By Theresa Farrage, S.Lukas & Company Associate Planner

As a lover of all things sugary and sweet, wedding cakes hold a special place in my stomach…I mean heart. My love of wedding cakes comes from my mother. She tends to judge a person’s wedding based on their cake. Imagine her reaction when we went to a wedding with donuts. She about fell off her Chiavari chair.

When I first started planning weddings, cakes were all the rage. The more tiers with butter cream frosting, the better. As I continued on with my career, cakes gave way to cupcakes then donuts, and finally individually packaged cookies (Thanks Covid). I’ve even seen a couple create a cake out of actual pizzas.

I get it; some people aren’t sugar obsessed like the rest of us, but please don’t take it out on your guests. If cake isn’t your confection of choice, don’t ditch the desserts all together. Here are some of my all-time favorite wedding desserts:

· Ice cream: Whether it’s scooped in a cone, served sundae style, or comes out of a soft-serve machine, it’s all good. Just don’t forget the sprinkles!

· S’more station: There should be a law mandating that all autumn weddings come with a s’more station complete with chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers.

· Mini dessert bars: Think bite-sized deliciousness. From brownie bites and macaroons to cake pops, consider items that your guests can easily grab and walk around with.

· Candy stations: This also doubles as a favor for your guests. Provide bags and let your guests load up on their candy of choice.

· Donut walls: We’re not just talking about glazed donuts here. Create custom flavors that are too wild not to devour.

· Interactive dessert stations: This is probably my favorite trend, as it offers a show with your dessert. I’ve seen everything from a Bananas Foster to cookie waffle station.

· Ethnic pastries: I love when couples intertwine their heritages and family traditions with their wedding day.

· Pies: Another fall staple is pie before cake. We’re not just talking apple pie either. Try a variety of fruit and cream pies that your guests can sample. If you make them mini bites, your guests won’t feel guilty eating three or four of these scrumptious desserts.

Weddings are too sweet not to offer a little sugar. For more dessert inspiration, follow us on Instagram at @s.lukasandcompany

The Confection Conundrum - Choosing the Perfect Wedding Dessert