49 Dessert Table Ideas From Real Weddings (2024)

Handheld Desserts

This couple's dessert selections included whoopie pies, tarts, mini key lime pies, and goat cheese cheesecakes. While the menu is beyond tempting, the eclectic collection of cake stands used for the dessert table's presentation is definitely the display's highlight.

Garden of Cakes

At this decadent dessert bar overflowing with flowers, five different cakes (created by The Cakery Bakery), decorated with floral motifs (courtesy of Festive Couture Floral), were offered along with made-to-order nitrogen-infused ice cream.

Tropical Beach Buffet

Two multi-tier cakes from Hey There, Cupcake! were surrounded by mini caramel cheesecakes, churros, sugar cookies, and party cake cupcakes at this bohemian event; tropical fruits and flowers added plenty of color.

Pretty Palette

This dessert table captured the couple's color scheme of pink, orange, yellow, teal, and tan. In addition to a multi-tiered wedding cake, they also offered mini pastries, cupcakes, and macarons.

Garden Delights

At this outdoor California wedding, LILA Cake Shop designed a three-tiered buttercream cake and matching cupcakes to speak to the garden theme. The dessert got a pretty touch thanks to a petite flower arrangement.

Boho Dessert Inspiration

This table incredible is as incredible as the desserts on top of it. A naked cake from Over the Rainbow Desserts took center stage and was surrounded by the couple's favorite sweets in miniature form, ranging from banana-pudding shooters to cheesecake bites.

Cake Central

The cutest vintage cake topper (originally used by the bride's grandparents) crowned this nearly naked cake by Cocoa & Fig, which was surrounded by pastries and tarts for a tempting sweets table.

Colorful Buttercream

The starring creation on this couple's dessert table was a tiered raspberry-lemonade wedding cake filled with layers of fresh raspberries, lemon curd, and raspberry Swiss-meringue buttercream made by Hey There, Cupcake! The addition of a second (equally stunning) cake rounded out the display.

Fall Sweets Spread

The dessert table added a decadent finish to this fall reception. The offerings included three different flavors of cake, apple cider donuts, and a platter of miniature tarts, all baked by Lael Cakes.

Dramatic Display

The best way to add some extra drama to your dessert table? Tiered cakes upon tiered cakes. These confections from The Sweetside looked extra amazing alongside salted caramel pots de crème and espresso co*cktails.

Desserts On Display

Instead of one grand cake, this couple set up an entire buffet—complete with a hand-lettered dessert table sign. Their menu included carrot cake, a variety of mini pies, and baklava.

Cookie Time

The best complement for a classic wedding cake? An assortment of handheld sweets, like a mini candy buffet, and chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies similar to the one assembled here by Sugar Bee Sweets.

Pops of Color

This fresh twist on the dessert table includes a variety of sweets, but all with one very important thing in common: their color palette. Lemon cake by The Wedding Cake Shoppe was flanked by lemon cookies and yellow macarons.

Frozen Alternatives

While this couple's main dessert attraction was their mocha ice cream sandwiches, they set out a dessert table buffet that also included a store-bought cutting cake and miniature cupcakes.

Pastry Party

Say yum. A local pastry chef, Jennifer Baron, made the treats for this couple's dessert table. Cheesecake squares (in plain, turtle, and salted caramel flavors), blueberry streusel muffins, and white powdered sugar donuts rounded out the confection options.

Dessert on Wheels

Our new favorite dessert idea involves not just a dessert table, but a dessert cart. How fun would it be to grab miniature sweets from a mobile cart in the middle of a glammed up reception?

Color Coordinated Desserts

This dessert table's color palette is on point. And while that gold-frosted wedding cake by Hey There, Cupcake! is pretty incredible, it wouldn't be nearly as eye-catching without the extra cake stands topped with lemon bars.

Cheese Cake

Do your taste buds tend to run more savory than sweet? Swap in a cheese cake for the traditional tiered option, but keep your guests appeased with a display of desserts like these sugar cookies and toffee tarts.

Colorful Confections

This dessert table idea is anything but ordinary. The fun backdrop and bright, eclectic confections from Sweet Lydia's and Hey There, Cupcake! spread across the table are collectively impossible to resist.

Extreme Options

Cakes, mini eclairs, fruit tarts, and croquembouche all made an appearance on this dessert table, but the crowd favorite? We're guessing it was that naked red velvet cake with cream cheese filling from Irene's Cakes by Design.

Childhood Favorites

The best dessert table idea around? A spread of all your favorite childhood favorites, like red velvet whoopie pies. What better snack could there be to nosh while you're waiting for cake?

Framed Sweets Display

A large arbor framed the dessert display at this outdoor reception in Port Gamble, Washington. Embellished with another custom sign for a bit more personality, it perfectly framed the cupcakes and the stunning view of the bluff and the water below.

Full of Favorites

Unable to narrow down their favorite desserts, this quirky couple opted to serve them all: caramel apples, scones, baklava, pies, pastries, and donuts. The confections came from Whole Foods Market and Apple Hill or were baked by the groom's mom.

The banner above read, "These are a few of our favorite things."

Decadent French Desserts

Instead of a cake, a French croquembouche was served at this city-chic wedding. Madeleines, tiny eclairs, and macarons gathered from a handful of French patisseries in New York City flanked the croquembouche.

Pretty Pastels

The dessert table at this Colorado Springs, Colo., wedding, adorned with a pennant-flag garland and small flower arrangements, held small treats including macarons and mini pecan pies. The piece de resistance: a two-tier cake —zucchini lime with lime curd filling, and red velvet with cream cheese filling—created by Intriciate Icings.

Hometown Delights

An ecelctic dessert bar including sweet homemade signs featured macarons and Texas pecan pies, one of which the couple cut into instead of a traditional cake.

Creative Cake Display

A two-tier vanilla cake, covered with buttercream frosting and garden roses, sat on an antique pedestal that this Texas bride purchased on Etsy.com. It was framed by vases of pincushion proteas and hydrangeas, and was just one of the sweets guests sank their teeth into. Also on offer? Berry tarts, petit* fours, and dark-chocolate tortes.

A Bunted Buffet

Fabric bunting adorned the table of treats displayed on a variety of trays and in apothecary jars. Embroidery hoops fitted with patterned fabric created a fun background.

Beribboned Buffet

This couple's spread of sweets was set in front of dozens of hanging garlands in a sugary pastel palette.

Candy and Cake

This couple stuck to a black-and-white color palette throughout their big day. They ended the night with a sugar-flower accented cake and plenty of candy.

Retro Glam

At this couple's retro nuptials, they set the scene with black and white accents and a backdrop painted by a friend with their initials.

Light and Airy Sweets

This couple anchored their dessert table with meringues wrapped around tall foam forms.

Mini Pie Bar

Tiny pies and tartlets were arranged in crates lined with patterned paper at this New York wedding.

Flagged Treats

The pies at this California wedding were labeled with flags created by Hello!Lucky.

French Buffet

The wedding cake mimicked the bride's dress, and the rest of the desserts—that included meringues, hot chocolate, panna cotta, chocolate molten cakes, canneles, caramels with fleur de sel, and honey madeleines—honored the bride's background as a pastry chef.

Collegiate Confections

A dessert bar, created by RSVP Catering, offered a melange of sweets, featuring cookies shaped in the logo of this Virgina couple's alma mater.

A Wintery Spread

A handpainted menu hung over this couple's favorite sweet treats at their December nuptials.

Tiered Dessert Bar

This couple went vertical for their dessert bar, using cake stands decorated with patterned paper, and a topper made by D. Sharp.

Chocolate Accents

Along with a wedding cake, this couple offered their guests petit fours, white-chocolate-dipped strawberries, and other handcrafted chocolates.

Picture-Perfect Sweets

At this wedding in New York's Catskill Mountains, pewter serving pieces held towers of truffles, marzipan fruits, chocolate-dipped apricots, and almond cookies.

Fresh Fruit and Pie

Berries and fresh cream were the perfect touch to this couple's pie bar—especially since the name of their wedding location was Blueberry Hill.

Spring Sweets

A floral table linen, festive cupcake liners, and sugar flower toppers (from the Sugar Flower Cake Shop) added the right amount of whimsy to this couple's spring fete.

Mixed-Vessel Buffet

This dessert table boasted signage that matched the couple's invitation suite, and different pies were showcased in a variety of serving pieces.

Favorite Confections

To celebrate the groom's love for sweets, a fantasy buffet of candy, cookies, and cakes was set out for guests to nibble on in between dances.

Mini Treats

This couple's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" wedding was laden with tiny sugary goodies.

Grazing Station

At this San Francisco wedding, a spread of petit fours, macarons, and chocolates were displayed with cake stands, propped up with old books, and arranged in glass vessels to capture the wide variety of offerings.

Pie Party

For their modern Brooklyn, N.Y., wedding, this couple opted for a variety of pies instead of a traditional wedding cake. Their dessert buffet was overflowing with ready to eat slices, from sour cherry-pear to bourbon-pecan, from Pies 'n' Thighs.

Blue and White

At their tennis-themed wedding, this couple housed their dessert table in a blue-and-white striped tent. In addition to a four-tiered cake and Wimbledon-inspired strawberries and cream, these monogrammed cookies and flower-topped, striped petit fours in the couple's signature color combination made this part of their party more personal.

Prized Desserts

At this barn wedding, a dessert table offered mini bites—like caramel-glazed carrot cake, banana pudding, and strawberry shortcake panna cotta—in a state fair-style display with blue ribbons and farm-fresh fruit.