My latest Sugar Bar dessert table creation was a lot of fun to design, and it all started with this:


I had set out to do a photoshoot with Shelley from As I See It Photography because she has an awesome studio and all of this fancy, professional lighting which would totally showcase the desserts and design of Sweet Stylings’ signature dessert tables.

“What colours are you going to be using?”, she asked.

“Um, I don’t know. I haven’t thought of the design yet!”

Haha! I really had no idea what I was going to do for a design and desserts at the time; I just knew that I wanted to do a shoot and do it with a short lead time so that I had no reason to keep pushing it back.

A lot of people may not fully understand the amount of work and time it takes to design a dessert table — it’s not just a matter of finding some coloured sweets and placing it on a table, there is a lot of thought put into each specific dessert design, what kinds of sweets to have, where to source everything (from the actual dessert to supplies for personal touches) as well as colour and design balance for the display. There’s also practicality factor for guests too: certain jars and plates may look pretty, but you don’t want awkward shaped vessels that would make it hard for people to scoop candy. It’s a lot to think about, but all of these elements are what makes a Sugar Bar so special!

Once I find my source of inspiration for a Sugar Bar, I usually start sketching designs right away:


I also roughly outline what vessels I am using based on the kinds of sweets I select and the balance of how everything looks on the table. This outline usually happens in my head until I start playing with the actual vessels and can alter the arrangement until it looks just right!


Please ignore the mess in the background of this photo: we were also in the middle of installing laminate flooring in our condo while I was trying to do this…insanity? Yes, a little bit.

I also place sticky-notes on each vessel so I remember what dessert goes where…


Unfortunately, that’s all you get for now! Part 2 of this behind-the-scenes look will be coming soon!