Nix The Wedding Cake

CELEBRATIONS | by KAT SPELLMAN

© COLLEEN ROSEN

I WENT TO A WEDDING THE OTHER MONTH and, as has become the new custom, it was another no-cake affair. But this time? Instead of the ubiquitously pretty tower of cupcakes that’s become the sassy bride’s favorite ever since “Sex and the City” featured Samantha and the gals at Magnolia Bakery, this time the bride and groom had towers of doughnuts. What a smile-inducing treat. Kids and adults had great fun picking their flavors, and the casualness of a bride in a formal wedding gown noshing on a big ol’ doughnut is just too fun of an image to forget.

This got me thinking about the other options folks can take when cake’s just not their thing:

• Celebrate the couple’s heritage with desserts from their family’s origins, whether that’s individual cannoli on pretty dessert plates or a dramatic croquembouche of towering cream puffs encircled in spun sugar.
• Set up a bar of candy and sweets, filling apothecary-style jars with sweets and popping giant lollipops in flower pots or cachepots filled with sand. Go bold and bright, gathering inspiration from such spots as Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York. Pick goodies with the wedding’s colors or go with a display of nostalgic favorites from childhood. Have monogrammed baggies at the ready for guests to fill with their favorites to bring home.
• With handcrafted ice creams and frozen custard shops popping up in major cities, it’s easy to gather a gorgeous bar of sophisticated and classic ice-cream flavors from local artisans. Or hand out old-fashioned paper-wrapped ice cream bars for a sunny outdoor wedding that’s rocking a more casual vibe.