One of the best perks of planning a wedding is the ability to indulge your sweet tooth! As cupcake fanatics, weddings, to us, are a way to showcase all that you can do with cupcakes. Cupcakes are a fresh and creative alternative to traditional wedding cakes and their versatility means they can be served in many different ways at casual and formal affairs alike. Cupcakes, by nature, are also very personal and therefore are a great way to add an extra special personal touch to your big day. Check out some of our ideas for incorporating cupcakes into your upcoming celebration:
Bridal Showers
Mini Cupcakes as Placecards
Instead of numbering tables with actual numbers, a fun alternative is to name each table after a cupcake flavor. Then, using a small cocktail pick, attach guests' name cards to mini cupcakes in different flavors, with each flavor corresponding to a different table. Each guest will then have to match their mini cupcake flavor to the corresponding table flavor. This is a great conversation starter as guests are trying to find their tables and can help make the process of seating your guests fun, interactive, and delicious!
Cupcake Decorating Bar
Another unique idea for incorporating cupcakes into your bridal shower is to replace the traditional candy bar or dessert buffet with a cupcake bar that enables guests to frost and personalize their own cupcakes with a variety of flavors and decorations. A cupcake decorating bar also lets guests play great shower games with prizes for the most artistic, most unusual, and most delicious cupcakes! You can also carry this theme through, by giving each guest a cupcake-themed apron as their bridal shower favor -- and everyone can throw on their aprons while they decorate their cupcakes.
Bachelorette Parties
"Cupcake Cocktails" as Dessert
Cupcakes are a great twist on a signature bachelorette party cocktail! One idea is to layer mini champagne-infused cupcakes in champagne flutes or martini glasses along with fresh strawberries, chocolate ganache, and champagne buttercream frosting. Then, add champagne to toast the bride-to-be!
Custom-Themed Fondant Decorations
Whether you are planning a night in Vegas, a relaxing day at the spa, or a beach getaway, you can serve cupcakes to reflect the the theme of your bachelorette with fun fondant-themed decorations - a sweet ending any bachelorette party! Cupcakes with bright bubblegum pink buttercream and sparkly hot pink crystallized sugar and tiny fondant high-fashion stilletos and martini glasses are the perfect way to cap off your last night as a "single" celebrating with your best friends!
Weddings
Cupcakes as Welcome Gifts for Guests
If you are having a destination wedding with a lot of guests coming in from out of town, a thoughtful way to welcome them is to leave a half-dozen box of cupcakes in their hotel rooms for their arrival with a welcome note and itinerary attached! If you are having a beach-themed wedding, go for an assortment of flavors like coconut, key lime, and mango and have them decorated with flip-flop fondants. If you are having a winter wedding, include flavors like gingerbread, chocolate peppermint, and have them decorated with snowflake fondants. Cupcakes are a sweet way to set the mood of your wedding and welcome guests to a weekend full of fun!
Wedding Cupcake Towers
Cupcakes offer endless possibilities for a unique and grand wedding display that family and friends will remember forever. From a traditional multi-tiered cupcake tower with elegant, floral-themed frosting and fondant designs, to more elaborate cupcake displays with multiple flavors that capture the spirit of the bride and groom, a wedding cupcake tower makes an artistic and delicious centerpiece that guests are sure to love. One of the best parts of choosing cupcakes for your wedding tower is the ability to mix and match your favorite flavors -- you don't have to commit to just one.
Mini Cupcakes for a Midnight Wedding Buffet
After guests have been dancing the night away, they are sure to get a little hungry, and need a little fuel to keep the party going. If you are planning on a midnight buffet of small bite-sized snacks (passed mini burgers and grilled cheese) for your guests, mini cupcakes are a perfect addition for something sweet! Pick a ton of different flavors and either have the wait staff serve them on cocktail trays to guests on the dance floor or arrange them on a small buffet table spelling out your monogram or your wedding date or another sweet message!
Cupcakes as Wedding Favors
Cupcakes are a delicious and elegant way to thank wedding guests for celebrating your special day. For a personal touch, the bride and groom's favorite flavor can be decorated with fondant pieces designed with their initials or new monogram and their wedding date, and then individually boxed and gift-wrapped for each guest with a thank you note. Or, if your budget allows, create a custom assortment of mini cupcakes of different flavors, gift-wrapped for each guest to enjoy.