By Kate Cohen
Some wedding traditions are just meant to be reimagined.
For some brides, it may be wearing a white gown or having only women in the bridal party. Perhaps it’s using the words “to honor and obey” in your vows. Or maybe it’s an outdated bouquet toss.
The new trend rebellion we’re embracing wholeheartedly is forgoing wedding cake for an alternate wedding dessert.
While wedding cakes can be things of extravagant beauty (and deliciousness), they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.
Whether you’re not a fan of cake or you’re looking for ways to stick to your budget, switching up your dessert is a great option – and an opportunity to showcase your personality, too.
At each of our four Rosen Weddings venues, you’ll find an incredible culinary and pastry team ready and willing to help you reimagine your wedding dessert and create tasty celebratory treats that look as amazing as they taste.
Here are eight fabulous wedding dessert alternatives we’re loving right now.
Ice Cream Truck
Is there anything better than the nostalgia of an ice cream truck?
Treat your guests to a cool surprise that’s as tasty as it is unique.
These days, many local creameries and ice cream shops have trucks or carts that can easily be hired out for events. Serve by the scoop and let your guests choose their own flavors and toppings for a playful wedding dessert experience everyone will love.
Croquembouche
A croquembouche is an elegant tower of fluffy cream-filled pastry puffs traditionally served at French weddings. The cream puffs are held together with caramelized sugar and often adorned in flowers, fruit, or chocolate.
A croquembouche makes a visual statement at a wedding and can be fun for guests to pick apart a piece at a time, though there’s no shame in cutting and serving the profiteroles on plates, too.
Cannoli
You don’t need to be Italian to appreciate great cannoli.
Crispy curved shells can be piped with a variety of creamy fillings, from classic ricotta to nutty pistachio or strawberry.
Dipping the shells in chocolate and adding festive toppings on either end (chocolate chips, sprinkles, crushed nuts, etc.) take cannoli to the next level for your special occasion.
Cheese Wheels
Take a savory approach to your dessert course with rustic cheese wheels stacked on top of one another to suggest the appearance of a tiered wedding cake.
Decorate your “cheese cake” with sprigs of rosemary, fresh figs, and colorful berries for a more elegant appearance. Serve it with classic charcuterie accoutrement like jam, prosciutto, marcona almonds, and grapes.
Donuts
Celebrate your “holy” matrimony with a selection of whimsical donuts.
Feel free to go all-out with gourmet flavors and toppings. These perfectly portioned treats are beloved classics for a reason, and a fun way to end a celebratory soiree.
Cookie Cakes
Cookie cakes are relatively new to the wedding dessert trend but are always a hit. Tiers of thin, flat chocolate chip cookies layered with butter cream frosting are as fun to look at as they are to eat.
For a playful twist, serve slices of your cookie cakes with milk served in cookie shot glasses, or with a fun cookie straw.
Cupcakes
Cupcakes have been a classic cake backup for a while now, and while the flavor profile is pretty much identical to a traditional wedding cake, their serving-sized cuteness has yet to wane.
Plus, when you choose to serve cupcakes over traditional cake, you can offer a variety of flavors and decorations for a display that looks as good as it tastes.
Bonus Tip: Pair your cupcake display with a matching small cake round so you can have your picture perfect “cutting the cake” moment as a new married couple.
Cake Pops
Another cake alternative is cake pops, bite-sized baubles with endless potential for decorating and flavor combinations. The best cake pops are soft and moist with the perfect ratio of candy coating for a bite that truly satisfies the craving for cake.
Rethink Your Wedding Dessert and Other Traditions with Rosen Weddings
Whether you’re a wedding traditionalist or are looking for a way to mix things up, Rosen Weddings is here to help you make sure every detail of your wedding day is perfect.
Our four distinct venues and team of wedding professionals will bring your wedding vision to life however you imagine it.
Contact our team today to learn more about how you can be a part of the Rosen Weddings family.
