Dessert Table Ideas from Real Weddings

There's more to wedding desserts than cake alone. And while that iconic dessert will always have a place in our hearts, sometimes it's nice to add a little variety to your reception sweets menu. Just consider the options at your disposal! There are cupcakes, pies, and cookies, plus more unexpected sweets like donuts or ice cream sandwiches. The sky is the limit, and because you never know which dessert is going to really hit the sweet spot, why not include them all?

In fact, a wedding dessert table is one of our all-time favorite ways to incorporate options into the big day. And as long as there's space on the table, you have room to make your favorite additions. The best part about this idea is that it's easy to include that classic wedding cake, whether you opt for a smaller cutting cake or go all out with a statement-making confection, along with other treats you love. Sound too good to be true? Fortunately, it's not. And to prove it, we've rounded up some of our favorite dessert table ideas from real weddings to help you find all the sweet inspiration your heart desires. Cheers to a celebration that satisfies every style of sweet tooth.

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.

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.

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.

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 second (equally stunning) cake rounded out the display.

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.

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 cocktails.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 glam up reception?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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."

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.

The dessert table at this Colorado Spring 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.

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.

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, petits fours, and dark-chocolate tortes.

Fabric bunting adorned the table of treats at Joo and Jacob's wedding. Embroidery hoops fitted with patterned fabric created a fun background.

Lauren and Mike's spread of sweets was set in front of a dozens of hanging garlands in a sugary pastel palette.

Annette and Dan 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.

At Courtney and Jose's retro nuptials, they set the scene with black and white accents and a backdrop painted by a friend.

Alexis and Stephen anchored their dessert table with meringues wrapped around tall foam forms.

Tiny pies and tartlets were arranged in crates lined with patterned paper at Gail and Jeremy's New York nuptials.

The pies at Jean and Devin's California wedding were labeled with flags created by Hello!Lucky.

The wedding cake mimicked the bride's dress at Elizabeth and Stephane's wedding, and the rest of the desserts honored the bride's background as a pastry chef.

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 handpainted menu hung over Kathryn and Ryan's favorite sweet treats at their December nuptials.

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

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

At Kimberly and Joncy's wedding, pewter serving pieces held towers of truffles, marzipan fruits, chocolate-dipped apricots, and almond cookies.

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

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

Eunice and Dan's dessert table boasted signage that matched their invitation suite and a variety of serving pieces.

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 at Darcy and Andy's wedding.

Jessica and Cody's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" wedding was laden with tiny sugary goodies.