How to Style a Stunning Wedding Dessert Table Your Guests Will Love
How to Style a Stunning Wedding Dessert Table Your Guests Will Love
By Lulu’s Primrose Bakery | Luxury Wedding Cakes in Devon & Cornwall
When planning your dream wedding, it’s the personalised, thoughtful details that guests remember most and a beautifully styled wedding dessert table is one sweet way to make a lasting impression. Also known as a dessert bar, this curated display of sweet treats adds visual impact, flavour, and a touch of fun to your reception.
From elegant iced biscuits and mini cakes to indulgent doughnuts, macarons, and mini cheesecakes, a dessert table offers something for every guest. It’s not just about dessert, it’s a chance to reflect your wedding theme, showcase your style and personality, and elevate your celebration with a luxury twist.
Whether you’re saying “I do” in a romantic Devon countryside venue, a Cornwall coastal retreat, or a chic modern setting, here’s how to design a wedding dessert table that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
1. Start with a Signature Theme
Your wedding dessert table should be a natural extension of your overall wedding aesthetic, reflecting your style, colour palette, and unique love story. Whether you're planning a romantic countryside celebration in Devon or a modern coastal wedding in Cornwall, the key is to align your dessert table styling with your theme.
Start by considering the vibe of your day: Are you aiming for elegant and minimalist, rustic and romantic, or chic and modern? For a boho-inspired wedding, soft neutral tones, dried florals, and natural textures like linen create a dreamy feel. For a luxury modern wedding, mirrored trays, sleek monochrome details, and metallic accents offer a polished, upscale look.
Add meaningful, personal touches to your dessert bar—think custom signage, your initials, or a favourite quote that brings personality and charm. These thoughtful details transform your dessert table into a statement piece your guests will remember.
Mirrored trays can really elevat the look of your sweet treats.
2. Make the Wedding Cake the Star (But Not the Only Star)
Your wedding cake will often be the centrepiece of your dessert table, so give it the spotlight it deserves! Elevate it—literally—with a stylish cake stand and surround it with complementary treats that enhance the overall display.
The key is balance. Think of the cake as the crown jewel, and build the rest of the table around it. Miniature versions of your cake flavours—like naked mini-cakes or inspired mini-cheesecakes can tie the whole look together while giving guests extra ways to enjoy your signature taste.
3. Offer a Variety of Treats for Every Taste
A successful dessert table isn’t just beautiful—it’s inviting, inclusive, and thoughtfully curated. Offer a range of flavours, textures, and options so there’s something for everyone.
Consider mixing:
Classic favourites (like iced doughnuts and brownies)
Elegant bites (such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, eclairs, or panna cotta)
Personalised touches (think personalised biscuits finished with your embossed initials and wedding date, or treats inspired by your love story)
What treats to include on your dessert table…
Miniature ‘naked’ versions of your main cake filled with your chosen flavour from our menu. You can keep these cakes ‘naked’ or decorate them with decorative elements such as a buttercream rose swirl and edible flowers. These make the perfect elegant bite-size dessert.
Freshly baked iced doughnuts can be stacked alongside your main cake on a beautiful stand. Each doughnut can be decorated with edible gold leaf or tiny sugar pearls for a touch of elegance.
Delicious miniature cheesecakes in various flavours, finished with seasonal fruits or white or dark chocolate flakes, add a ‘less sweet’ treat for your guests to enjoy and visual interest to your overall set-up.
Freshly baked heart-shaped iced biscuits finished with decorative elements such as tiny sugar flowers or dried petals are not only super tasty and provide the perfect snack for your guests to enjoy, but they also look super elegant when presented on decorative plates or mirrored trays.
Bespoke, meaningful elements such as personalised iced biscuits embossed with your initials and wedding date are perfect additions for a touch of romance!
An assortment of traditional/ retro sweets, such as marshmallows and pastel-coloured flying saucers, are perfect table fillers and add interest to your set-up.
Seasonal fruits that align with your theme and the season of your wedding add freshness and colour to your dessert table.
4. Add Height, Layers & Texture
The visual magic of a dessert table comes from its depth and dimension. Use a variety of stands, platters, and trays to create layers and height throughout the display. Tiered cake stands, footed bowls, and decorative crates or risers can all add visual interest and help guide your guests through the different treats.
Mix textures as well—pair glass with gold, rustic wood with porcelain, or acrylic with fresh greenery to create a balanced, inviting look. Here are some suggestions of how accessories can really elevate your wedding dessert table:
A striking dessert table starts with a perfectly pressed tablecloth - white for a fresh, elegant vibe or darker colours for sophisticated drama!
Add decorative accents such as silk runners and napkins - these add a backdrop of colour and texture to your sweet treats.
Use stunning tableware that aligns with the theme and atmosphere of your wedding, such as white presentation platters, stacked dessert plates, and domed serving dishes to keep treats fresh.
Place your sweet treats on cake stands of varying heights. Cake stands enhance height and add drama and sophistication to your table design, allowing you to showcase your main centrepiece - the cake.
A stand is not only for cakes! It can also be used to present biscuits and doughnuts perfectly.
Add beautiful floral additions to your dessert table set-up. Foliage and greenery add a natural/rustic touch and interest to your overall set-up. Bring your dessert table to life with carefully chosen decorative touches. Fresh florals (matching your bouquet or table centrepieces), greenery, candles, fairy lights, and bespoke signage can all elevate the overall aesthetic.
Wedding dessert table inspiration from Pinterest.
5. Additonal things to consider when deciding on your dessert table
When choosing desserts for your table, it’s important to keep a few factors in mind while putting together your menu. We recommend considering the following when selecting sweet treats:
Visual Appeal: Consider visually stunning and aesthetically pleasing treats such as pale, pastel macarons and intricately designed or personalised iced biscuits.
Portion sizes: Individual-sized desserts, such as mini cheesecakes and cakes, allow guests to easily sample multiple options. They're also simpler to serve, pick up, and enjoy.
Variety: It’s important to provide a range of desserts that cater to diverse tastes. Combine sweet iced doughnuts, popular with kids, with an assortment of less sweet mini-cheesecakes in your dessert table set-up, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Themed and seasonal items bring your wedding to life! Consider incorporating delightful desserts that align with your chosen theme or season. Think about using fresh seasonal fruits or charming mini-cakes adorned with beautiful decorative touches, like edible flowers, perfect for a spring or summer wedding. These thoughtful details will not only raise the romance and charm of your special day but also create a warm and inviting atmosphere for you and your guests.
Final Thoughts: Sweeten Your Celebration with Style
A well-designed dessert table is more than just a pretty display—it’s a beautiful blend of style, flavour, and sentiment that adds a touch of indulgence and personality to your wedding day. Whether it’s a glamorous spread of rich confections or a rustic table filled with handmade favourites, your dessert table can be a true reflection of your love story.
Ready to create a dessert table that wows your guests and sweetens every moment? Let’s start planning your inspired display—because your wedding deserves to be as unforgettable as the desserts on the table.
Follow our advice on things to consider when contemplating adding a dessert table to your special day, and we guarantee it will add the perfect sweet note to your wedding! We love creating dessert tables, so why not let us create the perfect dessert table for your special day?! Take a look at the desserts we offer, and contact us to chat more!
Lulu x