Hawaiian Luau Guest Dessert Table

Lindi of Love the Day recently sent over these beautiful pictures of a farewell Luau she created for her friends who are moving to Hawaii. This setting is so refreshing it makes me want to jump into the screen to be at the party. I love the bright color palette, the use of the net as a backdrop, and the bold patterns. I also love the concept of farewell notes for the departing couple. This could work well for a honeymoon send-off party as well. Check out Lindi's Etsy shop here. Great job, Lindi!

Pea in the Pod Guest Dessert Table + Ask Amy

How cute is this pea-in-the-pod guest dessert table feature from Whitney of Sweet Celebrations by Whitney? Whitney is a baker based in Las Vegas and was inspired to do a dessert table after seeing our work. This table is perfect for a kid-themed event (showers, birthday parties, brises/christenings). All of the sweet pea details on the table are adorable and I love the fresh green color palette. I also love how Whitney used the paper lanterns on the table instead of hanging them. I haven't seen them used that way, but it works for this table.

A little before the event was supposed to start, Whitney heard a loud crash. It turns out a kid at the event was tempted by all of the goodies, jumped on the table, and broke a few of Whitney's vessels. Whitney was paralyzed with panic. I know exactly what she was feeling. When I first started my business, I did a lot of birthday parties and this happened often. What kid wouldn't be tempted to jump on a table filled with goodies? Believe it or not, I've had adults do this as well at parties! I even had a gorgeous table set up for a very important client and she didn't see it until after all of her guests bombarded it {at least they liked the desserts and she saw pictures!} In Whitney's case, after a brief moment of panic, Whitney quickly called on friends for other vessels and pulled the table together very nicely. Well done, Whitney.

Whitney asked about how I have dealt with last minute emergencies so I will give you a few tips below...

(1) Make a list before your event of everything that is being packed. This will help you keep track of your items and will remind you if you forgot anything. I am very meticulous about this and while it may drive everyone around me crazy, it keeps me sane.

(2) Bring a little bit extra candy, desserts, icing, etc. It is a little tricky because you don't want to over bake/order, but you should give yourself a little room for error. In Whitney's case, the glass bowls broke and she had to throw away the candy that was in that bowl. Luckily, she had extra and none of her guests noticed anything missing.

(3)Bring a few extra vessels to your event. No matter how well we pack our items, there is usually one casualty. I always pack a few extra vessels to ensure that we have options in case a vessel breaks. I usually bring extra of the items that can't be easily purchased the day of.

(4) Give yourself time to set up. If there is an emergency, then you'll have time to make the adjustments. I'm a stickler about getting things ready early for this reason.

(5) If need be, have someone guard the table until your client sees the table. Yes, sounds crazy, but your client should see your work of art before it gets touched.

(6) Try not to panic. Okay, maybe you can panic for a minute, but that's it. If you are prepared, you will be able to make adjustments that will look just as good as your initial vision. Even though you will notice the difference, you will be the only one that does.

Thanks for sharing, Whitney!

Chicago Inspired Guest Dessert Table Feature

We've been getting SO many amazing guest dessert table submissions. Keep them coming and we'll get them up here. This one comes from Rama of Whimzicalparties in Omaha, Nebraska. Rama created a chic navy and silver Chicago-inspired dessert table for a high school graduate who is moving to Chicago for college. Rama asked for constructive criticism, but I really think she did a great job with this table. Here's what she did that made it successful...

(1) Rama enlisted an artist (who happened to be the client's mom) to create that FABULOUS Chicago backdrop. The backdrop pulls the whole table together and Rama balanced the height of her vessels and florals well so the items on her table didn't compete with the art.
(2) Rama was working with very tough colors, yet she still managed to execute the table in a sophisticated way (In particular, blues are not easy to execute with desserts)
(3) I also really love how Rama creatively tied the ribbon around her vessels. Some vessels don't allow for a smooth ribbon trim and the vessels she used are a perfect example. Instead of forcing the ribbon around the side, Rama layered ribbon on top.
(4) I also love those floral arrangements and the spray painted vases.

A few dessert table designer tips for everyone...
(1) If you are working with a color palette that doesn't lend itself to baking, then limit those colors to paper, ribbon, linens, etc. and make your desserts simple by just using white. {Rama pulled it off with this palette, but I've seen many blue dessert tables that are hard on the eyes because there are so many competing shades of blue.}
(2) Be careful when using darker colors for desserts because you don't want anything too saturated that will rub off on your guest's teeth/lips at the party.

Excellent job, Rama! I look forward to seeing more from you!

Guest Dessert Table + Ask Amy

I'm loving today's guest dessert table feature from Glory of Glorious Treats. Glory sent me these pictures early this week and I've been dying to share them with you. Glory created a strawberry theme party for her niece's 9th birthday party. I love the fondant strawberries, the custom cups, and the fresh strawberry favors with strawberry ribbon. Wonderful execution, Glory! Glory was also kind to share her strawberry cream cheese frosting recipe here.

Speaking of guest dessert tables, a few people have asked me why I promote other people's work on my blog. The truth is, I like to promote small businesses. I've been pretty lucky to have my business take off in just a few short years and I'd love to impart what I've learned along the way. I get a lot of inquiries from people who are starting their own businesses about how I started. I'll have a lot to say about this in my new "Ask Amy" section, which you'll all see on my new blog in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I'll give you my first tip. Take the time to evaluate if you really have a business. I can't tell you how many times my husband said his famous quote "Is it a hobby or a business?" All of you starting a new business know what I'm talking about. He gave me tough love in the beginning, but I'm grateful for it now. He had me present a real business model to him as if he was an outside investor. This forced me to really think about whether I had a business. Thankfully, at one point, things clicked and we both knew it turned from a hobby to a business. Don't think there weren't bumps along the road. There were and still are. I'll get into that another day.

In the meantime, here were the first things that I thought about...

(1) Who is the customer or market?
(2) What is the product or service?
(3) Where is the business based and does location matter?
(4) How can the business be executed profitably?
(5) What's the barrier to entry and why is the business sustainable?

Can you answer those questions for your business? Food for thought over the weekend... I'll be back to show you some behind-the-scenes next week (right now I'm blogging in a cab while propping for a magazine shoot and we're off to our next stop!) Have a great weekend everyone!

Woodland Guest Dessert Table Feature

Katie Henry of Katie Grace Designs sent over some pictures of a dessert bar she created for a boy's woodland inspired birthday party. After discovering our dessert bars, Katie has created dessert bars at all of her events. I am totally loving the s'mores kabobs, tree cupcakes, and the trail mix containers. Maybe we can get Katie on here to do a how to for the s'mores kabobs? I also love the use of the tree stumps for vessels and brown gingham fabric. I think this could be great for both a kids party and adult party. It is also great for a boy's party, something we don't see a lot of around on the blogosphere. Amazing job Katie!

Guest Dessert Table Feature from South Africa

This guest dessert table comes all the way from Durban, South Africa. Zalita of Cupcake D'Lights sent us pictures of a recent dessert table for a young girl's princess birthday party. Zalita makes cupcakes but was inspired by us to try out a dessert table. The wrapped lollipops are SUPER cute. Dressing up lollipops with tissue paper is an inexpensive and easy way to instantly dress up pops. The Zoe banner is also really sweet. Okay, some tips from the dessert table designer - next time dress up some of those jars with decorative ribbbon. You could use solids or a patterned, but I always think a princess table could use some bows! I also would have used more delicate {less bulky} vessels for the marshmallows since the overall princess feel is fanciful. Overall, great job Zalita!

Circus Guest Dessert Table Feature

All photographs by Logan of Zuma Photo.

Culinary Crafts in Utah sent over some pictures of a circus themed dessert table they created for a recent birthday party. It looks like the buzz of our dessert bar trend has hit the beehive state!

Culinary Crafts took inspiration from our old fashioned candy bar here. I love how Culinary Crafts made a circus design still look fresh and not too commercial. Some of my favorite details include the asymmetrical layering of the fabric on the table, the striped linen, and the circus tent favors.

Okay, just a tip from the dessert table designer...stack up those gorgeous macarons higher so your guests can see them as they approach the table. I would have also cut down those lollipop sticks so the guests can fully appreciate the beautiful whimsical cake.

Also, for the diy'ers, take note that including pre-made cotton candy sticks on a dessert bar is NOT an easy feat. Culinary Crafts did a great job with this, but they had a staff person replenishing cotton candy sticks to keep them fresh. This is necessary! I've worked with cotton candy several times and often the cotton candy deflates and looks a little scary to put out. We once made lavender cotton candy floral topiaries and that was, well let's say, an interesting project to replenish throughout the night! I don't think I'm going to repeat that one!

Overall, great job Culinary Crafts!

County Fair Guest Dessert Table Feature

I'm loving this "county fair" take on a dessert table from Anneliese of Aesthetic Nest. Anneliese created this party for her daughter and niece's 4th birthday party. This party is very sweet for a kids party, but can also be elevated to an adult party as well. My fave details are the bandana quilt tablecloth, the adorable coordinated outfits, and the orange preserve jars made with fabric from here. Check out the diy for the bandana quilt tablecloth on Anneliese's blog. I also love how Anneliese played up the county fair bake-off idea with a selection of red velvet, lemon bundt, and buttermilk chocolate birthday cakes. I'll bet everyone in the county wanted a ticket to this party! Great job, Anneliese!