This past weekend I had the honor of attending the wedding of two very dear friends from college that I have known for over 8 years each! It was a gorgeous wedding and needless to say, things got a little crazy on the dance floor, which was where I spent most of my time, naturally (this should come as no surprise if you know me!). We also ended up at a hard core biker bar after the wedding venue closed and I am proud to share that the bride and I were a part of a killer performance on stage along with the bar's heavy metal band due to a combination of our epic dance moves and lack of shame ;). But... that is neither here nor there with regard to today's post. The reception after the ceremony was replete the popular "dessert table" and my palate can attest that the desserts themselves did not disappoint. Not even one of them... I know this, because I sampled them all, at least once. The dessert table trend at weddings is a growing fad that I personally, AM ALL ABOUT! So much so, that I would like nothing more than to see these "dessert tables" at more of the parties I attend. To help this desire come to fruition, I want to enlighten all of you potential party-havers to some little tricks/products that can turn a dessert table at your next shindig from an overwhelming thought into a doable reality.
The first thing that will set your table apart from the "potluck-looking" table where it would appear that people just plopped down their contributions, is a table cloth. But, if you're wanting to do this thing cute (and I suspect you are)... You should seriously consider a table cloth of the following nature:
Mmm hmm... pretty legit looking, huh? Do you know what the coolest thing about these celebratory table cloths is though???? I know the chick that makes/designs them!! (Yep, I just brushed my shoulders off, if you were wondering :)... My friend, who is also an incredible graphic designer (which is how I originally met her when she did some amazing graphic design work for a project I was working on a while back), and her business partner, came up with these Tin Parade "Table Banners". They are also packaged adorably and are affordable. You can buy them online here. (Obviously these cool cloths can be used for purposes beyond a "dessert table" - like say, a bar/cocktail table or appetizers/snacks table, or a table for presents... I think you get the picture).
Some other necessities you may want to add to your beautifully covered table are: Dessert/food name tags. Check out these sweet mini chalkboard stands:
Buy here
Or my personal favorite.. Hoof and bird claw place card holders (which can also double as name card holders for a dinner party.. but I'm sure you were already cluing into that, you smarty pants!)
Buy here
Buy here
Also... serving dishes. I am of the popular opinion that displaying your food stuffs on serving ware of varying heights adds interest to your display and increases its "professional" appearance. Here is an array of serving tray options:
Buy here
Buy here
This next one has a faux cake cover which is either super cool or kind of weird... I can't decide. And the octopus cake stand is the raddest thing I have maybe ever seen!
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Party-decorations (we will call them "reminders for fun") are important too. Even though, if you're throwing a party, no doubt people will be having the time of their lives, sometimes you need something for that extra-uptight person that will basically serve as a flashing lighted sign that: OMG, you are at a party and you should be having fun. For such people, I recommend the following (to slap some whimsy into their party-going experience):
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Ok next... Depending on what type of refreshments you're putting on your table, you will probably need utensils of some sort... So please, do me a favor, and do not sabotage your whole table by making the mistake of throwing ugly generic serving tools into the mix... But any of the below will suffice just fine:
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
If you are adding beverages to your bevy of offerings, a fancy beverage dispenser will go a long way...
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
Buy here
As will decorative straws through which your guests can drink said beverages:
Buy here
Buy here
If you can just trigger your creative juices to start flowing, I'm confident that a plethora of other really awesome table ideas will begin pouring out your brains but hopefully these few elements are enough to get you started!
Oh and if you do have a party, know that I AM expecting an invite. Please and thank you! ;)
