How Do I Choose the Best Wedding Desserts?

Cake is a traditional wedding dessert, however, many couples choose to forgo tradition and serve desserts with local flair or special meaning. Whether you choose to make the wedding cake the star of the day or choose an alternative such as cupcakes and ice cream, the wedding desserts you choose should be a reflection of your personal style and taste. From contemporary and upscale to finger food, desserts are often a focal point of the wedding meal. For fun, couples can include desserts that are special to them, or reflect the surroundings of the ceremony by featuring local ingredients and local foods for dessert.

Weddings are a day spent celebrating love and it is appropriate to share your love of a special dessert with your wedding guests. If a couple's passion blossomed over hot fudge sundaes on date night, it is fitting that they include the dessert on their big day. The same is true of a special dessert from a favorite or memorable restaurant. For example, a couple who dines on a scrumptious Boston cream pie or decadent raspberry tiramisu at a favorite restaurant every Saturday night can certainly share this tradition with wedding guests.

Food is a perfect way to bring local flair into a wedding setting. If your wedding is being held in the heart of cheesecake country, in the mint capitol of the world or another area where a particular food or ingredient stands out, you would be remiss not to incorporate it into your choice of wedding desserts. Similarly, you can reflect your wedding location in the menu by having foods symbolic of the area or shaped to resemble significant local icons, landmarks or statues.

For the bride who wants every aspect of her wedding color-coordinated, there are wedding desserts available in a variety of hues. Ice cream can be served in mini cones or dishes and can be colored as well as flavored to fit in with the dessert menu. Cheesecake pops can be decorated in wedding colors and offer guests about three bites of delicious cheesecake.

The wedding desserts you choose should be in step with the overall theme of your wedding. Less formal wedding desserts can include donuts, bars and cookies. It is important to pair desserts with their proper partners, for example, having ice cold milk to accompany cookies and donuts and ice cream to go with cake. If budget is a concern, consider purchasing a cake or main dessert and having friends and family bring assorted or themed desserts to the celebration. For example, ask guests to each bring a dessert containing apples or cherries.

Some healthier options for wedding desserts include caramel apples, fruit salad and berry pie. Be sure to also consider the variety of guests who will attend and their dietary restrictions, such as sugar-free and vegan. For vegan guests, consider wedding desserts such as chocolate krinkles or blueberry-lemon tarts. Sugar-free dessert options are plentiful, including cakes, pies and cookies, but be sure to label them so guests with dietary restrictions will know they, too, can indulge in desserts at your wedding.