Sweet table for a wedding: how to set and decorate?

Until recently, the wedding cake serving ceremony was a stable tradition of all Russian weddings. This moment symbolized the transition to the sweet part of the event, and the cake itself was made in all kinds of sizes and with different decoration options.

However, a few years ago such a ceremony was supplanted by Western trends, and today the so-called sweet table is gaining immense popularity.

The sweet table is a separate place in the banquet hall, decorated in the style of the entire wedding celebration, and filled with all kinds of sweets. The main idea of ​​the sweet table is that guests can approach it throughout the evening, without waiting for the moment of tea drinking.

In the terminology of wedding designers, there is also the concept of candy bar, which literally means "candy bar" in English and is characterized by many small sweets, selected in style and color.

In addition, the tea table may also contain related drinks and fruits. Such a buffet table is decorated in the same style as the main table of the bride and groom, and other festive tables.

The sweets corner has several advantages at once, let's dwell on them in more detail.

• Serves as an additional decor. Beautifully arranged sweets on a pedestal decorated in the style of a wedding will attract everyone's attention, creating a festive mood.
• You can approach the table with sweets for communication or just treat yourself to candy and cakes, while hot dishes and snacks still reign on the wedding table.
• The originally decorated mini-table will serve as a highlight of the banquet and a spectacular place for a photo session.
• For a young hostess, this is an excellent occasion to show her culinary abilities or, conversely, to surprise guests with exquisite taste by ordering unusual sweets from a particular country from pastry chefs.

When deciding to organize such a fashionable innovation at their wedding, the newlyweds should also remember about some of the disadvantages that accompany the sweet table. All of them are associated with "environmental friendliness", which should be taken care of in advance.

Sweets should not:

• melt from the heat;
• be weathered;
• be attacked by insects.

First, you need to decide on the general concept, draw up a detailed menu for the sweet table, and also take into account all the necessary attributes. It is equally important to determine the location of the dessert table.

If you are planning a traditional wedding, with the beginning of the celebration even before the registry office, then a buffet mini-table will be very useful. It is most often installed in the bride's house, that is, where the groom will come for her. Near the beautifully decorated table, the guests make the first toasts, the bride ransom ceremony takes place, the first photographs are taken as a keepsake.

In a restaurant that will receive guests to continue the celebration after the wedding, the sweet table must certainly be in harmony with the general style of the hall. Such a table is installed, as a rule, against the wall so that it does not interfere with movement, does not obstruct the space. In addition, in the restaurant hall, the dessert table can be quite voluminous, and it is convenient to attach devices that hold the multi-tiered structures to the wall.

The decoration of the tea table largely determines the overall impression of the organization of the wedding celebration. Therefore, it is so important to pay sufficient attention to the decor of this element. In addition to confectionery, the sweet zone includes additional decorative elements: a tablecloth, flower arrangements and original dishes. Depending on the topic, the table can be supplemented with:

• themed wedding figurines;
• cards with inscriptions, flags and pointers;
• photographs of the newlyweds;
• garlands and lanterns.

The best option for decorating the table will be porcelain dishes in the same color scheme that is used to decorate the hall, curtains and tablecloths. If a certain color is not expressed, then pastel colors are considered classics - delicate colors of the dishes will add sugar and airiness to the table.

In addition to the sets, tall glasses made of glass, flowerpots with long legs, decorative glasses are useful in the decor. It is convenient to put sweets into this dish, place lollipops on long skewers.

The cakes are laid out on flat plates or high tiered racks. For sweets without a wrapper, such as marmalade and marshmallow, you need to provide deeper candy bowls. Spatulas for picking up small types of sweets, as well as mini-bags, do not hurt either. In them, guests can pour Turkish delight, nuts, jelly candies to taste.

Dishes on the sweet table are arranged according to the bottom-up principle so that tall objects do not block access to low vases or flat plates. For a round table, it is better to pre-install several tiers of supports under the tablecloth - small treats will rise on them, and below there is a place for tall glasses, drinks and vases.

In the version of the table against the wall, tall objects are placed in the back row and on the sides, so that it is more convenient for guests to see and reach for the treats.

Do not place dishes too close to each other. Densely packed plates and vases will give the table an overloaded look, as if the dishes were unloaded for lack of space.

The variety of sweets available on the market can confuse even the most avid sweet tooth. In order not to make a mistake with the choice, and at the same time furnish the table with a variety of delicacies, it is worth making a list of pastry purchases in advance. Even the most ordinary gizmos will be able to diversify the sweet table if they are offered in assortment.

Suitable for a candy table:

• sweets (chocolate and caramel);
• marmalade of different colors;
• oriental sweets;
• mini muffins or muffins;
• lollipops of various shapes and colors;
• glazed nuts and dried fruits;
• biscuits and waffles;
• marshmallow and soufflé;
• jelly figurines;
• marshmallow and meringue;
• candied fruit.

Even the smallest sweet table should have its own compositional center. For this, a larger sweet dish is suitable - a small cake or homemade pie garnished with cream and berries.

Advice: you should not put the main wedding cake on the sweet table if you plan to solemnly cut it in the final part of the banquet. For the dessert table, it is better to prepare a reduced copy of it in advance so that those guests who do not stay until the end of the celebration can try it.

For the convenience of guests, the dessert table should be accompanied by drinks so that there is an opportunity to drink sweets. But putting bottles and glasses on the table itself is not always aesthetically pleasing, and after use they must be removed somewhere. For these purposes, another small table is most often used nearby or at a dessert table, which is filled with trays with glasses and cups. There you can also put the containers with drinks themselves.

Soft drinks include lemonades, iced tea, fruit juices and fruit drinks, mineral water. For cold weather, hot tea and coffee are preferable, and for hot weather - containers with ice cubes. But this is not always possible to organize if the wedding banquet is not held in a restaurant, where waiters would be watching.

A few helpful tips from experts in the design of candy bars will come in handy for those who arranges a sweet table with their own hands.

1. It is better to buy loose and piece sweets with a margin, so that during the celebration the table does not suddenly turn out to be empty.
2. The number of varieties of culinary delights will depend on the composition of the table. For example, on one table there can be only 3-4 types of different dishes, if they are large or made in a certain style. For variegated colors, you can choose 7-9 types.
3. All desserts on the buffet table should be comfortable to take with your hands and eat at one time. Therefore, preference is given to small figures or cut pieces if it is a cake or pie.
4. In advance, you should take care of food paper bags or boxes in which guests can take the treat with them. The containers can be made to order or with your own hands, having issued them in a suitable style and color scheme.
5. On a sweet table or nearby, there must be counters with napkins so that guests do not puzzle over how not to stain their outfits with sweet fingers after a delicious treat.

How you can decorate a sweet table, see the video below.