We are eloping on a beach and having a reception (really more of a get together to have drinks and eat some awesome food) about a month afterwards. The favors are koozies--the collapsible ones not because they are cheaper but because they are more compact to store in the car. I need something to put inside of the koozies so they will stand up on the tables. I bought these tulle bags at Wal-mart and need some ideas on what to put in them. I thought of getting M&Ms from their Web site but they are $50 for a 5 lb bag for a specific color. I really don't want coated almonds and personalized wrapped chocolate in quantities can be expensive. Do you think getting pastel M&Ms around Easter time (March 23) would be okay if the reception isn't until the end of July (July 26) or is 4 months too long for candy to be sitting? Any other ideas? I am thinking, obviously, of something that is edible and I would be willing to spend a few hours making them to save money.
Our reception will be in a air-conditioned social hall in the Midwest, not on the beach.

Check out oreintaltrading.com. I bought all my wedding favors there. Even though Im not getting married until August I went ahead and bought them. They have quick delivery and are really inexpensive. They have a wedding section you look under and they have candy there " more wedding type candies". They also have a section on nothing but candy. I highly recommend them. They also have other wedding supplies to, ones with a beach theme.Hope that helps. Good luck and CONGRATS!

thats too long to have the candy.
use an individually wrapped candy like hershey kisses. you can goto a bulk store like costco,sams club or a cash and carry buy the kisses get some of those little dot stickers from an office supply store a rubber stamp with a design that matches your decor and the ink color that matches. there is a sticker dot that fits perfectly on the bottom of a hershey kiss and with a stamp on the bottom its a pretty cheap personalized favor.

I would go with something not chocolate. Chocalate will melt in the containers at a July beach wedding! Perhaps gum balls, mints, pretzels...good luck.

you dont want to use chocolate or any type of candy that would melt. I would try lollipops and jellibeans in the bag. Very cute and easy to find in the colors you want, There is also those rock candy on a stick things that look like crystals that would be really cute. You can also make your own lillipop candys getting molds and recipes online. I had a friend who was able to make hers with her monogrammed initial.

If you freeze candy it will turn white. Why can't you buy the candy closer to the reception date? Why not fill the koozies with chocolate covered pretzels, candles or potpourri?

I think you could freeze the candy and it would work fine.

Wait until after Easter, when the pastel M&M's are on sale (usually 1/2 price). If you put them into a ziplock freezer bag, they can be frozen and won't turn white. That's what we did for my daughter's wedding last year. We bought the pastel miniatures (her colors were pink and lavender). We froze them until the middle of May. They were perfectly fine. Saved a lot of money!!

For a beach wedding I thing a seashell would be nice or maybe those chocolates shaped as seashells or maybe soaps shaped like seashells. Or candles with seashells inside. You can even make them yourself. Wax, chocolate and soap can all easily be melted in the microwave and poured into a mold. I think I like the candle idea the best. Tie abit of raffia around and tie a bow. So pretty.

http://www.outerbankssouvenirs.com/ProductImages/candles/BlueRoundLantern.JPG

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-Sea-Shell-Candles&id=57492

or

http://www.designingonline.com/dreamsalive/summer2002/columns/kaityscraft/

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/seashell-candles.shtml