The latest in party couture is upgrading your traditional dessert table to a sweet-tooth indulged dream. Candy buffets are a conversation piece for any party, where you can let your creativity run free. I recently styled a “Sweet Treat” themed graduation party, from the candy buffet to the centerpieces. These tips are great for creating a fabulous candy buffet to suit any party or event.

Keep a consistent color theme. Decide on the theme colors for your party and stay within those colors for a cohesive aesthetic. Here, the theme colors were red, white and black, and we chose silver for an accent color.

Choose a main focus for your table. The two-tired cake stands with marshmallow pops is the center focus for this table. You can choose to mirror your table for a cohesive look (like this one), or if you are working with only a few items, you can create an abstract display. Create a diagram beforehand deciding where each jar and cake stand will go and which items will go in them, so you aren’t short jars or stands.

Create a banner or confetti garland in the coordinating colors of your theme for added decor. There are endless opportunities for backdrops that can be created on the wall behind the table, if the venue permits it.

Create different levels of height. I took two styrofoam boards, hot glued them together, and covered them in the same silk white fabric I used for the tablecloth. I took an additional piece of styrofoam and covered it in a coordinating printed fabric and placed it on top. This gave the back row height. Stacking cake stands is another way to create different levels of height.

Create coordinating tags yourself on your computer to label each item. Choose a font that coordinates with the style of your theme. Choose coordinating ribbons to decorate the jars and cake stands.

Get creative! Explore your favorite Pinterest boards and party blogs to find unique treats that you can DIY. Everything here were DIY projects found on Pinterest. Create your own Pinterest board (like the one I did for this party) or mood board for your party to keep your ideas organized. Planning and organization play a large role in the execution of your candy buffet.

This graduation was themed, “Sweet Treats,” so we incorporated the candy items into the centerpieces, as well.

Choose candy you will be using to go along with your theme colors. Candy Warehouse conveniently lets you browse candy by color.

Tj Maxx HomeGoods is a great place to find apothecary jars and cake stands of all shapes and sizes, all at very affordable prices!