Creative and Fun Wedding Ideas Made Simple Creative and Fun Wedding Ideas Made Simple
We all know how the wedding cake has a special spot at the reception. So, why not assemble an entire dessert and sweets display with your cake taking center stage? Nothing too complex or over the top. But a DIY-able display for a small, casual wedding. If decorated “in theme” with the rest of your wedding day motif, then this sweets table will be an appealing addition to the total effect.
Have a theme planned? See inspiration from our styled sets for how you can decorate a dessert and sweets table to go with it!
Theme: Vintage Country in Garden Setting
For an intimate home wedding, you could set up your dessert and sweets table on one side of the garden and decorate it with the rustic-romantic look of a Vintage Country theme.
To create this look, the key elements are romantic lace and rustic burlap. Over a burlap-covered table, assemble a lovely vintage-inspired backdrop for the dessert table, made with lace-covered embroidery hoops and flowers in bottles hanging from vine-wrapped poles. Have a sweet wedding cake with a bunting topper and silk roses at the base, accompanied by boxed cupcake favors in pretty pastel frosting. Continue the romantic touches with DIY lace brooches and lace wands as favors. And to tie it all together, mount a burlap and lace dessert table sign on a mini easel. (Note: You can see the details up close here.)
Theme: Valentine’s Dessert Table in Red and Black
Here is a sophisticated take on a Valentine’s Day-inspired desserts table, using a bold palette of red and white.
The look here is modern with clean, crisp elements of red set against white. The focal point is a two-tiered white wedding cake, simply decorated with bands of red ribbon and topped with a bunch of red paper flowers. More paper flowers are tucked among the cookies and macarons on pastry pedestals, with pearl-draped glass goblets adding an elegant touch. On the side, flutes of bubbly pink champagne await guests. (Note: You can see the full details here.)
Theme: Parisian-inspired in Chic Black and White
This simple cake and sweets table takes its cue from the City of Lights and fashion.
This dessert table inspiration is part of our Champagne and Sweets bridal shower set. Note, that the table itself can be quite compact to fit in a small reception area. The wedding cake is sophisticated in a hound’s tooth-patterned border, a string of faux pearls, and a black velvet bow topper. On pastry trays alongside are French confections like eclairs, madeleines, meringues, and macarons along with frosted donuts, wafer cookies, and chocolate-dipped pretzel sticks. And in place of champagne, you could prepare a dainty tea or coffee set for guests to serve themselves.
Theme: Garden Inspired “Love is Sweet”
Now, here is a vision in the prettiest pastels for a sugary sweet desserts display. Love is sweet indeed!
Create this loveliness overload with a dainty palette of pink and lavender. Have a towering bridal shower cake (you can, of course, have a more modest one!) decorated with gorgeous sugarpaste flowers. Then, surround it with dishes of pink and lavender confections and candies. Arrange groupings of bridal shower favors, such as silk flower sachets, porcelain keepsake boxes, rose pomander bags, and tulle purses—each filled with varied treats and trinkets. Complete the display with a DIY wedding sign in a gold, carved frame.
Theme: Afternoon Tea Reception
This can be an alternative dessert table idea to the one in the “Love is Sweet” theme. In place of the towering cake, you can still have eye-catching height with a 4-tiered pastry stand. Fill it with an assortment of donuts, cookies, mini cakes or pies, cupcakes, and other pastries. Have silver dishes hold candies, foil-wrapped chocolate balls, marshmallows, bonbons, and other treats that guests can then take home in Victorian-style favor purses. Finally, in keeping with the tea party theme, have an antique silver teapot and dainty china teacups on hand.
Visit these other posts on wedding dessert and sweets tables, and gather more inspiration and ideas!
Tips and Tricks to Design a Valentine’s Dessert and Drinks Table
Swap Cake for Fruit! Fruit Dessert Table Ideas for Summer Weddings
July 4th Wedding Dessert Table: How-to Ideas and Inspiration
Champagne Floats for a Wedding Dessert Station
Wedding Dessert Table Backdrops from Vintage to Rustic
A Winter Wedding Dessert Table: Sweet, Snowy, and So Stylish