Dessert Buffet Tips by Sweet and Saucy

When it comes to wedding desserts, we’re kind of connoisseurs over here at Ruffled. Bring on the macaroons and mini cupcakes and cherry pies! Dessert tables are going beyond the three-tiered wedding cake and elevating the sweet tooth into an absolute art form. But if you want a real pro in the dessert world, you need just to turn to our friend, Melody at Sweet and Saucy Shop, whose eye for sweet design has made the dessert a center of attention in the wedding world. She is here today with some pro tips and tricks to make your dessert table top of the line.

From Melody Brandon, the pastry chef behind Sweet and Saucy Shop: Dessert bars have taken the wedding world by storm! They are basically everywhere now, but as many of you know, they are a lot of work to pull off! Us girls over at Sweet & Saucy Shop have been doing dessert bars for years now and love getting to try out new designs, tasty treats, and wow our clients. Here are a couple must-haves for a good dessert bar…

We normally recommend 3-4 mini desserts per person if your guests aren’t eating a slice of cake. As far as options go, you don’t want to overwhelm your guests with too many choices so we typically say only do 2-3 more options than the amount you are allotting each guest. For example, if you allot 3 desserts per person then maybe have 5-6 dessert options total.

Dessert set up…
I am a firm believer that people eat with their eyes first, so I always want to present my desserts in the best way possible that pulls the whole theme of the wedding or event together. I would recommend having your dessert person talk with your planner/designer, florist, and wedding invitation company about the color scheme, design, and look of the event. Most of the time I always have an amazing team of talented people behind me that do the backdrop, menu cards, and florals for me….this can really help take your dessert station to another level.

These are great tips for DIY-ers, as well! Just think about the DIY options that can really take your dessert table to the next level: collecting vintage serving ware for an old world feel, wrapping boxes with colorful paper in your wedding colors to give (affordable) height to your displays, layering vintage plates on candlesticks for custom cake plates. There are lots of way to include the DIY elements from your wedding into your dessert buffet to make sure it’s all visually cohesive and universally gorgeous.

It is always fun to try setting up the table on something different than just a table with a linen…why not try a vintage dessert cake, an exposed wood table, or a dresser. Another key part of set up is the stands, platters, and dishes that you present the desserts on. I had such a hard time finding the perfect stands for the longest time that I actually ended up creating my own online store Sweet & Saucy Supply where you can find almost everything you need to create a gorgeous display!

See Also

Fall Wedding Inspiration at Philbrook Museum

Dessert packaging…
I feel like one way to pull in the look of an wedding or event is through the color scheme and patterns/designs that are going on. With desserts one simple way to do this is to buy adorable cupcake liners, fun sprinkles, or adorable packaging. You can also change the whole mood of the table if you use a wooden spoon & wood stump vs. a silver platter and spoon. I love working with talented invitation designers too and sometimes use their actual designs and print them on edible frosting sheets or mimic them onto a cake.

Thanks so much, Melody, for all those amazing ideas and the drool-inducing images! They almost look too good to eat … well, almost. For more deliciousness, check out Sweet and Saucy Shop and their Sweet and Saucy Supply store for tons of great ideas and resources!

Her list of recommended resources for designing your own dessert buffet tables:

Cake Stands, platters, domes, etc: Sweet & Saucy Shop (Melody’s shop is chock full of gorgeous vintage cake stands!)
Adorable Packaging: Garnish
Favor Boxes & Bags: Clearbags
Fun Baking Supplies: Bake it Pretty

photo credits 1. Aaron Shintaku, 2. Amy Squires, 3. Sweets Indeed, 4. My Sweet and Saucy, 5. Elizabeth Messina, 6, 7 and 8. Ashley Rose (see our full feature here), 9. My Sweet and Saucy, 10. Our Labor of Love, 11. Ashley Rose, 12. Elizabeth Messina, 13. Wildflowers Photography, 14 and 15. My Sweet and Saucy, 16 Wildflowers Photography