Taste testing might just be the best part of wedding planning but before you start tasting and choosing what your desserts will be, there are a lot more decisions and logistics to consider!
A lot more goes into play than just what kind of dessert and what kind of flavor you want.
Things you will also need to consider are:
- When and how you will serve the cake?
- You may have added costs with cutting fees if you are doing a tiered or sheet cake. Consider doing a small cake for photos and doing cupcakes for guests instead!
- Plan to cut your cake not too soon after dinner because people may still be full and also because people will take this as a cue to leave but make sure you get it in before your photographer leaves for the day!
- What will be most appealing to your guests?
- Guests are also more likely to eat it if it is served directly to them instead of set up at a self-serve station!
- An assortment of flavors may be a good idea or you may end up with way too much of one flavor over another!
- Pint-sized desserts are the best plan! If people liked the ones passed around the first time they are more likely to go back for more especially if they can easily pick them up and eat while standing or walking around.
- What do you plan to do with your dessert at the end of the night?
- While it may help declutter the setup space, DO NOT throw out the original boxes that the desserts came in because you may need them again.
- If you are doing a small cake for the wedding couple to cut for photos, let someone know if you would like to keep it to take home or if you would like it cut and served to certain people such as the wedding party or parents.
- Designate someone to be in charge of taking the desserts at the end of the night and bringing them to wherever is needed. Leftover dessert makes a great addition to any post-wedding brunch!
How do you know just how much dessert to order for your event?
Unless you’re having brunch the day after your wedding, nobody wants to go home with mountains of leftover desserts. I have seen both ends of this issue, one where guests almost finished the desserts BEFORE dinner and others where I spent an hour repackaging donuts and mini cakes because there were so many leftovers.
- For your standard tiered or sheet cake, you can count 1 slice per person as those who eat more cake will be canceled out by those who don’t eat any
- For recent wedding favorites cupcakes and bundtinis, plan for 1-2 per guest
- If you’re offering a variety of mini desserts such as these delicious macaroons in different flavors or mini cupcakes/bundtinis, allocate about 3-4 per guest
- If you’re more of a cookie crew, plan for 3 cookies per guest
When it comes to ordering desserts of different flavors it comes down to playing it safe! Order more of a neutral flavor like vanilla or chocolate just in case people aren’t open to trying new things like pumpkin spice!
Don’t be afraid to be unique!
Some people just don’t like cake and if the couple can both agree on that then do something fun like these wedding cheesecakes or tarts of all different flavors!
Most importantly, don’t forget to get a fun shot of you two enjoying the dessert you spent so much time picking out!
