If you enjoy entertaining and throwing parties, and you live in the metro, I am sure you have heard of The School of Styling.
Usually, SOS holds their workshops in the north. Mostly, I see them in Makati, and while I don’t mind going to Makati for events, unfortunately, my schedule just has not coincided with some of the events that they have held in the past.
Luckily, last week, I was able to join one of their FREE workshops here in the south at the Evia Lifestyle Center. It is super close to our place, and some of my friends were going to be there as well, so I was really looking forward to the time we would have together learning more about how to style our own dessert buffets at home.
Indy Ycasiano is the creative half of School of Styling while she has a business partner who does the logistical, marketing side. Together, this tag team momma duo has churned out a series of events and workshops that every DIY’er would surely benefit from. Plus, we all know that DIY’ers like doing things together too! It’s where we find our inspiration…with each other…
If you would like to style your own dessert buffet at home the first decision you need to make is whether you would like an ASYMMETRICAL or SYMMETRICAL table.
Gelli’s first birthday dessert buffet is a great example of an asymmetrical table.
Even if my dessert table is asymmetrically designed, I still kept the cake as the focal point.
After all, the cake is the star of the show!
Our theme for Gelli’s first birthday was based on a poem by Neil Gaiman, called Blueberry Girl.
Isn’t this one beautiful? It was just as delicious as it looks too. I loved that I was able to collaborate with Joanna from Cuppy Puppy for this dessert table too! She is amazing! She gets really busy though, and understands the balance between life and work balance, so if you don’t book her in advance, she might not be able to fill your order.
This photo from the day of the event at Evia Lifestyle Center, shows what a symmetrical table would look like.
But no matter whether your table is symmetrical or not, it is also important to not overload your buffet. You want to put a small sampling of all your desserts without putting all your 150 cupcakes on the table. You can make this easier on yourself, by having waiters or house help refill your sweet treats as the party goers enjoy the desserts.
You must remember, your dessert buffet is a showcase so, less is more.
Indy also shared that she finds it easier to sketch her table first. This makes so much sense doesn’t it?
You can achieve an even nicer look for your table by using different serving platters of different heights.
This simple dessert table for Gia’s Red White and Blue themed birthday party was a combination of home made treats and caramel apples from Palms Country Club.
Don’t you just love how the different heights of the desserts give the buffet so much more depth? You can read more about how I put this birthday party on the piece that I wrote for Rappler to share my DIY tricks.
Even from afar, the eye is drawn both up by the tissue pom poms, and down by the custom ruffled table cloth.
Another way you can add height is by using items you can hang from the ceiling or on the wall. This draws the eye up as well. Think flowers, tissue balls, balloons, or even candles.
I think with any dessert table planning and executing the idea is to Keep Calm and Carry On. We don’t want to get overwhelmed. This can mean collaborating and using different vendors for your desserts. Or this can mean something as simple as not putting everything out on the table all at once.
Here are some more tips when putting together dessert buffets large and small.
1.Consider your tablecloth/fabric. Use something interesting that fits with your theme.
Photo Credit: Janelle Barretto Squires
For example, for Gia’s 11th Birthday Party in the Mad Hatter Theme, the dessert table and dining table were all in one. I made tea sandwiches, bought a ton of tableware from Dapitan, ordered snacks and sweets from Palms Country Club and Cupcakes by Sonja, and borrowed the table cloth and accessories from Sonja as well. Doesn’t the black and white diamond tablecloth fit the theme perfectly?
2. Look for Printables ONLINE. There are lots of sites where you can download FREE printable clipart, or even ready made cellophane bag toppers and cupcake toppers. If you want someone else to do it for you, you can visit Ace Printing in BF Homes.
All the printables from the stickers on the bamboo spoons, the cello bag toppers for the cookies, and the stickers for the lollis made my life so much easier because the online seller delivered them straight to my home! Photo Credit: KSnaps
You can also check out this Halloween post where my friend Tina found some printables online that she adjusted to fit what we needed for the collaboration on the dessert table.
3. It’s easy to add buntings and garlands that will add a bit of whimsy texture to your table. You can make these ahead of time, or order from Party in a Box from Maricel over at A Sweet Cottage.
A photo posted by Maricel Mendoza (@asweetcottage) on
If you are feeling crafty and have the time, this is something you can do by yourself too!
4. Every dessert table has to have a backdrop. This backdrop can be the wall itself, if it has a detail that fits your theme. Or it can be made from plywood, pegboard, canvas or styrofoam. If you have a pipe and drape system you can just change the cloth according to your themed colors and reuse them again and again.
This is that same Halloween themed dessert table I did for the SoMoms one year that I mentioned up above where Tina created printables that coincided with our theme.
Thanks to the help of my friend Maricel (again) Gia and I were able to just use plain black cloth to pull this spooky look off.
Truth is, I always enjoy putting dessert tables together with the help of others. Everything is more fun with friends, right? Usually, Gia and I decide what we will bake to supplement what ever cake we will order. But even in the smallest of details, sometimes I need help from my friends.
Check out the dessert buffet our team put together with all the readily available styling accessories on hand 🙂 Photo Credit: SOS
If you are planning to create your own dessert buffet at home, I have put together a small list of vendors that I love to use for our parties and gatherings. I have ordered from all of these wonderful bakers personally, and can vouch for the work that they do. I am a firm believer that what we like to eat should be equally as pretty as it is yummy.
And, if you live in the south and are into doing things yourself? aka a southern DIY’er???
You should definitely check out the next sessions of the School of Styling at Evia Lifestyle Center.
Oh. And if you do visit Evia, make sure to check out Another Story. We had lunch there after our workshop with the girls and I thoroughly enjoyed my Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
https://www.facebook.com/School-Of-Styling-Philippines
For Sugar Cookies and Cake Pops:
The Little Whisk
Desserts:
Pastry Armoire
Cuppy Puppy
Cupcakes by Sonja’s
Flowers:
Flowers By Aga
DIY Party in a Box:
Maricel Mendoza of A Sweet Cottage
For Printables, bag toppers, poster and more:
Ace Printmaster in BF Homes
Fun Paper Products and crafty supplies:
Paper Chic Studio
Photographers:
Jay Santos Photography
K-Snaps
The Little People
Photography by Lianne
