Cakes vs. Dessert Table

Today Nicole here talking about all the sweets, all the sugar, all the yummy treats and some of my super expert professional input on how to choose the perfect cake or dessert for your wedding. Reading this out loud to McKenzie and Adrienna and they're already rolling their eyes but it's okay because my opinion is super important when it comes to desserts. So here goes... a round-up of some of the fun wedding cakes, dessert bars and my amazing commentary on how to plan one of the funnest parts of your wedding...  

If you know me at all then you'll know I love cats, especially my 2 precious furballs - Tigger & Roo. So of course I loved all the cat touches for Ember & Adam's dessert display at their Dunham Farms wedding. For their desserts they had a simple smaller cake for them to cut with a custom cake topper and then the desserts had their choice to some seriously huge and tasty cupcakes. I always like dessert displays to have some depth and height to them for a more visually appealing setup. I mean not that the desserts themselves aren't mouthwatering evoking to look at on their own, but with some added height from some funky cake stands you can transform your dessert setup from just a table with mouthwateringly delicious treats to a table with mouthwateringly delicious treats that also is really cool to look at. Plus with the perfect cake stand the dessert table becomes an extension of the design of the entire wedding.

Photography: Izzy Hudgins

Daniela & Pedro's dessert bar was one-of-a-kind with some unique treats we have never even heard of from the countries they are from. So many fun treats and very unique and interesting tastes!!! I love how they had their families make special treats just for their wedding day that brought a little bit of their homeland to their Savannah wedding at the Morris Center.

Wicked Cakes; Photography: Jeff & Mollie

Love bright colors?! Feel free to go crazy with a color-infused dessert bar with all the colors of the rainbow. We loved Michelle & Johnny's colorful cakes and desserts and that blueberry cake has me wishing that was here right now. I love love love fresh fruit with cakes. Also, want something different for your desserts? How about a popsicle stand!? Who doesn't love popsicles, especially if your wedding is in the middle of June in the Savannah heat. 

King of Pops; Photography: Jeff & Mollie

When your clients make movie props for a living you can expect some pretty funky props to adorn their dessert table setup. Emily & Robert's industrial wedding was filled with unexpected details and lots of rusty details like their "E&R" marquee letters and the coolest cake topper ever that was so big it couldn't even go on top of the cake. They had custom robots made and even had one for their lil dog. Their cake was adorned with figs for an unexpected and unusual touch and instead of the typical mini desserts they had mini bundt cakes and pies for their fall wedding from KM Cakes.

Wicked Cakes; Photography: Six Hearts

Ummm hellllllllloooooooo beautiful florals. I love love love Melissa & Alex's wedding cake, which while super simple in itself was adorned with the prettiest of blooms and some lush greenery. And with Christmas coming up this cake has me wishing I could re-experience the magic of this cake by Wicked Cakes and of course the deliciousness of it. Oh the magic of flowers and the way they can transform the simplest of things...

Wicked Cakes; Photography: Six Hearts

A wedding cake, a dessert bar filled with cake pops, petit fours, mini cupcakes and a Game of Thrones groom's cake and more? Yup. Nancy & Matthew went all out for their desserts and even added a personal touch (the groom loves Game of Thrones and the GOT theme song was even their recessional song at their Whitefield Chapel ceremony.) Oh and might I add I think that petit fours might be one of my absolute favorite treats... they remind me of those Debbie cakes and Zebra cakes that I loved to sneak at my grandma's house on a nightly basis... but even better because they were made fresh by Rum Runners...

Tina Arnsdorff (cake & groom's cake) & Rum Runners (desserts); Photography: The Happy Bloom

Simple wedding cakes and dessert displays can still make an impact with personal touches such as family portraits of past family members in their wedding dresses, which is exactly what Shannon & Britt did for their summer solstice wedding at Soho South. Oh and believe me, there were a lot more cupcakes from Lulu's than what is shown above and they were scrumptious and devoured by guests. 

Rum Runners; Photography: Apt B Photography

Xiao & Hang's dessert bar also had a special intimate touch that they added to their blush pink and ivory display of sugar sweetness from Rum Runners. Behind the dessert setup they had strings of pictures of them as a couple. These two were just the sweetest ever and we loved how they were able to personalize their wedding with the adventures of their relationship. 

Photography: Apt B Photography

Not a frosting lover? Don't dream about layers of buttercream and fondant? Do not fret!!!! Naked cakes are just for you. With their frosty look they remind me of a snow melting sort of day in a pretty way and their blank palette makes it the perfect space to add a touch of your wedding flowers like Sabrina & Ivan's touch of dried lavender and wheat for their rustic wedding at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum. Plus with the addition of mini pies for their fall wedding desserts were complete. 

Now that you've succumbed to all my amazing commentary and delicious pictures of the cakes and desserts and now that you probably are daydreaming about stopping what you are doing and going to the nearest bakery at your disposal... here are my tips for picking the desserts that are perfect for your wedding!! 

  1. Get what you like to eat. If your favorite flavor isn't vanilla cake with buttercream frosting then don't get it. If your favorite flavor is peanut butter fudge and key lime pie than get peanut butter fudge and key lime pie. I like to think of your wedding day similarly to your birthday... in the sense that... on my birthday I am going to do whatever I can to eat all my favorite things, which just happens to be tacos and sushi and key lime pie. On my future wedding day I can make one promise to you... there will be tacos, sushi and key lime pie. So I honestly believe that your wedding desserts should also be your favorite things no matter how weird. If you are worried your tastes are too weird that your guests won't eat it... well, okay fine. Get a few something simple for them. (Don't worry Adrienna & McKenzie, I'll make sure there's some vanilla chocolate plain 5-year old friendly treats for y'all too.) :-) 
  2. If you have a dessert bar you do not need one of everything for every single guest. Trust me. If you have 5 desserts, say cupcakes, cake pops, petit fours, cake and pies - and you have 100 guests, you do not need 5 desserts for every single guest. Some guests (like me) will try one of every single thing, other guests (like Adrienna & McKenzie who have way more restraint) will probably only have 2 max. We have seen it happen so many times that we are packing up boxes and boxes of extra leftover dessert for our clients. I would recommend ordering 2-3 desserts per guest to be on the safe side if you are nervous about not having enough. 
  3. You don't have to have a 3-tier wedding cake. While they are super gorgeous it is not at all required or even expected these days to have a huge wedding cake. So many couples are getting a small mini cutting cake and then ordering smaller desserts for guests to try. A lot of people aren't even cake people, although I admit I don't get how that's possible, but it's true. 
  4. Incorporate something personal. There are so many ways you can add personal touches to your wedding cake, dessert bar and wedding in general. Whether you have a cake topper that is personalized to you or pictures of your grandma in her poofy sleeve wedding dress or a stylized cake with horses on it because you love horses... make it personal and make it feel like you. It is an extension of your wedding, which I believe should be an extension of your personal style. 

What are your favorite flavors and desserts? We love to hear from you!! Anyway, if you are interested in our wedding planning services we would love to hear from you! You can contact us by clicking below!!! 

Inspiration, Wedding Trends, Weddings, Ivory & Beau FloralsNicole Masonwedding planner, Savannah wedding, savannah wedding planners, savannah wedding reception, Savannah wedding florist, savannah wedding planner, Savannah wedding planner, savannah wedding planning, Savannah event designer, savannah event designer, Savannah florist, Ivory & Beau, savannah weddings, savannah wedding, savannah wedding cake, wedding cakes, dessert bar, wedding cake trends, dessert bar trends, roundhouse railroad museum, railroad museum wedding, soho south wedding, Soho South Cafe, Soho south cafe wedding, mackey house, Savannah Station, Dunham FarmsComment