others will make hearts skip a beat when you say "I'm getting married on Wednesday". Mornings can be less expensive then evenings. The month of December is MOST expensive, due to holiday parties and corporate events.

If you're planning your wedding for December, book the date EARLY in the year, January or February are best to beat the rush for those prized weekends. TIP: Verify with your reception venue on how many events are planned for your reception date. Some will book events back to back. For all wedding vendors, get a signed contract and pay with a credit card!

TIP: Check the local happenings around your wedding city..... Airshows, Concerts, Craft Fairs.....many brides have almost missed their wedding ceremony due to traffic jams, no parking or large crowds.
How to cut more costs here.

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What is Lame About Candy Buffets?

So you want a candy buffet?

You know what's lame about candy buffets? Others people's fingers in your candy. Some big, burly guy with mechanic hands. You know the kind. Stuff under their nails. Where have they been? What kind of fun is that? We'll answer that: NO FUN AT ALL. You know what is fun? Colorful candy, yummy candy, candy that takes you back, way back, like 10 years old back. AND a scoop in the bowl.

You've spent your time and your money putting together a fun, colorful candy buffet. Your guests have arrived and you notice something. WOW, something way out of whack. They are using their hands! Touching and groping all the candy. Cold chills run down your back.

Who likes other people's hands and fingers all over YOUR food? I know I don't. If candy is wrapped, ok, go ahead and touch it. When it's not? Good lordy.

Did you know that scoops, tongs or ladles are the most forgotten items on a candy buffet? Yes! A few things you should know.

IF.......

• candy is wrapped, no need for a scoop.
• small candy, small scoop. (portion control)
• larger candies, (kisses) a larger scoop
• sticky candy, cheeses or gummy = tongs
• tall containers with long necks = ladle
• spoons for tiny toppings
• 2 ounce = 1/4 cup = 48 to 50 regular M&M's in one scoop

You will find all kinds of candy scoops for your candy buffet, and they're not just metal anymore. Add colored scoops, ribbons and bows. Your candy buffet will be fun and yummy, AND your guests will want to take some home.

Everybody LOVES candy.

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How To Purchase Candy Online

So you want to purchase candy online?

Here are a few helpful items to consider. Time of year. Hard candy VS chocolate. When ordering your candy online, please, PLEASE go to the websites shipping information page! It will save you time and disappointment.

First, let talk about what season it is. If you place your candy order during the colder months, you should be OK. But keep in mind when it is warm, not hot, but warm out, you will need to Express ship or make SURE the company ships with ice/cold packs. Hard candy ships well, but it too can melt. If hard candy is wrapped, and sits in the heat, it becomes a hard candy gooie mess. It might not melt, but it sure will be hard to get out of the wrapper.

Chocolate on the other hand (taffy, gummy, and wax candies) can end up at your door, and we mean at your door for a long time. Even if it's in the 70's, you will have a melted or soft mess on your hands. This is where an ice/cold pack comes in. Now, some websites have special boxes that will retain cold packs when shipped during the warm seasons. Most will have you choose Express Shipping as your method of delivery.

Remember, UPS, FedEx and the USPS, will not give a HOOT to leave your package at your front door. Say you are at work, it could sit for hours. Their trucks are not air conditioned!

We just had a candy company send us samples. Yep, chocolate. It arrived via UPS, and we are a business so we were here when it arrived. It was in the upper 70's this day. We opened the box, which was sent UPS Ground. The bags looked oily, and some of the chocolate was squished. When we opened the bag, the candy, which had a hard shell, (like an M&M) looked ok, but the minute you touched it, splat.

Save peace of mind, ask/read HOW WILL MY ORDER BE SHIPPED, first. During the planning of your event, the LAST thing you need is a molten mess of candy on your hands.

"WARM WEATHER/SUMMER SHIPPING (NO REFUNDS FOR MELTED PRODUCTS)"

Everybody LOVES candy.

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It's In The Bag ~ Or So You Think.

So you want to add take home boxes or bags? That IS the question.

Providing take home boxes or bags on your candy buffet table is a fantastic idea. Plus, your guests will want to take some home.

Well, here's the deal-E-O. There are two types: boxes or bags.

Boxes: #1 Gable boxes. They come in packs of 12, per pack. They are shipped to you flat and you have to fold them to make boxes. Great, fine and they are cute. BUT, put a scoop of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans in then and WHAM, what do you hear all over the floor? Yep, the bottom comes out, falls apart. IF you use this type of box, assemble and tape the bottoms. Save you and your guest from becoming red faced.

Boxes: #2 Square boxes. They also come in packs of 10, 12, 24 per pack. BUT, they are a box. Some come with tops, some do not. Read the description. They come in different sizes, but stick to small, as you do not want to run out of candy.

Bags #1 Paper bags. For a candy buffet, you will want a small take home bag, not a bag the size of a brown lunch bag! Good gravy!!! Small take home candy bags will be in the range of 4.25"L x 2.25"W x 8"H. Don't worry about the height of the bags, you can always take a fancy scissors and cut the height. Plus, are you ready for the best part? You can personalize, monogram them or put stickers on them, stencil, or what ever you want on the bags. Hole punch then put a color ribbon thru them. Cute.

Bags #2 Organza bags. These little cuties come in so many sizes, styles, and colors your head is gonna spin off. Most will have draw strings to keep them closed and they are see-thru. They are sold in sets as well and small, medium or large. Again, keep to the small size, as to not run out of the sweet stuff.

No matter which one you choose for your candy buffet take home container, keeping them small will save on candy. You don't have to stick to just one, you can mix and match. Sky IS the limit.

Our Boxes And Bag Page.

Everybody LOVES candy.

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