At The Ring, we’re always on the hunt for fabulous, stand-out, have-to-have wedding ideas. So, when we came across Candy Culture, we knew we had to share our cool new find. Owners Shannon Burnham and Heather McLeod offer couples the perfect mix of creativity with exceptional customer service.

From colourful candy bars to unique (and delicious!) guest favours, the sky’s the limit at Candy Culture- they can truly customize anything, for an unforgettable wedding day that will leave your guests wanting more.

Here’s more on this incredible find……

Personally Speaking.....

Shannon first noticed a need for something new while attending a wedding where candy kabobs were given out as wedding favours. She noticed two things about the kabobs. First, they didn’t match the wedding colours and secondly, they were immediately devoured by the guests.  Shannon knew candy was a great choice for a favour but she also knew that she could bring in cool design elements that would make it more appealing.

Shannon explains her vision for Candy Culture, " I wanted to create a favour that not only accented the wedding décor, but was enjoyed by guests young and old.  No more tables covered in leftover favours at the end of the night!"

After talking with her long-time friend Heather, they quickly decided to turn the idea into a business. Their background in visual arts (they both have degrees from the University of Western Ontario) and their love for candy, colour and design, made it a perfect fit for this team.

It’s been three years since Shannon and Heather officially opened Candy Culture. Today, they specialize in all things candy- from favours and batons to arrangements and candy bars/buffets. But their most popular product is their candy bar.  "Candy bars are becoming a staple in the wedding world and I think once someone has experienced a candy buffet and the interaction and fun it creates, they picture themselves having one at their own wedding."

Shannon and Heather have been consistently increasing the number of weddings they do over the past few years- they currently take on twenty to twenty-five weddings per year.  They design everything themselves and are always on the lookout for fresh, new ideas.
Since opening their business, Candy Culture has been making waves in the community. They were interviewed on Rogers TV last December and have been featured in London Citylife Magazine.  They've also done a birthday candy bar for television personalities!  

Michelle Johnston hired Candy Culture for her June 2011 wedding day. She says she has already recommended them to other friends getting married, "My wedding was Alice in Wonderland themed so I wanted to have a playful, childlike quality. Yet, even though it is candy, when candy culture sets up the display with your wedding colours in elegant glass jars it is quite beautiful. Beautiful, colourful, fun and edible! And I like how they got into the theme! They brought little Alice characters for the table and found amazing striped
lollipops that reminded us all of the chesire cat."

Customizing your treats

The team at Candy Culture say that they don't have a specific style- they are all about customization and are always on top of new and innovative ideas in the industry.

Shannon told The Ring, "The wedding industry is never static.  There are always new trends, colours and themes to explore and for us, there is always new candy on the market....that makes it exciting.  We get excited over things normal people might not....seeing a new colour of candy come out.  And our brides make it exciting.  This is kind of a new idea in the wedding scene and some brides come in who have never seeing a candy bar done before and most likely never seeing our candy flower batons.  We get excited by seeing other people’s reactions to our creations."

Laura Ferguson was married July 29, 2011. She raves about her experience with Candy Culture, “They came highly recommended by the venue so I didn't look elsewhere!  Candy Culture had everything I needed. They worked with our budget and volunteered to attach our thank you cards to the favours. It was great service at an honest price!  When you add up the cost of containers, baggies, scoops, time, etc it was cheaper and way less stressful to hire professionals rather than doing it on your own!”

Sweet reasons to Love Candy Culture

Couples that hire Candy Culture for their wedding have the same thing in common…they love candy! But it goes beyond a love for candy. Shannon told The Ring, “I think our couples always have their guests in mind; they want to create a truly unique experience for them and most importantly they want their guests to have a great time at their wedding.  They’re trendy, fun and enthusiastic!”

Going above and beyond also makes the team at Candy Culture stand out in the industry. For Shannon and Heather, exceptional customer service is just as important as a great product.  “We get back to our brides quickly, we are extremely flexible and if something is going to cost us a little more but will be in our bride’s best interest, we’ll do it!”   

Pam Lambourn booked Candy Culture for her candy bar and guest favours. Pam told The Ring that she would recommend Candy Culture "in a heartbeat" and says her candy bar was one of the most memorable parts of her September 2011 wedding day, "I liked that when I wanted to do a black and white only candy bar they were very accomodating and gave me a huge list of tasty candies to choose from - they had no problem with coming up with several black/white options."

One of OUR favourite things about Candy Culture is their totally unique approach. Brides know that they are going to get something that is personalized and special. “I think we are great at making our bride’s vision come to life.  We know more about candy than any person should possibly know, so when a bride comes to us with a colour scheme, for example, we know right there what candies are available, what will look the best, what will taste the best and how to balance out the candy bar or favour.”

Popular Products

Shannon says that her most popular product is the Candy Culture candy bar. Brides love that it is completely customizable- a great opportunity to really show off your personality and wedding style.

"We can create a candy buffet that is totally crazy, candy land, multi-coloured or we can do a complete turnaround and design an elegant black and white display.  In any event, we are always trendy and a tad whimsical. "

Sweet Trends

Shannon and Heather have noticed that candy has taken a more prominent role in recent weddings. "We are seeing fun trends like candy boutonnieres and lollipop bouquets.  Candy can serve dual purposes in weddings and I think even people on a budget can get a lot of mileage out of incorporating something candy into their weddings."

Shannon and Heather have also noticed that couples are steering away from doing it all themselves. In the past, brides have attempted DIY candy bars but have quickly realized that it isn't so simple. Shannon and Heather explain, "There isn’t a lot of colour specific candy available in London and retail candy is pretty expensive.  There is also the cost of all the glassware and scoops and not to mention the time it takes – time to design it, find the candy and scoops, set up and take down the candy bar.  And of course, we have the experience of knowing what works and what doesn’t."

Michelle Johnston told The Ring that it was definitly worth it to hire Candy Culture for her wedding, "There were common items, popular favourites, and ones I have never heard of. Or hard to get items like the lollipops in perfect shades of pink. I think it would be a lot of work to get everything in your colour if you were to attempt it on your own."

Pam Lambourn agrees, "we didn't have to lift a finger - they will setup and takedown, everything!  AND it was within our budget for gifts for our guests!"

Walking you through it.....

If you're interested in booking Candy Culture for your wedding, email is usually the best way to get in touch.

At this point, emails will usually go back and forth regarding colour scheme, vision and guest count.  If you decide to go with candy favours, Shannon and Heather will usually make up a few samples and send you pictures a couple of weeks before the wedding.  You can choose your favourite from the samples.

If you decide to go with a candy bar, Heather and Shannon like to meet up with you to go over your vision and all of the little details that will ensure you get exactly what you want on your wedding day. They will show you all of the possible candy options in the colour scheme/theme that you envisioned.  From there, you'll work together to choose a buffet that works best and fits with your budget.

“We love a bride who has an idea of what she wants, but is also open to our professional opinion.  We, of course, love brides who want to be a bit daring and will  go all out to make something truly special!”

If you've ordered a candy buffet, either Shannon or Heather (or both!) will be there on the morning of the wedding day to set-up. They also have part-time employees that sometimes come out to set-up as well.  If you've ordered candy favours, they will usually drop them off at the venue the morning of the wedding or, you can pick them up prior to the wedding if you'd prefer to have them ahead of time.

After your wedding, someone from the team will go back to the venue to take down the candy buffet so that you don’t have to worry about it!

Laura Ferguson says she would recommend Candy Culture to anyone getting married, “All the candy was incredibly delicious and FRESH and we were extremely impressed with the presentation.  They even brought extra decorations for the Candy Buffet table!  My favourite part was not having to worry about them!  I was 100% confident and they proved me right!”

Details, details, details

•The average bride spends $3-$4 on guest favours with Candy Culture. The average candy bar costs about $3.50 to $4.50 per guest.
•HST applies to all orders.
•Candy Culture charges a travel fee for out-of- town weddings.
•To secure Candy Culture for your wedding day, there is a 50% deposit, taken three months prior to the event.
•Candy Culture can hold your wedding date at any point, however, they usually don’t start planning the details of the favours/bar until around 6 months prior to your wedding.  As suppliers change their stock all the time, Shannon and Heather want to ensure that they have the best options available for your wedding day.

Contacting Candy Culture

To get in touch with the team at Candy Culture send them an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 519-719-4986. Check out their website at www.candyculture.ca