Tips for Planning an Impressive Baptism Reception Dessert Table

 A baptism calls for a royal celebration!  Celebrate in style by planning an impressive dessert table that will pay tribute to both the guest of honor and also those who have come to celebrate the religious milestone.   Tips and tricks for styling the baptism reception table and planning for delicious treats are being shared by Jennifer Carver of Spaceships and Laser Beams.

 First, decide on a theme or style for your table.  It will largely dictate the atmosphere of your party.  Do you want a more formal and elegant look to your table, or do you prefer something vintage or rustic?  Do you want to stick to a basic baptism dessert table theme, or get more personalized with something like “a little man” baptism dessert table or a “princess” baptism themed refreshment station?  Once you’ve chosen your style and theme, you are ready for the next step.

 Next, choose your color palette.  While many baptism celebrations are kept to a more neutral color scheme with white being the predominant color, there are no hard and fast rules.  It’s perfectly acceptable to incorporate little pops of color or even host a full blown colorful affair.  Planning something that will celebrate your loved one and will be enjoyed by guests is the most important consideration.

 With your style and theme chosen and color palette finalized, you are ready to do some dessert menu planning.  In general, I recommend that every dessert table includes 1-2 signature desserts.  A signature dessert is something that you should plan to have enough servings of for every guest to enjoy.  This could include a beautiful cake, cupcakes, cheesecake, donuts, custom cookies or pies.  Most often, the signature dessert(s) will be the focal piece for your table and prominently displayed.  Next, think of 4-5 supplementary desserts.  Mini desserts such as cake pops, brownie bites, macarons, cream puffs, and meringues are popular choices and look beautiful lined up neatly on trays and platters.  Another popular choice is to include lovely jars filled with candy.  Choose the items you think would be most desirable to your guests.  Consider how these dessert items can be prepared to coordinate with both the style and color palette you’ve chosen.  For example, if you’ve chosen a “little man” baptism theme in baby blue and white, perhaps your cupcakes have blue frosting and small edible chocolate bow tie accents.  If you’ve chosen a pink “princess” themed baptism reception, cookies may be in the shape of crowns with pink piping.  

 Once you’ve finalized your menu, gather, rent or purchase items needed for your table.  Floor length linens are beautiful.  A table runner is a great way to bring in that “pop” of color to coordinate.  White trays, platters, plates and cake stands are a wonderful investment and can be used for this event and future events many times over.  Play with the serving items to create a mockup of your dessert display.  Make sure you can comfortably display your choices.  Add height to your table by using risers for displaying apothecary jars and cake stands.  A DIY alternative is to cover boxes or Styrofoam with wrapping paper to create an inexpensive riser.

 To add that custom look to your dessert table, consider making or purchasing a personalized printable name banner to hang on the front of your table or on a wall or backdrop behind the table.  Tissue garland, small pom poms or confetti garland are lovely choices too.  A framed, oversized photo of the guest of honor, a favorite passage of scripture or a religious symbol also make a lovely dessert table backdrop.  Flank each side of the table with balloons to complete the look.

 By following these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to planning an impressive baptism dessert table that guests will love!