This is a series of posts currently being featured on the Real Weddings Magazine blog and was previously posted on March 20th.

Recessionista Bride Stevie wanted to give her guests two things: fabulously tasty cake (per the mother of the bride’s wish) and a fun favor, such as a Candy Buffet/Bar. So, we helped her to come up with a budget solution for both – and combined the ideas into one sugary sweet delight, the Dessert Buffet & Bar!

Acting on the desires of couples to offer their guests more options, some bakers are now offering dessert options to brides in addition to offering traditional wedding cakes.

To put together Stevie and Blake’s dessert buffet & bar, we went to local bakery Ettore’s European Cafe & Bakery and selected five of her most favorite flavors. We chose cakes that fit within Stevie’s color palette so that we could order them outside of the special event menu. 

We borrowed vintage cake plates from various family members to display the cakes and added some fun vintage mushroom birds with cute custom signage. A fun glittery monogram cake topper was placed on the cutting cake and made a fantastic centerpiece to the table – now what to do with the ends?

Photo courtesy of Sarah Maren Photography

Photo courtesy of Sarah Maren Photography

Candy Buffets/Bars are a huge trend for weddings, but they can be quite costly to put together! While many rental companies offer candy jars for rent, Stevie was able to borrow a few apothecary jars from friends and family, so we utilized these on either end of the cake plates.   

We purchased lemon drops, candy sticks and jordan almonds to fill the jars and added custom signage to pull it all together. Scoops, baggies and custom monogram seals were placed nearby to allow guests to create their own favor – while a sign reminded guests to leave the cake cutting for the bride and groom.

We accomplished the entire dessert table for just under what a traditional wedding cake would have cost alone! So with a little creativity along with some help from family and friends, and top-notch vendors, you can create a fabulous Dessert Buffet & Bar for your guests!

Are you offering a Dessert Buffet & Bar to your wedding guests?

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazine blog on March 28th or to the KME Blog on March 29th for the next installment: Recessionista Bride Series: Non-floral Centerpieces.