Simple desserts become stunners in an elegant tablescape.
A formal event requires elegant decor from entryway to take-home favor. Your dessert table should be more than a cake on a plate. Wow your guests with a stunning dessert table. Create a simple, clean and irresistible sweets table for guests of all ages. Stick to a single color palate -- you can't go wrong with shades of white -- and a variety of heights to make your table look elegant, interesting and appetizing. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Choose recipes for at least five different desserts that are mostly white or shades of ivory. Examples include cheesecake bites, cupcakes with white icing, marshmallows dipped in white chocolate, powdered-sugar doughnuts and vanilla meringues. Glass urns of white buttermints are a classic dessert addition.
2. Prepare recipes the day before your party. A good rule of thumb is to provide 4 to 6 oz. of dessert per person. If you are only serving dessert, you'll need 8 to 10 oz. per person.
3. Cover a table with a white tablecloth. The table should be large enough to hold all of your desserts, but not so large that it dwarfs the serving pieces. A 6-foot table is the maximum size to accommodate most functions.
4. Set out serving platters in a variety of heights. Elegant events call for silver or crystal platters and bowls. Tiered trays add height and interest to the table.
5. Fill spaces between serving pieces with white or ivory candles. Combine votives, floating candles in glass bowls, pillars and tapered candles.
6. Add a natural element in shades of white. Scatter seashells, bowls of white hydrangeas or roses, bleached driftwood or even variegated foliage along the table. The small amounts of natural color in leaves, seashells and wood will keep the table from being too stark.
7. Arrange desserts on serving pieces before guests arrive. Place child-friendly desserts within easy reach of your youngest guests so they can help themselves without making a mess.
Tags: serving pieces, with white, shades white, table should, variety heights