The whole spread
Dessert Tables
A dessert table is quoted by the piece and built as one styled arrangement. It is the right brief when the cake is one element of something larger, and the only sensible way to order cupcakes, macarons, cookies or cake pops in quantity.
Numbers first
How a dessert table is actually quoted
Four things decide the quote, and none of them is the flavour list. Getting them into the brief is what makes responses comparable.
- Pieces per guest.Two to three is the usual planning figure after a meal, and more when the table replaces dessert entirely or the event runs late.
- How many varieties.Four items in quantity almost always beats twelve in ones and twos. It looks more abundant and it survives the evening better.
- Who supplies the styling.Stands, tiers, linen, signage and height. Included, hired with a bond, or yours to provide. This is the most common misunderstanding.
- Setup and collection.Somebody builds the table on the day and collects the props afterwards. Confirm who, when, and whether it is in the price.
What goes on it
What a dessert table usually carries
Cupcakes, macarons, cookies and cake pops are all briefed through this page instead of being ordered separately, because that is how they are priced and styled. Most dessert table ideas start from this list.
A cutting cake
A cake and dessert table works best with a smaller centrepiece cake to anchor it and give the room a moment to gather around.
Cupcakes and cupcake towers
Individual serves that scale cleanly, and a tiered tower that can stand in for a cutting cake.
Macarons and macaron towers
Colour matched to a palette, used as dessert, as favours or as a structural centrepiece.
Iced and decorated cookies
Hand iced, personalised or branded. Common for corporate events, christenings and takeaway favours.
Cake pops and small sweets
Easy to hand out, easy for children, and useful when the room is standing.
Dessert table styling
Stands, height and layout: the part that turns a group of plates into a table. Ask whether the props are included or hired.
Quantities and scope
What people ask before booking
A styled spread of desserts arranged as a single continuous table instead of served in courses, usually built around a cake or a statement dessert and filled out with individual serves at different heights. It is priced per piece or per head and normally includes delivery, setup and the collection of any hired stands. The grazing style is about the arrangement and abundance rather than any particular food.
Two to three per guest is the standard planning figure for a dessert table served after a meal. Go to three or four if there is no other dessert, if the event runs late, or if the table is out for several hours. Fewer varieties in larger numbers is the reliable approach, because a table of many small quantities looks picked over within half an hour.
Not always, and it is worth being precise when you enquire. Dessert table hire usually means the props: the stands, tiers, cloths, signage and sometimes the table itself. A dessert table from a dessert artist normally means the food plus the styling, with the props either included or hired to you. Say whether you need the food, the styling, the props or all three.
Ready to ask
Send the numbers and the look
Send it once. Cake professionals who cover your suburb and are free on your date reply with what they would make and what it would cost. There is no obligation to book anybody.
Not sure on servings? Work it out with the cake size and serving guide first and every response gets easier to compare.
Ask about dessert tables
Send your numbers and date, and see who covers your area.
- 1Tell us about your eventtakes about 2 minutes
- 2We match you with local specialists
- 3Compare free quotesno obligation
Free, no obligation. Your details are only shared with matched specialists.
On the day
Standalone orders, notice and setup
Can I order just cupcakes or just macarons?
Yes, and standalone orders are common. Use this brief, say what you want and how many, then leave the cake fields blank. Makers price small sweets by quantity, flavour and styling, so the dessert table brief asks the right questions even when there is no table.
How far ahead should I book a dessert table?
Four to eight weeks for most events, and longer for a large table or a peak weekend. A table for two hundred becomes a production schedule. Lock your numbers as early as you can, because quantity is the hardest thing to change late.
Who sets it up on the day?
Usually the dessert professional, and it is worth confirming and not assuming. Ask what time they arrive, how long setup takes, whether the venue needs to give them access, and when they return for the stands. A table that has to be built by a family member twenty minutes before guests arrive rarely looks like the photograph.
Cake, and everything beside it
Brief a dessert table
Share the numbers, the date, the suburb and the look. Dessert professionals who cover your area respond with what they would put on it.